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  2020 Summit
     
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  Father Chris Riley to deliver an Australia Day message of unity to the community of Camden as Camden City Council’s 2008 Australia Day Ambassador.
     
  Harbour BridgeClimb to be the pinnacle of a trip of a lifetime for young people from a remote orphanage in Timor Leste.
     
  Youth Off The Streets volunteers to receive Australian Government's Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal.
     
  Optometrists see through Street Youth Eyesight Issue.
     
  The 2007 Celebration of Youth Ball, 15th September at the Westin Hotel, Sydney
     
  The original This Is Your Life book complete with legendary Australian Golfer, Greg Norman’s autographed script to go under the hammer at a life changing event for Youth Off The Streets
     
  The Hon. Linda Jean Burney MP, NSW Minister for Fair Trading, Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteering to address Youth Off The Streets Open Day on the importance of community and its development
     
  An Invitation to the Community: Bunita (Beautiful) Night - A fundraising event for Timor Leste
     
  From Sydney to Surfers – the Million dollar ride for Youth off the Streets
     
  $1.5 MILLION Grant for Youth Off The Streets Macquarie Fields Community Youth Centre from NSW Government
     
  Tom Whitaker, pro-surfer rides the waves with Youth Off The Streets at Bondi
     
  Federal and State Ministers and the NSW Police Commissioner join Father Chris Riley and supporters to mark the beginning of a $4 Million Community Youth Centre project at Macquarie Fields
     
  A portrait painted by many artists is to enter the prestigious 2007 Archibald Prize as a tribute of thanks to Father Chris Riley.
     
  Miss World Australia, Young ambassadors from Youth Off The Streets and The Hon Tony Stewart MP will accompany Father Chris Riley to a remote East Timor Orphanage.
     
 
  MEDIA RELEASE 12 February 2007
   
 

A portrait painted by many artists is to enter the prestigious 2007 Archibald Prize as a tribute of thanks to Father Chris Riley.

On Tuesday 13 February, students from Youth Off The Streets Key College will proudly enter the 2007 Archibald Prize with a portrait painted by many young people accessing the services that Father Chris Riley’s charity Youth Off The Streets provides.

Stemming from a new programme to encourage student involvement in the school curriculum, the portrait was presented as a gift to Father Riley at the end of school presentations last year. The young people wished to show their gratitude to him for helping them overcome various obstacles and for providing them with opportunities such as education, rehabilitation, service learning and psychological counselling through his Youth Off The Streets services.

Father Riley is in life honest and wise, he gives himself to anyone who is willing to be helped and who will put in an effort to help themselves,” said Michelle, a student and artist at Key College.

The process:

The project involved young people from services right across the organisation in the Hunter Valley, Merrylands, Surry Hills and the Southern Highlands. Each agency received a package labelled “Highly Explosive”, inside was a puzzle and a tape developed by students at Key College. The tape sent the students on a secret mission to photograph Father Chris Riley in all areas of his work. A photo was chosen, blown up in scale and divided into 80 equal pieces. Each young person accepting their mission received a section of the photo, a small canvas (20cm x 25cm) on which to paint their allocated portion and black and white acrylic paint.

When completed, each individual section was then delivered to Key College in Surry Hills, where the 80 small canvases were joined together to make one large portrait of Father Riley.

The portrait has been named “Charity is the canvas of the soul” as voted on by all students and members of staff in the organisation.

Available for interview: Min Bonwick, Key College Teacher and Coordinator; Liz Marshall, Key College teacher and students.
Where: The Art Gallery of NSW, Art Gallery Road, The Domain
Date: Tuesday 13th February 2007
Time: 11 – 11:30am

About Father Chris Riley:

Father Chris Riley AO, priest, psychologist, teacher, writer, CEO and Founder of Youth Off The Streets, has worked with disadvantaged youth for more than 30 years in a variety of roles. In 2006 he was awarded the Human Rights Medal and the Austcare Humanitarian Award for his service to youth. Father Riley now oversees the operation of 25 services for disadvantaged youth and his charity employs over 120 people. Father Riley believes “There is no such thing as a child born bad, but we must have the courage to demand greatness from our youth.”

About 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. 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 food van 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.

It is our goal that these young people will leave our care drug free, with a high school education, living skills and a full or part time job in hand.

   
 
 

For more information, please contact Youth Off The Streets:
Ina Mullin
Ph: 02 8332 5005 / 0412 377 217
Email: inam@youthoffthestreets.com.au