A young life back on track

As Services Manager for our Making Tracks and On Track programs in Perth, Vivienne Keeley helps at-risk youths in and around the city to get their lives back on course through positive intervention.

Transforming these young lives can be a long process – in some cases it takes years of dedicated and persistent work before positive and lasting change occurs. But when it does, there’s plenty of reason to celebrate, as was the case with Tom*.

Tom was 15 when he first came into contact with On Track, which provides an alternative to police custody for vulnerable young people on Perth’s streets. When the police picked him up he was in a bad way, self-harming and using drugs.

After a very complicated and distressing start to life, by his teens Tom’s family situation had not improved. His mum had married a man who was controlling and imposing, which made an alternative life as a ‘goth’ seem all the more appealing to the young man.

Tom had stopped attending school and started self-harming. To complicate matters, he was also struggling with his sexuality. When things became unbearable at home, Tom moved in with his grandmother – but with the move came more problems.

“His grandmother was well-intentioned but when she tried to set very strict boundaries, which at the time only made matters worse,” said Vivienne. “She also thought homosexuality was unnatural, and vehemently disapproved of how he dressed and behaved. Not knowing how to deal with the constant criticism from someone he had turned to for love and protection, Tom’s confusion and anger turned to violence.”

Over the past two years Vivienne and the Making Tracks team have worked with Tom to help him address his identity, develop his esteem and channel his energy into positive activities:

“We helped him to get into kick-boxing and self-defence and provided him with the counselling he required. We recognised that he was very intelligent and articulate, so started to work with him on building on these strengths. No one had ever taken a strengths-based approach with him – that is concentrating on his assets. It took us 13 months of hard work to get him to believe in himself and develop the resilience to withstand challenges.”

Tom is now living back with his grandmother, who has grown to understand his lifestyle and the considerable obstacles he has faced in his short life. He continues to work through his issues with a psychiatrist and is taking medication.

Now 17 and ready to exit the Making Tracks program, Tom has a job and is studying youth work.
“Tom has agreed to stay in contact with Making Tracks in the future and to visit every once in a while,” said Vivienne. “His life has truly transformed.

“It’s good news stories like these that make me love my job,” she added. “I’ve been very lucky in my four-year journey at Mission Australia to work in programs that make a real difference.”

*Name and image changed to protect client identity

Clothes maketh the man at our Fairlight Centre

Hitting the shops for a bit of ‘retail therapy’ is something many Australians take for granted. But for Gary*, a client at our Fairlight Centre in Sydney, buying new clothes is a very new experience.

The 45-year-old has battled with alcoholism and problem gambling for most of his adult life. He’s drifted in and out of homelessness for the best part of a decade, and has also suffered from anxiety and depression.

This time when Gary arrived at Mission Australia’s Fairlight Centre, which supports homeless, alcoholic or drug-addicted men to make the transition back into mainstream society, he was determined to make positive changes to his life once and for all.

“He was in a bad way when he came here,” said Kevin Kingsbeer, the centre’s Team Leader and Case Manager. “He’d been drinking 12 to 14 litres of wine a day and was in and out of our overnight beds. But he was at that stage when he was really open to help.”

Kevin and staff suggested to Gary that they work together to admit him to a detox program. Part of the plan involved Gary working to improve his general hygiene and living skills.

The ‘make-over’ began with a haircut: “I said if you get a haircut and buy some hair and skin products, I’ll bring in some of my old clothes from home – and he was willing to give it a go,” said Kevin.

After a haircut, shower and change of clothes, Kevin took a photo to show Gary the difference – the response was a big smile and a ‘Hey, I look good’.

“From that day on his whole demeanour has changed,” Kevin said. “He has a new-found self-confidence, is walking with his head held high and with a spring in his step.”

With support from the team at Fairlight, Gary managed to curb his gambling and save some money for new clothes.

“I told him that $200 would buy him four new outfits and he was amazed,” said Kevin. “He had literally never shopped for new clothing, so he had no idea what they cost.”

After a visit to the local mall – a new experience after so many years living on the fringe of society – Gary was kitted out with new jeans, cargo pants, shirts, T-shirts, shoes and underwear.

“He was so wrapped and the transformation was absolutely incredible,” said Kevin. “The other residents all commented on how good he looked. The whole process has also been very uplifting and rewarding for our staff.”

Gary recently started walking for an hour a day as part of an exercise program. And since his ‘make-over’ he’s also got back into contact with his parents, who were so overjoyed they emailed the Fairlight Centre to thank them for their support and the photos they sent.

“He looks good after all this time and seems well,” they wrote. “Let’s hope he can overcome the disease and get the help he needs.”

The good news is that Gary is receiving the help he needs. This week he entered a three-month detox program with a new sense of pride, confidence and a willingness to succeed. On completion, he will return to our Fairlight Centre where he’ll be supported to move into independent living.

In Kevin’s words: “It’s amazing what a good pair of pants, shirt, vest and shoes can do!”

Well done, Gary, and all the best over the coming months.

*Name has been changed.

Mission Australia's new 'butterfly' ad showing during Antiques Roadshow

A new ad depicting how Mission Australia transforms lives has hit the airwaves during Channel Nine’s popular Antiques Roadshow, which is screened at 5pm from Monday to Saturday.

Tune in to Antiques Roadshow at 5pm on Channel Nine, Monday to Saturday, to see the new ad.



In the commercial, a young man in well-worn jeans, sneakers and an army jacket wades across an urban creek, holding a boxy old PC monitor above the water. Next, he’s kicking in a heavily graffitied warehouse door. Once inside, he rummages through a mound of garbage formed over decades of neglect and picks up a twisted metal pipe.

It’s now night and the young man is foraging through an inner-city bin. He picks up a crushed green softdrink can and inspects, then stows it in his pocket. Back in the warehouse we see the young man perched on a ledge many metres above the littered floor. Gathering all his strength, the young man hurls the monitor, smashing it to the ground.

A voice-over announces that over 44,000 young Australians under 25 are homeless.

Up to this point, the viewer may assume that the young man is a vandal or a vagrant – that’s until we see him welding a metal scrap and using the crushed can to complete a design. The final shot reveals the real reason for his frenzied wandering – gleaming green butterfly wings he has created from the copper wiring, aluminium cans and PC circuit board collected at night.

As the young man walks away from his artwork, the suspended wings angelically frame his body as if a part of him. These brilliant wings made from discarded objects represent the potential that this young man – and thousands like him – has, and the fact he can transform his life with Mission Australia’s help.

The voice-over then announces: “We help people to transform their lives”. Finally, Mission Australia’s website appears on the screen.

This visually arresting TV ad was created by Leo Burnett Sydney, the agency responsible for Mission Australia’s previous two ‘transform’ print campaigns that also feature lovingly crafted butterfly wings.

Mission Australia launches new 'butterfly' campaign television commercial

Mission Australia's 2010 'butterfly' campaign TV advert has been released by Leo Burnett Sydney, the agency responsible for the previous ‘transform’ campaigns that also feature lovingly crafted butterfly wings.

The video will air in late September, but you can view it early at www.youtube/missionaust or here:



Picture a young man in well-worn jeans, sneakers and an army jacket wading across an urban creek, struggling to hold a boxy old PC monitor above the water. Next, we see him kicking-in a heavily graffitied warehouse door. Once inside the abandoned warehouse, he rummages through a mound of garbage formed over decades of neglect and picks up a twisted metal pipe.

It’s now night-time and the young man is foraging through a bin in an inner-city laneway. He inspects a crushed green soft drink can, before stowing it in his pocket. Next, at the abandoned warehouse, he perches on a high ledge then hurls the monitor to the littered ground.

A voice-over announces that over 44,000 young Australians under 25 are homeless.

Up to this point, the viewer may assume that the young man is a vandal or a vagrant until it becomes obvious that he is welding the metal scraps to complete a design. The final shot reveals the reason for his frenzied wandering – gleaming green butterfly wings he has created from the collected copper wiring, aluminium cans and PC. As the young man turns and walks away from his artwork, he is framed angelically by the wings.

The newfound brilliance of the wings represents the inherent potential of the young man (and the thousands like him) and that lives can be transformed with some help from Mission Australia.

Kelly's story

Aged only four years old Kelly* was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, a behavioural condition characterised by social isolation and eccentric behaviour.

By the time she was 17 Kelly had been hospitalised for anorexia and her agoraphobia – an anxiety disorder associated with fear of public places – became worse.

Diagnosed with depression, she began to self-harm and attempted suicide three times. She then turned to alcohol and developed an addiction.

But Kelly’s life took a turn for the better when she completed an intensive 12-week program at Triple Care Farm. With professional treatment from a psychologist, Kelly began to address each of her problems.

Since completing the program in May 2010 Kelly has learnt to manage her multiple mental health issues and has conquered her reliance on alcohol.

She is taking regular medication to control her conditions and receives ongoing counselling from a mental-health service in her home town.

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Spring Appeal

Mission Australia launched the Spring Appeal in August to help raise funds for services that assist young people like Kelly who are battling mental health issues and substance abuse.

How do donations help?

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* Name and image have been changed to protect client's privacy

Creative Youth Initiatives: Staff discuss art and music programs in new video

Jane and Liz from Mission Australia's Creative Youth Initiatives have recently been interviewed about about how art and music tuition can inspire and build confidence with young clients.

Established in 1993, Sydney's Creative Youth Initiatives (CYI), is a unique service that provides free creative programs for young people aged 16 - 25 who are facing many and varied challenges in their lives, such as homelessness, mental health issues or family breakdown.



The programs develop their creativity through visual arts and music as well their self expression, esteem, communication skills and provide positive learning experiences and educational qualifications.

View Creative Youth Initiatives or any other Mission Australia video at our Youtube channel: youtube.com/missionaust

Mission Australia launches "Ordinary" campaign, focusing on client transformation

Today Mission Australia has launched the "Ordinary" series of television advertisements featuring the transformation of a former Mission Australia client - Adrian*.

Meet Adrian...

"Not that long ago, you would have thought I was just like everyone else. I was working long hours, but enjoying myself. I was living in a house in the suburbs with my family.

"They were the world to me. Then my wife and I started having problems and she eventually left, taking our two children with her.

"It just hurt so much. It was like I was in a daze and I didn’t know what to do. I never thought something like that would ever happen to me.

"I struggled to get by day to day and the next thing I knew, I was out of a job and on the streets. But thanks to Mission Australia, I now have a appreciation of the 'ordinary' things in my life again."

View the new video at our Youtube channel:  www.youtube/missionaust

Make a commitment to Transform the life of someone like Adrian, call 1800 88 88 68 or visit www.missionaustralia.com.au

*Name and identity has been changed to protect our client's confidentiality