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Youth
Off The Streets is a community organisation working for
young people who are chronically homeless, drug dependent
and recovering from abuse. We support 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.
We provide crisis care for young people still living
on the streets with our food van, youth refuge and outreach
programs. We also operate an innovative drug and alcohol
program specifically designed for young people. Our
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.
Our medium to long term residential rehabilitation
programs, located in the Southern Highlands and the
Hunter Valley, provide support for young people who
have made the commitment to living a drug and crime
free lifestyle. While they are in our 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
we offer a semi-independent living and mentoring program
which is designed to help young people engage in further
study or to find meaningful employment. We support both
the employer and the young person through their first
year of working together.
More than a decade of experience has taught us that
education is the most effective way to break the cycles
of abuse that can trap young people. Our 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 our
GetReel drug education competition and curriculum and
our Values Education YOUth Making a Difference resource
is now available to schools across Australia.
We are very honoured to have as our patrons, the former
Governor General of Australia, Sir William Deane and
Lady Helen Deane.
If you would like to find out more about Youth Off The
Streets and the range of programs and services we provide
please contact our Development Office:
(02) 8332 5000; 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. We 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 we offer our services
on a fee-paying basis to government agencies.
Mission
Statement
“Youth Off The Streets is helping disconnected young people to discover greatness within, by engaging, supporting & providing opportunities to encourage & facilitate positive life choices .”
Broad
Goals & Objectives
- 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
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Father
Chris Riley – Profile
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”
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Diploma of Teaching (3 years trained) Australian
Catholic University, Castlebar Road, Chadstone, 1975
- Secondary Teachers Certificate of Registration
No. 37378, 27 November 1975
- Primary Teachers Registration Board, 19 March 1976
- Bachelor of Theology, Melbourne College of Divinity,
Clayton, Victoria, 30 April 1982
- Bachelor of Arts (major Sociology and English)
Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 6 June 1984
- Diploma of Abuse Counselling, Australian Institute
of Professional Counsellors, Lutwyche, Queensland,
4 January 1996
- Diploma of Psychology, Applied School of Psychology,
Sydney, 1997
MEMBERSHIP AND REPRESENTATION:
- Australian Institute of Professional Counselling
- Fellow of Reclaiming Youth International, Sioux
Falls, South Dakota, USA
- Australian representative at the World Health Organisation
(WHO) conference on street children and substance
abuse 1994
- Guest speaker at Association of Child Welfare Agencies
(ACWA) Conference 2003
- Guest speaker at “Speak Out Indigenous Women’s
Conference”, Darwin, 2004
- 2005 – 2007 Member of Advisory Group for the National Community
Crime Prevention Program convened by the Australian
Government Attorney General’s Department
- Member of National Advisory Group providing evidence
to the United Nations regarding the experience of
Australian children in relation to the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child
- 2005 – 2007 Member of National Youth Careers and Transitions
Advisory Group (NYCTAG) convened by the Australian
Government Department for Education, Science and Training
- Director of DrinkWise Australia an independent
organisation promoting responsible alcohol consumption
- Member of the Advisory Board of the Youth Mental
Health Foundation. This Foundation is under the guidance
of Christopher Pyne MP, and chaired by Mr Ryan Stokes.
- Editor-in-Chief, TeenMatters, Youth Off The Streets
quarterly parenting magazine.
- In October 2006, attended by invitation of the Vatican,
the “Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care
of Migrants and Itinerant People" 2nd International
Meeting on the Pastoral Care of the Road.
- 2008 Australia Day Ambassador
- 2008 Australian Government Youth Forum (NSW)
- 2008 Australian Federal Government 2020 Summit participant
- 2008 Guest Speaker at the World Peace Forum (WPF), Jakarta, Indonesia
AWARDS:
- Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary Award 1994
- Variety Club Humanitarian of the Year, NSW 1995
- Vocational Excellence Award, Rotary Award 1997
- Australian Achievers Award, Australia Day National
Council 1998
- Spirit of Crazy Horse, Reclaiming Youth International,
South Dakota, USA 2000
- NSW Australian of the Year, 2003
- Australian of the Year Finalist 2003
- Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence and
Outstanding Contribution in Drug and Alcohol Endeavours,
2004
- Equity Trustees Not For Profit CEO Awards 2004,
Judges Award and Joint Runner Up CEO Award
- Rotary Club of Sydney Centennial Community Volunteer
Award 2004/05
- Ernst & Young Eastern Region Social Entrepreneur
2005
- Toastmasters International Communication and Leadership
Award for exceptional communication and leadership
skills 2006
- Member (AM), General Division of the Order of Australia
Queen’s Birthday Honours 2006. (For service
to disadvantaged youth through the establishment of
Youth Off The Streets and the development of a range
of assistance and mentoring initiatives for adolescents,
and to the welfare of children overseas through humanitarian
assistance efforts)
- The AUSTCARE 2006 Peter Cullen Humanitarian Award,
in the individual category, for work with refugees
and internally displaced people. Father Riley inspired
Australians to support his efforts to raise $2 million
in funds to establish the Children’s Care Centre
in Aceh in partnership with Muhammadiyah. Father Riley
has personally motivated his organisation and the
Australian public to focus on the needs of disadvantaged
youth overseas by visiting countries emerging from
conflict such as East Timor and Albania.
- Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Business
Community Partnerships, 2006 National Winner (for
mutually beneficial partnership with McGrath Estate
Agents)
- The 2006 Human Rights Medal from the Human Rights
and Equal Opportunity Commission (shared with Phillip
Adams, broadcaster), for outstanding contribution
to human rights in Australia for the establishment
of Youth Off The Streets, a non-denominational and
non-discriminatory organisation supporting homeless
youth.
For more information, please phone (02) 8332 5000 or
visit our website at www.youthoffthestreets.com.au
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