YOTS reaching out to Belmore youth

The long partnership between Canterbury League Club and Youth Off The Streets has seen another $9,875 donated to help YOTS reach out to disadvantaged and at-risk Canterbury youth.

The funding will be used to run an annual camp for 20 youth, monthly education workshops as well as provide resources for weekly outreach to Canterbury youth.

“This project addresses a need for youth services, especially for the area’s new arrivals, who may not have adequate support networks or coping mechanisms,” said Bianca Andrecchio, Manager at YOTS.

“The grant also supports activities for youth engagement, with special emphasis on identifying young people at risk of religious radicalisation. Staff will educate young people on how to identify and manage potential negative influences.”

Founded by Fr Chris Riley in 1991, Youth Off The Streets is a community organisation working for disadvantaged young people who may be homeless, drug dependent and/or recovering from abuse. They offer welfare and social services including referrals to community health services, mental health counselling, family/relationship violence support and employment assistance activities to set them up as independent young adults.

“It is important that young people, especially newly-migrated ones, have access to culturally and linguistically diverse services to help transition them into the general community. Our local area will only continue to grow as more housing is injected into the market so there will be a definite need to increase social cohesion in the wider Canterbury community,” said Dr George Peponis OAM, Chairman of Canterbury League Club.