BUSY Step Up – Townsville
Building Healthy Relationships in the Home
The BUSY Step Up program is a fully-funded initiative, dedicated to helping young people reduce violent and aggressive behaviours while supporting parents and carers in fostering safety and stability at home and within the community.
This program emphasises the importance of mutual respect and aims to create stable and supportive homes. BUSY Step Up is committed to empowering young people and their families, creating safer and more respectful family homes and communities.
If your family could benefit from this no-fee program, make a confidential enquiry today to find out more.
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About BUSY Step Up Program – Townsville
The BUSY Step Up Program is designed for young people aged 11 to 17 who exhibit violent behaviour or who have a history of violent or aggressive behaviour towards a family member or intimate partner.
Our program utilises:
- Awareness: Increase awareness among all family members about the inappropriateness of intimidation and violence.
- Understanding Consequences: Help young people comprehend the impact of violent and aggressive behaviours on family members and intimate partners.
- Behavioural Strategies: Assist participants in developing strategies to prevent future inappropriate behaviours.
- Strengthening Relationships: Enhance family and personal relationships.
- Safety Skills: Build personal and social skills to maintain safety for all family members.
- Skill Development: Focus on improving personal identity, self-awareness, self-management, interpersonal, parenting, and support-seeking skills.
- Respectful Parenting: Learning a model of respectful parenting that balances leadership and positive support, promoting nonviolence and respect.
- Emotional Regulation: Gaining skills for emotional regulation and responding to violent behaviour.
- Practical Resources: Being provided with resources to help young people take accountability and responsibility for their actions.
Meet the Team
Meyalah is an experienced and passionate professional with a strong background in Community Services, particularly in Youth Services, and a proven track record of achieving exceptional outcomes within First Nations communities. With a commitment to culturally responsive service delivery, Meyalah has actively assisted in creating and facilitating programs that support and empower young people, ensuring positive, long-term impacts.
With expertise in program leadership, stakeholder engagement, and cultural sensitivity, Meyalah is dedicated to fostering inclusive project designs and community partnerships that align with BUSY At Work’s mission. Her ability to mentor, lead, and support staff while making data-driven decisions positions her as an asset in delivering measurable results for youth-focused interventions.
Meyalah is eager to continue her work in developing and implementing programs that create real opportunities for young people. Her open-door policy and commitment to cultural education ensures she is not only an advocate for First Nations clients but also a resource for colleagues seeking to enhance their understanding of First Nations cultures and traditions.
You can contact Meyalah on 0447 670 107
With over 25 years of experience in community engagement and human services, Tyson has dedicated his career to working with disadvantaged youth, particularly Indigenous communities.
Tyson’s expertise spans trauma-informed practices, case management, and program development and facilitation, with a focus on cultural identity, personal development, and behavioural change.
Tyson has designed and implemented a range of youth-focused programs addressing cultural identity, anger management, substance misuse, and personal developmental needs.
He draws on therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Aggression Replacement Training (ART), Suicide Prevention, and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention, ensuring his approach is both therapeutic and culturally sensitive. he has cultivated strong relationships with young people and their families, driving positive outcomes in the community.
You can contact Tyson on 0473 887 103
Case Study - Young First Nation's Male
Young person, a 12-year-old First Nations male, lived with his single mother and younger sister in Townsville, Queensland.
The family, originally from South Australia, faced significant instability, moving multiple times due to the young person’s behavioural issues.
They lacked support from family or friends and had minimal social connections. The young person struggled with anger management, self-regulation, and displayed anti-social behaviours, leading to multiple school suspensions.
His mother’s medical conditions further complicated the family’s situation, limiting her ability to provide consistent care.
The family had a history of involvement with Child Safety, and the young person had police contact due to violence and aggression at home. Despite these challenges, the family made efforts to stabilise, with the young person and his mother participating in the Step-Up program and receiving cultural support to strengthen participant’s Indigenous identity.
The support provided by BUSY Step Up had a positive impact on the young person’s situation. Through the program the young person and his mother received guidance and support, helping to deescalate family crises and improve their communication skills. The service also facilitated referrals to other youth support services and women’s services (for the mother) and engaged the young person in an indigenous youth program. There was a significant decrease in the young person’s violent and anti-social behaviours and the young person was able to successfully complete the last term of school in 2024.
The BUSY Step Up Project is made possible through funding from The Queensland Government Department’s Youth Justice Targeted Response to Youth Crime Grants.
