Bags of Joy is Ballarat’s only Christmas gift giving program focusing on young people aged 12 to 21. The concept was developed by a young person, Jessy, who approached Y Ballarat with the idea of providing gift-filled shoeboxes to disadvantaged young people at Christmas. Jessy was keen to bring Christmas joy to young people who may otherwise receive little to nothing at Christmas time. 

In 2023 is Bags of Joy's ninth year, Bags of Joy are distributed to young people by adults who refer them to the program, such as a teacher, relative or youth workers. We have moved away from providing physical gifts for the following reasons:

• It is difficult to ensure we provide appropriate gifts, as we don’t know the young people.
• It is a strain on staffing resources.
• Gift cards align better with Y Ballarat’s commitment to environmental sustainability, reducing the risk of unwanted gifts going to landfill.
• A gift card empowers a young person to purchase something that they want or need.
• A gift card provides the young person with the experience of going shopping with family or friends.

To personalise this year’s Bags of Joy, the Youth Action & Advisory Group will work with children and young people to ensure Bags of Joy recipients receive a handwritten Christmas Card.

In 2022 we distributed 199 Bags of Joy. Our 2023 goal is to hit the 200 mark – but we need your help to do this. We are requesting donations from local businesses, organisations, community groups and individuals to meet our goal. All donations of $2+ are tax deductible and all funds raised will go towards the purchase of $30 gift cards to local stores.

THANK YOU for supporting our young people this Christmas.