The Kids

Thanks to the generosity of our industry, our charity partners have been able to help tens of thousands of children and young people at risk. Here are some of our favourite stories from the year.

With the help of Youth Off The Streets, Ryan, 18, went from being homeless and sleeping on trains, to studying law and is now looking to get his first job at a law firm.

Tiffany was living in a refuge at 10 and self-harming. MMAD gave her the positive environment and support she needed to break free from self-harm

Max has not attended school for 3 years due to severe anxiety and being unable to live at home due to high level of violence. Max has been engaged at BackTrack since 2020 and has a 90% attendance rate. He is currently living in the youth refuge but is about to take residence in the BackTrack tiny home as part of our transition to independent living program.

Jasmine, 9, presented with severe anxiety and selective mutism associated with family violence at home when she arrived at KidsXpress. Through her expressive therapy she learnt how to express her emotions in a way that was gentle and safe. Jasmine is now able to talk freely with her classroom teacher.

Kris dropped out of school at 14, but thanks to Down the Track she and has now enrolled in a school based traineeship. Clayton, 15, was totally disengaged from school, known to the local police for petty crimes and had no regard for his own future. 4 months after spending time in Whitelion’s RISE program, Clayton is now on track to finishing year 10, has increased his confidence and healthy habits and is finally looking forward to his future.

Faith has been in foster care since she was 4 years old. This year, she got her own Pyjama Angel who will visit her every week to read stories and inspire a love for learning. The foster mum says she eagerly waits by the door each Wednesday for her visit from ‘her angel’.

Jay, 18, has been participating in LeaderLife’s Soil2Soul program learning valuable work and life skills and getting work-ready. This year he has successfully transitioned into a full time apprenticeship with a local landscaping business

Amelie, 19, suffered severe trauma from an incident at school which made her extremely withdrawn and she developed severe social anxiety. At the first meeting with Whitelion, she struggled to even get out of the car. Through her own hard work and by Whitelion providing a consistent safe and supportive environment, she has come out of her shell, is engaged in a theatre program and has secured a traineeship in a childcare.

Shoey, 16, has been participating in BackTrack’s trainee program and this year received his first ever pay check. He also recently got his L plates and is now looking to save money for a car.

Eliza, 9, has a severe neurological disorder - she has no sight in one eye and pinpoint vision in the other. Eliza has endured many hospital stays and surgeries and came to Be Centre to help her process the medical trauma. Eliza joined Art Club after completing her one to one Play Therapy as she finds it hard to make friends and is often bullied at school. She now loves coming to Art Club and has made some real friendships in the group and recently had a play date with them.

7 year old Ali’s* grief due to the divorce of his parents was expressed as behavioural problems in the classroom, low self-esteem and trouble making friends. KidsXpress therapists supported Ali in group sessions and watched his confidence grow, he chose to express himself through art and slowly starting sharing experiences with others in the group making new friendships. Ali’s confidence and aspirations have blossomed, he wants to be an engineer when he grows up, just like his dad!

Aiden was born with congenital heart disease and it’s been a long struggle through 2 open heart surgeries & one procedure in between, but at 16 years of age, he is defeating the odds & living his dream in European football, music & science. He can now dream of a future and nothing is too grand! HeartKids has been there all the way through, helping him be the best he can be.

Liz, 16, joined a Zero2Hero camp keen to learn more about the prevention of youth suicide and build her leadership skills. Little did she know how quickly that knowledge would have an impact and save the life of her girlfriend. Receiving a call from her girlfriends’ parents to say ‘thank you, you saved our daughters life’ was the best call she has ever taken. Taylor dropped out of school and has no qualifications but thanks to LeaderLife, he has now completed his chainsaw, safe chemical handling and first aid certificates from a local college.

Catherine, 18 has struggled with depression after the impact of losing her dear friend to suicide. Being a part of the Heart On My Sleeve podcast allowed Catherine to feel supported and heard, learning many valuable lessons that she will carry with her forever.

Steve, 20, was in a bad place before he met MMAD having struggled with addiction and his mental health. He very candidly credits MMAD with saving his life. He is now focused on helping others and is a Youth Ambassador and trainee youth worker at MMAD.

After struggling with mental ill-health and the loss of a friend to suicide in country Australia, Jake built his resilience and empathy skills via Reach’s workshops and now is a facilitator in training.

Paul, 19, escaped an abusive home but with the help of Whitelion, turned his life around and is now working with Whitelion to help others have a safe place. Last year, Paul got a chance to fly on a plane for the first time when he came to Sydney to the photoshoot for the Invest In Me campaign for Whitelion.

Growing up in poverty and being carer to her younger sisters, Gemma, 17, is the first in her family to make it past Year 10 and is about to sit her HSC at Youth Off The Streets’ Eden College in Sydney’s West. She is well on her way to getting a job in hospitality and has enrolled in a Cert 2 Hospitality TAFE course for next year.

Jenna, a year 9 First Nations student living in rural WA felt like giving up until she joined the Shooting Stars program. The support and the feeling of being safe has empowered her to re-engage with school again.

Mitchell had multiple suspensions from mainstream school due to violence. Now he attends BackTrack full-time and is a star on work crews – he’s next in line to be placed on a traineeship.

Lochlan, 14, has not attended school since year 4. He has been attending the BackTrack program since start of year 7 (2020) and has an 83% attendance rate with zero incidents on violence.

Alicia, 15, came to Whitelion with everything going against her. Severe bullying at school, low self-confidence, disengagement from school, hostile home environment and parents going through a bitter separation battle. By building trust and confidence through Whitelion’s RISE program, she has managed to change schools, get fully engaged with school again, even during the lockdowns and is even planning on going to university.

Swifty was living with a $200 a day drug addiction until he found Dismantle. Through their bike rescue program he learnt some valuable skills and went on to be trained and employed by their Renew Property Management business. The two hour commute is never an issue and he says without Dismantle he would probably not be here.

Thanks to Reach’s transformative workshops Telaine went from a young offender to a community leader.

*Some names have been changed to protect anonymity.