Bridge It

Today is International Day of the Girl – a time to reflect on the state of girlhood globally, what’s holding girls back, and how we can support them to thrive.  MECCA has always been about empowering women and girls; we’re passionate about creating a world where opportunities and freedoms aren’t limited by gender. Through MECCA M-POWER, we’ve committed $25 million over 5 years as a first step towards driving meaningful progress towards gender equality – in our lifetime. This International Day of the Girl, we’ve been reflecting on beauty and its transformative power. And the opportunity we have to educate and encourage girls to use beauty not to mask who they are, but to light them up, and importantly, use it as a force for positive change.      It’s been a girl takeover – our campaign was filmed, directed and created by girls. We’ve been celebrating ‘Girl Spirit’, uplifting and celebrating girls, in collaboration with M-POWER partner The Flourish Journey. We hosted a special work experience day at MECCA HQ to give teens a unique look behind the scenes and the opportunity not just to be the boss, but to give us the gloss!     We launched a must-listen podcast series with Broad Radio, exploring the power of girlhood with The Flourish Journey and Chelsey Goodan, author of 'Underestimated: The Power and Wisdom of Teenage Girls'.  And we’ve heard the voices of other girls from our M-POWER partners YWCA, Skyline, AllPlay, CAMFED, Bridge It and Stars Foundation, who are all working to elevate and educate girls across Australia, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Africa. Thank you to everyone for celebrating girlhood with us and supporting young girls to thrive and empowering them to be their best selves.  Find out how you can continue supporting their journey and learn more about MECCA M-POWER’s work driving progress toward gender equality at mecca.com/M-POWER and by following @MECCAMPOWER on Instagram. #MECCAmoment #DayOfTheGirl #MECCAMPOWER

This beautiful mural at The Cocoon, our housing partnership with Bridge It is designed and created by Emma Hollingsworth. Emma is a Kaanju, Kuku Ya’u, Girramay woman who grew up in tropical far north Queensland. Her works are a reflection of her heritage, culture, and her own story, as she channels her youthfulness through the use of vibrant colours and designs. Thank you DuluxGroup who kindly funded this work.

Our partner We Are Mobilise and Nedd's Uncomfortable Challenge are raising vital funds for charities with BIG dreams and small budgets like Bridge It. Nedd Brockmann’s first run provided funding for residents of our Cocoon to transition into stable housing, setting them up for a lifetime of success. We are inspired by We Are Mobilise’s Founder Noah Yang who is an innovator who knows how to get things done! Donating to the epic run that Nedd is currently on will create more funding for Bridge It (and other charities) to support people into homes. #collaboration #innovation #endhomelessness

Business cares about Australia's housing crisis. After a $1.5 million refurbishment - all donated pro bono - The Cocoon is ready to house women aged 17 to 21 who have experienced homelessness or the out-of-home care system. This project is an example of radical, cross-sector collaboration to end homelessness. Thank you, Mirvac for your amazing leadership, demonstrating that business cares about those more vulnerable within our community and that people are prepared to roll up their sleeves and get things done. We are so proud to be associated with compassionate capitalists who have helped with this project including Interface, Caroma, DuluxGroup, Smeg Group, Lakewood Kitchens, Merry People, K2LD, Flooring Xtra. and the many many subcontractors that contributed their skills and products on a pro bono basis. It was a terrific morning celebrating the official opening of The Cocoon recently - a huge congratulations to Bridge It, HousingFirst Ltd and all volunteers who have worked tirelessly to bring this project to life. We hope the new residents love it ✨

Welcome to the team, Cass! 🎉 We're thrilled to have Cass join us as our Cocoon Coordinator. She'll be providing direct support to our young women and making a huge difference in their lives. "I'm still pinching myself to be a part of the Bridge It team! With almost a decade in the field, I've come to know what works and what doesn't when it comes to holding a space for young people to heal and grow. To me, Bridge It's Cocoon is a bit of a dream in terms of what the program offers and the exceptionally high standard of trauma informed care held by our team. Each and every person has their heart in their role here and I'm so excited to be a part of this." - Cass Holeczy #youthhomelessness #Cocoon #therapeuticsupport #endhomelessness

We are over the moon about the launch of The Cocoon housing project in what has been an innovative collaboration between the business and community sectors. This impactful transformation would not have been possible without Mirvac, Interface, Caroma, DuluxGroup, Smeg Group, Lakewood Kitchens, Merry People, K2LD, Flooring Xtra. After a $1.5 million refurbishment, this housing service, which is run by housing charity Bridge It is dedicated to supporting women aged 17 to 21 who have experienced homelessness or the out-of-home care system. Thanks to REA Group's Benn Dorrington such a beautiful write-up: https://hubs.ly/Q02RY7KC0 We hope the new residents love it ✨

Great to see the Bridge It 'Cocoon' reopen after a renovation and expansion. A wonderful example of communtiy pulling togather. More youth specific housing and accommodation is vital if we are to end youth homelessness. Thats why StreetSmart funds projects like the Cocoon, and we are proud our recent grants went to the refurbishment, funding furnishings for 9 studio apartments and the group workspace.... see how it's come togther under the awesome leadership of Carla Raynes and her team ..

On Tuesday morning Elise Horder and I were invited to attend the re-opening of The Cocoon supporting housing program in St Kilda. Interface were given the opportunity to assist with providing new flooring, Carpet and LVT to refurbish the apartments and common spaces of this beautiful heritage property with Bridge It , Housing All Australians and HousingFirst Ltd. The beautiful, calming spaces and apartments of the Cocoon will provide safe housing to young women who have experienced the out-of-home care system or homelessness. Congratulations to all the trades and suppliers involved with this special project Mirvac, Caroma, DuluxGroup, Smeg Group, Lakewood Kitchens, Merry People, K2LD and Special mention to Valerie Mack for working with us on product selection and Flooring Xtra Commercial and Glenn Bailey for the installation! We hope the new residents love it ✨

⭐️ Merry People X Bridge It Gumboots ⭐️ Several months ago I walked into the Merry People office and met with Danielle Pearce (Founder/CEO -Merry People) who was heavily pregnant at the time. We spoke about what Merry People had already done to support Bridge It (funding our awesome Sam Jones in her Lived Experience Mentor role and funding the courtyard at the Cocoon.) I told Dani about a 2am thought I’d had to launch a campaign called “The One To End Youth Homelessness.” The dream was to get businesses to play a role in ending homelessness by giving Bridge It profit from one thing that connects to their businesses. Dani loves big ideas and is happy to back them! In this moment she agreed that Merry People would be the founding business to get on board. The boots launched in homelessness week, Aug 2024. Merry People have been featured so many times in various media for their leadership in being a business that does good. They sold very quickly and Merry People will be making a significant donation as a result. We are looking for new businesses to partner with us on this campaign. What to play a role in ending youth homelessness in Australia - shoot me an email, Carla.raynes@bridgeit.org.au. Boots modeled below by Billie and Ted ❤️ #endhomelessness #womeninbusiness #youthhomelessness #cocoon #businessthatdoesgood

Bridge It, a charity providing homes for young women (ages 17-21) who have experienced the out-of-home care system or homelessness, and Housing All Australians have partnered with HousingFirst Ltd to extend the capacity within their supportive housing program, “The Cocoon” from 7 to 16 studio apartments. Since launching in 2021, Bridge It has raised a huge $2.5M in donations from generous donors, foundations and corporates including Sir Richard Branson, Mirvac, ANZ, Westpac and AMP to fund the Cocoon project. This funding supports young women to stay in the residence for 12-18 months, providing time to stabilise, learn life and living skills and move positively into adulthood.  Smeg Australia | Technology with Style were humbled to be asked by Mirvac (Kase Jong!) to contribute a small piece towards having this project be realised. A big thank you to Gabriele Flisi for helping bring this to fruition. Carla Raynes and Jenna, your passion and dedication to helping young, at-risk women transform their lives is nothing short of inspiring. The world is a better place for your kindness and compassion (not to mention hard work!). Thank you for all that you do now and will continue to do into the future. 🦋 📷 Alex Coppel (except for the lovely photo of Carla). Thank you again for giving your time.