An online space for young people by young people leaving care.
The GOM CENTRAL multimedia resource aims at supporting young people with their transition out of care, by building skills; offering information and strengthening connections and community.
The development of the resource has been a co-design project, facilitated and lead by Relationships Australia SA, in consultation with various stakeholders and a group of young care leavers. Mighty Kingdom were the developers of the GOM City game.
GOM Central includes a website with spaces for sharing and connecting. Videos are also available providing useful information for young people, by other care leavers who have now moved onto independent living. The online game component allows young people to develop skills for living independent successful lives, giving users the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and insight for life after care.
The naming of the resource and its various aspects has been largely led by the young care leaver project consultants. “GOM Central,” is the name chosen by young care leavers; an act of reclaiming the derogatory term ‘GOM’, and part of a collective process of empowerment. GOM stands for ‘Guardianship of Minister’ and is a term which has been previously used with heavy negative connotation and stigma. Even self-identifying as ‘GOM kids’, is representative of the empowering nature of this new resource, and the sense of ownership care-leavers have over the term.
GOM city has been created to align with the Australian Core Skills Framework’s ‘Learning’ Indicators, thereby providing a pathway to vocational education and training – having these skills can assist a person enter VET learning.
Find out more about GOM Central at https://gomcentral.elmplace.org.au/
