Projects
Each year CWL nominates a special project for which to raise funds through their networks in parishes and organisations.
Our project for 2009 is Father Chris Riley's Youth Off The Streets.
Youth Off The Streets is a community organisation working for young people who are chronically homeless, drug dependent and recovering from abuse. Youth Off The Streets supports these young people as they work to turn their lives around and overcome immense personal traumas such as neglect and physical, psychological and emotional abuse.
Since opening in 1991, Youth Off The Streets has grown from a single foodvan delivering meals to young homeless people on the streets of Kings Cross to a major youth specific agency providing a wide range of services offering a full continuum of care.
They provide crisis care for young people still living on the streets with their food van, youth refuge and outreach programs. They also operate an innovative drug and alcohol program specifically designed for young people. Their accredited independent high schools in Surry Hills, the Southern Highlands and Merrylands, provide flexible educational opportunities and support for young people living on the streets or who are unable to attend mainstream high schools. Many of these young people go on to successfully achieve their School Certificate and, in increasing numbers, their Higher School Certificate.
They have medium to long term residential rehabilitation programs, located in the Southern Highlands and the Hunter Valley, to provide support for young people who have made the commitment to living a drug and crime free lifestyle. While they are in care the young people attend school as well as receive counselling, life skills and vocational training.
Once they feel ready to leave the residential programs they are offered a semi-independent living and mentoring program which is designed to help young people engage in further study or to find meaningful employment. Youth Off The Streets supports both the employer and the young person through their first year of working together.
With more than a decade of experience Youth Off The Streets has learned that education is the most effective way to break the cycles of abuse that can trap young people. Their new ASPIRE program delivers innovative drug prevention and early intervention strategies as well as ‘time out’ programs to young people at risk of becoming disconnected from mainstream education. This program as well as their GetReel drug education competition and curriculum and their Values Education YOUth Making a Difference resource is now available to schools across Australia.
The very honoured patrons of Youth Off The Streets are Sir William Deane, the former Governor General of Australia, and Lady Helen Deane.
If you would like to find out more about Youth Off The Streets and the range of programs and services they provide please contact the Development Office:
(02) 1800 06 22 88; info@youthoffthestreets.com.au
PO Box 6025, ALEXANDRIA NSW 2015 or visit our website www.youthoffthestreets.com.au
YOUTH OFF THE STREETS – AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Youth Off The Streets is a youth-specific charity based in New South Wales, assisting young people deal with issues of substance and other abuse, alienation from family and community and homelessness. They offer a continuum of care from assistance on the streets; crisis and short term accommodation to long term residential care, treatment and secondary schooling. We accept non-paying youth into our facilities and they offer their services on a fee-paying basis to government agencies.
“Youth Off The Streets is helping disconnected young people to discover greatness within, by engaging, supporting & providing opportunities to encourage & facilitate positive life choices.”
- To grow and sustain the capacity to offer services to an increasing number of Australia’s disconnected youth
- To be known nationally for benchmark programs addressing young Australians
- To increase awareness and debate of youth issues within the Australian community
- To encourage best policy development by governments in the care and protection of young Australians
- To become a credible voice in the advocacy of disadvantaged and marginalized Australians
Father Chris Riley, founder and CEO of Youth Off The Streets, has worked with disadvantaged youth for more than 30 years in a variety of roles including teacher, youth worker, probation officer, residential carer and principal.
Father Chris Riley was inspired by the 1931 movie “Boys’ Town”, and at the age of 15 was determined to become a priest to take care of those kids who had no one else. He worked for the charity Boys’ Town in a variety of roles and finally as Principal.
In 1991, he left Boys’ Town and began to set up a variety of programs for troubled youth. The programs are always responsive to need and are designed to help them develop the skills and qualities that will enable each young person to regain control of their own lives.
Father Riley has implemented innovative behaviour modification strategies to help young people deal with a history of trauma, abuse and neglect including the Values Education Service Learning curriculum which is now available to schools across Australia as part of the YOUth Making a Difference teachers resource.
In 1997, Father Riley opened Key College independent High School and pioneered flexible education delivery model to help young people living on the streets and in temporary accommodation return to school.
As CEO of Youth Off The Streets, Father Riley oversees the operation of 20 programs that employ 150 people and involve more than 800 volunteers.
With less than forty per cent of funding coming from government sources, Youth Off The Streets has become one of the largest youth services in Australia, offering residential rehabilitation, counselling, street-based programs, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, specialist Aboriginal services, education and family support facilities.
Father Chris Riley believes there is no such thing as a “child born bad”, but acknowledges that there are bad environments, circumstances and families that impact negatively on our young.
“We must have the courage to demand greatness from our youth”
Past Projects
- L'Arche
- Rural Support for Families in Wilcannia - Forbes Diocese
- Cana Communities
- Pregnancy Help
- Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa
- Rural Ministry
- Claffy House
- Travel expenses for a youth worker to attend the World Youth Day
- New parish at Carnes Hill
- Educational needs in East Timor
- Assistance for Asylum Seekers
- Mary MacKillop Outreach
