At Open Family Australia, we believe that lifeskills can help us turn the tide against the issues that face most young people at risk in the community. Developing lifeskills for young people gives them the tools to make the right decisions regarding education, employment, health and their general welfare in their adult lives.
In 2008, Open Family Australia launched its Youth Leadership Program in Melbourne, a comprehensive year-long program that gave 20 young people the skills to become leaders within their local communities with the hope that they will be come leaders within the broader community in the future.
“On any day we are out on the streets, we see so many young people who are not equipped with the life skills to break the cycle of poverty, homelessness and dependency. So many of them have never had positive role models who have given them the support and respect they deserve as developing self confident adults. To watch a group of young people from diverse backgrounds receive their graduation certificate for participating in a journey that has taken them from being “disadvantaged” to a leader, is a moment that I will treasure forever.”
Open Family Australia Outreach worker
