Like many other groups, Bendigo Blue Light had to close its services during the COVID-19 pandemic as restrictions tightened in regional Victoria.

But the organisation's president Detective Senior Sergeant John Dalton said the programs were back up and running in Golden Square.

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"We know the issues around mental health and young people," he said. "It's really challenging for them to not only go back to school, but also get back into their general life and the things that were normal pre-COVID.

"So we're trying to reinstate what was already normal and to try and bring it back into their lives."

Detective Senior Sergeant Dalton said the regular boxing and fitness program was continuing, and a skate event at Eaglehawk was in the works.

But one of Bendigo Blue Light's new programs was their coffee trailer. It began operating about five weeks ago thanks to the support of Fosterville Gold Mine and Hit Factory.

"We wanted to provide an opportunity for young people with employment," Detective Senior Sergeant Dalton said. "That's one of our initiatives with Blue Light.

"We thought, how could we do that? Initially we started with some ideas of having a cafe here. Then we thought, why don't we have something mobile that can go out to events?

"The idea is to basically sell our story, which is youth programs."

Avalon Burns, 21, is one of the young people who is benefiting from the program. She said others should join up to Bendigo Blue Light.

"It's built my confidence up," Ms Burns said. "Just give it a go."

Fosterville Gold community adviser Trudi Jackson said the business was keen to support young people in the region.

"We first heard about what Bendigo Blue Light was doing in 2018 - working with the youth and trying to mentor them, build confidence, and build skills," she said.

"Looking to the future, all of that kind of work resonated with us. They're such an enthusiastic group of people and looking at what they wanted to implement and what they achieved, it's just been fantastic."

Read more: Bendigo Blue Light creating new hub, safe space for Bendigo's youth

Detective Senior Sergeant Dalton said it had been a difficult year for young people, as they were kept inside and unable to go to school or hang out with friends.

He said Bendigo Blue Light was hoping to reach out to those young people and help them to reconnect with the community.

"We have had a lot of referrals," Detective Senior Sergeant Dalton said. "We're dealing with a lot of agencies who are referring young people here.

"Pre-COVID, we had a really good run on referrals so we'll pick that game up again now that we're coming out.

"We have a one-on-one program that we've introduced that is an opportunity for young people who lack confidence and self-esteem to go into the larger group.

"They will come in and be mentored through the police and a training program. We can tailor made any program for them."

Detective Senior Sergeant Dalton said more information about Bendigo Blue Light's programs could be found at facebook.com/bendigobluelight/

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