Welcome to the Aussie city known for pregnant teens, school drop-outs and unemployment.

Many rural Australian towns are struggling with drug addiction, disadvantage and unemployment. This one is no different.

The easiest option for Denah would have been to drop out of school.

She was already only attending classes about 20 per cent of the time, “wagging” the rest.

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Her parents finished their schooling in Year 8 and 9, so there was no pressure from them to keep going.

But – after tiptoeing along the brink of dropping out for some time – the 17-year-old committed to being the first in her family to finish Year 12.

And her story of disengagement with education is not uncommon in the regional Victorian city of Shepparton, located 180km north-east of Melbourne.

The city of less than 50,000 inhabitants is struggling under the weight of high rates of unemployment, school drop-out and teen pregnancies.

These issues, as well as rampant drug use (especially abuse of the drug ice), the struggling local agricultural industry and racism were discussed amongst locals at Goulburn Valley Hotel pub for SBS’s Insight program, which aired last night.

Statistics show that around 45 per cent of young people in Shepparton are not fully engaged in work or school.

Local youths said they had been unsuccessfully searching for work for up to three years, with one young woman saying she had never even had a job interview.

The number of Shepparton residents going to university, or continuing on at school past Year 10, is a lot lower than the state average.

Poverty and bullying are major contributors to the high rates of students dropping out.

Many of those that intend to complete tertiary studies know they will likely have to move to Bendigo, Melbourne or elsewhere to so do due to the limited courses available locally – and doing so will cost them money they don’t have.

Denah said her complete change in attitude towards her schooling happened at the end of Year 9, when her social anxiety led her to throw herself into her schoolwork.

She and two friends made a bet where the first person to miss a day of school would have to cough up $100. No one has had to pay up yet.

Now she wants to be the first in her family to finish school to set a good example for her younger cousins.

She said she doesn’t have anyone forcing her to go to school, making sure she does her homework, or cooking her dinner. It is up to her to motivate herself.

And Denah is not the only one aspiring for a better life.

Ashley transferred to an alternative school in Year 7 after being severely bullied and acting up.

But she said that doing practical tasks rather than learning theory motivated her to change.

“The fact I didn’t have a chance to learn made me want to learn,” she said.

Like Denah, Ashley is in Year 12 at Shepparton High School.

Her role model is her older brother, who is studying chemical engineering in Sydney.

Ebony also quit school because of bullying.

After being bashed up on the school bus, she refused to catch it, and moved out of home at 16.

Now 20, and with a two-year-old daughter, Ebony is completing a bridging course to continue her education.

“I feel like education is really important to succeed in life, really,” she said.

“Just having knowledge is really important and I want to show that to my daughter and bring her up acknowledging that education is really important.”

“I want her to have a really good life and I don’t want to struggle with money every week… just (to) have essentials in life.”

Meet Debbie and Ebony (post continues after video):

Luckily, she has an older mentor, Deb, who volunteers with a local group and helps Ebony out with anything, from advice to lifts to the shops and driving lessons.

Deb said the support and stability provided by their relationship has helped Ebony to flourish.

Shepparton High School principal Phil Squire acknowledged “there are a number of students getting through the cracks”.

Despite the plentiful challenges facing those in country towns, there seems to be plenty of inspiring young people heading in the right direction.

Watch a snippet of the show here:

For more on youth unemployment, check out these articles:

Sorry Minister, but apple orchards aren’t going to solve youth unemployment.

“All my friends are unemployed”.

“Being unemployed doesn’t mean I’m incompetent”

Why should the government help SPC and not every business in Australia?

Do you know of other regional towns similarly affected?