What’s happening?
Six Townsville students have graduated from Project Booyah after completing a 16-week program focused on confidence, routine and future pathways.
The Queensland Police Service delivers Project Booyah in partnership with PCYC. The youth mentorship program supports at-risk young people by helping them reconnect with their families, communities and education options.
The graduates celebrated the milestone on Tuesday, 23 June, with a ceremony at Brother Leagues Club. They were surrounded by QPS officers, family and friends.
Townsville Police Project Booyah Co-ordinator Senior Constable Jennifer Dare said the group had made strong progress since the start of the program.
She said nine young people began the course. Six completed and graduated, while the other three returned to school full time.
Why it matters?
Project Booyah gives young people practical support at a point when structure can make a real difference.
Participants attend planned program days each week and work through activities that build confidence, resilience, leadership, employability and life skills. The aim is to help them make better choices, stay connected and take their next step with more support around them.
“It has been a long 16 weeks where the young people have been with us two days a week and completed all the required sessions to graduate,” Senior Constable Dare said.
“The goal going forward is for the boys to stay in routine and continue building positive outcomes for themselves.
“We have some participants who are now going into the army which is a really proud moment, and we have others going on to part-time employment while they look at their next step in life.”
Local Impact
The graduation shows how early support can help young people rebuild direction and confidence.
The program brings police, PCYC, families and the wider community into the same space. That matters because young people often need more than one form of support to stay engaged.
For the six graduates, the ceremony was not just a finish line. It was a public sign of their effort and a step toward work, service, school or further training.
By the numbers
The program’s results show how steady support helped this group move forward.
- 16 weeks – The program covered the RESPECT Program, mentoring, outdoor-based learning, leadership development, education support, literacy support, vocational training, work readiness, and health and wellbeing.
- Two days each week – Participants worked through structured sessions with the Project Booyah team.
- Nine students started – Six graduated, while three returned to school full time before the course ended.
Zoom In
The Townsville program focused on more than classroom learning.
Students worked through sessions designed to build self-belief, discipline and employability. They also received mentoring and support with education, literacy, health and wellbeing.
That mix is important because it gives young people skills they can use beyond the program. It also helps them build habits that support work, school and daily life.
Zoom Out
Project Booyah is part of a wider early intervention approach led by Queensland Police Service and PCYC.
Rather than waiting until young people fall further behind, the program works earlier. It gives participants guidance, routine and positive links with adults who can support them.
In Townsville, this latest graduation adds to that work by showing what can happen when young people are given time, structure and clear expectations.
What To Look For Next?
The Project Booyah team is recruiting another group of young people for the next Townsville program.
That program is set to begin in August 2026, giving more local participants the chance to build skills, reconnect and take their next step.
