(MissionNewswire) Youth Off the Streets, a Salesian program in Sydney, Australia, provides services to more than 3,700 youth each year. The program was started 30 years ago by Father Chris Riley as a comprehensive service network for at-risk youth.

Throughout his career, Fr. Riley has worked as a teacher, youth worker, probation officer, residential care person and school principal. He has always believed that there is no such thing as a child born bad, but instead youth face harmful environments, circumstances, and families that can negatively impact them and their behavior.

Fr. Riley’s vision was to empower youth experiencing disadvantages by providing positive options to help them build a better future for themselves. From modest beginnings, Fr. Riley spent three decades growing Youth Off the Streets into a leading non-denominational youth services organization.

Don Bosco House, the program’s first refuge in Sydney’s Inner West, opened its doors in April 1991. In 1996, Fr. Riley opened the Key College in Redfern, the first Youth Off the Streets high school for youth who had become disconnected from mainstream education. Fr. Riley went on to expand educational services within Youth Off the Streets to include six accredited independent high schools across Greater Sydney, the Illawarra region and the NSW Central Coast.

Fr. Riley also developed and implemented innovative strategies to help youth deal with trauma, abuse, and neglect. Many of these strategies have been adopted by schools and government agencies across Australia. Youth Off the Streets now offers a wide range of integrated support services and programs for youth and their families. These services are delivered by more than 200 staff and a community of over 330 dedicated volunteers.

The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Lex Lutherborrow, the chief executive of Youth Off the Streets, in a recent “Homeless Week” article where she said family breakdown and conflict more broadly, not necessarily including violence, was the biggest driver of youth homelessness. “Young people tend not to be the ones that you see on the street. They’re either in temporary accommodation or crisis accommodation shelters or sleeping in cars or tents or they couch-surf, staying with a friend or extended family until they outstay their welcome.”

Salesians in Australia and around the globe provide social support and education so that vulnerable and at-risk youth can find shelter, have their basic needs met and gain the skills for later employment so they can become productive members of their communities.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Australia – Saving one by one: “Youth Off The Streets” 30 years

Youth Off the Streets

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The participants enjoyed plenty of social time during meals, recreation and beach activities throughout the weekend. Salesian-run programs in Australia focus on educational and technical training for poor youth. These programs work to educate youth and help them develop job and leadership skills, setting them on the path to a productive life.

A 2012 report by the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) found that one in eight Australians are living in poverty. Roughly 2.2 million people live below the poverty line and close to 600,000 of them are children. In addition, the report concluded that people who are unemployed, children (especially in lone parent families) and people whose main source of income is social security payments are the groups most at risk.

“Don Bosco Camp is a great opportunity for youth to continue their education, gain leadership skills and build relationships within their communities,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “We want youth to lead happy productive lives and the summer camp helps us to further their education, teach values and help them on the road to a brighter future.”

For close to 68 years, Don Bosco Camp at Safety Beach has been providing a vacation retreat for children from nine to 16 years of age. Youth who have grown up with the Salesian influence participate in a range of activities to develop them further as leaders in their communities.

Begun in 1945 by the Salesian Father Joseph Ciantar, Don Bosco Camp was created to give young students from Rupertswood Institute of Sunbury a place to enjoy themselves and grow up once lessons were over. As the years passed, the camp became a focal point for many youth, some of whom later went on to become camp leaders.

“Youth have a great opportunity to learn valuable leadership skills and then put those skills to use by becoming leaders at the camp and helping younger youth develop those same skills,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Every opportunity we have to help educate poor youth is vital to their future. Don Bosco Camp provides a place where youth can continue to learn in a fun, relaxing environment.”

Source

ANS – Australia – Students Leadership Weekend at Don Bosco Camp

ACOSS Study – www.acoss.org.au

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