Young people in Lake Cargelligo will benefit from a new solar project that will help Down The Track Youth Enterprises cut its power bills and put more money back into frontline programs.

The project, funded by Essential Energy’s Essential Grants program, involves the installation of a 17kW rooftop solar system at the organisation’s headquarters hub.

Down The Track Youth Enterprises supports young people aged 8 to 24 through early intervention, diversion, youth development and social enterprise programs that build practical skills, confidence, employment pathways and stronger connections to community.

The $15,000 grant has funded fund the supply and installation of 36 solar panels and two inverters, helping reduce its annual electricity costs of $2,095.

Those savings will be redirected into programs that support young people through hands-on learning, cultural camps, social enterprise initiatives, wellbeing support and practical opportunities to build responsibility, teamwork and independence.

Essential Energy’s Head of Sustainability, Sophie Mackinnon, said the application stood out because the benefits would flow directly back to young people and the broader Lake Cargelligo community.

“Down The Track is doing deeply practical work with young people in Lake Cargelligo - creating safe spaces, building confidence and opening up pathways that can change the direction of a young person’s life,” Sophie said.

“This grant helps reduce one of the everyday costs that organisations like Down The Track must manage, so more of their resources can go where they matter most - into programs, support and opportunities for local young people.

“This is exactly the reason why Essential Energy created Essential Grants: to support local organisations to lower costs, strengthen their future and create lasting benefits for the communities they serve.”

Down The Track Youth Enterprises CEO Larn Masterson said the solar panels will make a tangible difference to the organisation’s long-term sustainability.

“Our food truck, which runs as a social enterprise so our young people can gain practical skills, is also connected to our building’s electricity so this will bring its running costs down as well,” Larn said.

“Every dollar we save on electricity is a dollar we can put back into the young people we work with across the region.

“We would love to be able to fund a battery system next which would substantially boost our resilience and provide more savings.”

Larn started the organisation in 2016 with the aim to provide the region’s youths with the skills to help them avoid going down a path that could lead to jail.

She said the area’s youth incarceration rate had gone from 5-8 people a year in 2016 to one person in two years.

“Our work is about keeping kids alive, out of jail and giving them opportunities to fulfill their potential,” Larn said.

“I want to thank Essential Energy for investing in our project which is also an investment in young people and Lake Cargelligo’s families.”

The Down The Track Youth Enterprise project is one of 13 community initiatives across regional NSW to receive funding through Essential Energy’s annual Essential Grants program.

The program provides grants of up to $15,000 for local not-for-profit organisations delivering projects that create positive social and environmental outcomes across regional, rural and remote NSW.