Mission Australia Queensland State Director Penny Gillespie said there are many young people making a great contribution to our communities – but we need to also ensure those who are struggling to get by are not forgotten, and that we do what we can to keep those young people engaged and connected.
“At Mission Australia, we provide support for some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities – people who have often lost touch with their families, disengaged with education and found themselves homeless or, worse, in trouble with the law,” Ms Gillespie said.
“In recent months, Mission Australia staff have reported a particular increase in the number of young people coming into contact with our services who are not coping in their current school environment – and as a result are avoiding classes or dropping out altogether.
“In many cases, this disengagement with school has also led to young people leaving home and ending up on the streets where they are more susceptible to becoming involved in crime or anti-social behaviour.
“Our youth services, such as Reconnect and Project Circuit Breaker, aim to help those young people to reconnect with their family and support networks, and to find education opportunities that will be supportive and responsive to their individual needs.
“As the demand for these services continues to grow, Mission Australia is encouraging government to think outside the box and support initiatives that recognise the fact, not all young people fit into the system and alternate education opportunities need to be provided.”
Ms Gillespie said the shocking events that have occurred in London over the past week should act as a reminder of how important it is to support young people to stay engaged in the community in order to prevent anti-social, destructive activities.
“The events of the past week in London have horrified the world. It is a very disturbing situation when you have young people taking out their anger on their own communities and fellow citizens,” Ms Gillespie said.
“We are fortunate not to have this sort of situation in Queensland. But these events should act as a warning that we must not allow the seeds of this sort of activity to grow, such as high youth unemployment, large numbers of young people not engaged in education or training, and disengagement from community.
“Mission Australia will continue to work with all levels of government to identify new opportunities to support young people who are at risk of homelessness or disadvantage.
“Queensland youth are the future of our State and we want to see all young people given the chance to engage positively with education, employment, family and community.”
Media Contact: Nicola Hazell – 3394 8114 or 0467 783 421
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