Community outreach

Support for families, children and young people.

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Burdekin’s community outreach program identifies gaps in services offered by the community, to ensure appropriate support and intervention for families and their children and young people.

Canada Bay Youth
Space Project

Family Support Program

Burdekin's Family Support Program assists young people aged 12 to 24 and their families in cases where staying at or returning to the family home is a safe and suitable outcome.

This program serves as an early intervention, offering practical and emotional support to strengthen family relationships, manage stress, reduce conflict and improve communication.

Unresolved conflicts can increase the risk of homelessness, so counselling is offered to those motivated to address these issues. Sessions can be held in person or online, depending on the situation.

During appointments, the focus is on understanding each person's role in the conflict and identifying unhelpful, reactive behaviours. By promoting healthier, more thoughtful responses, the program aims to reduce tension, improve communication, and lower the risk of homelessness.

Young people can self-refer or be referred by various sources, including schools, police, and the Department of Communities & Justice.

Last financial year (2023/24), our Family Support Program helped 45 young people and their families.’

Family Support Program

Canada Bay Youth Space Project

The Canada Bay Youth Space Project is offered by the Youth Housing team of Burdekin. It is funded by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice.

The Canada Bay Youth Space Project is an opportunity for young people of high school age to drop into Five Dock and Concord Libraries one afternoon a week during school terms to make connections with young people, engage in fun activities, access therapeutic and social education support, and referral pathways to other suitable services from experienced Burdekin staff.

It’s a safe space for young people to socialise, learn new skills, discuss what’s important to them and access youth and support services.

The Canada Bay Youth Space Project is held for Years 7-12 on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3.30pm to 5pm during school terms.

During the sessions, the young people have discussed with qualified Burdekin Youth Workers issues concerning challenging relationships with friends, social isolation, parental pressure, cultural differences and LGBTQIA+ issues.

40 young people attended each week across the two libraries during the last financial year (2023/24).

Canada Bay Youth Space

Dee Why Project

The Dee Why Project is a comprehensive gambling and gaming education awareness program, with case management for the Dee Why community. It is generously funded by the Office of Responsible Gambling NSW and is implemented by Burdekin.

Last financial year, the Dee Why Project acquired an additional three years of funding from the Office of Responsible Gambling NSW.

Online gambling is increasingly affecting young people, due to the availability of numerous gambling apps, prevalent advertising, and smartphone use.

Nearly half of gamblers are at risk of gambling harm (Australian Gambling Research Centre 2023), with Australians losing approximately $25 billion annually on legal gambling (Australian Institute of Health & Welfare 2023). In 2019, an Australian Communications & Media Authority survey revealed that 75% of parents were concerned about their children's exposure to gambling advertisements.

The Dee Why Project has successfully:

Worked with 16 Year 10 students from Balgowlah Boys High School on the 2024 B A Game Changer Peer Education Project on gambling and gaming. The project aims to prevent underage gambling by educating young people under 18 about the risks associated with gaming and its connection to gambling-related harms.
Peer Educators are better equipped to connect with their peers than traditional authority figures. Their relatability and similar life experiences enhance the credibility of the gambling and gaming information they provide.
They also reduce the stigma associated with seeking help for gambling-related problems and help establish and strengthen peer support networks.
Several wellbeing and life skill workshops have been conducted.
Forged partnerships with and training of Mission Australia Counsellors, with the assistance of GambleAware. These counsellors provided support and assistance to young people referred by Peer Educators at Balglowah Boys High School.

Dee Why Project

Beaches Youth Hub

The Beaches Youth Hub is a community initiative created in 2018, due to a dire shortage of youth mental health support in the Pittwater area.

The Beaches Youth Hub is a collaboration of support services that offer free counselling, case management and individual support, mentoring, workshops, and events.

Beaches Youth Hub is made possible by a collaboration of services to bring free mental health support to the Pittwater area, with Burdekin being the lead agency. Services co-locate to Avalon, providing support to young people.

Beaches Youth Hub connects with the community by providing a space where everyone feels welcome and can access meaningful support. We aim to break down the stigma to help-seeking. Beaches Youth Hub is here to be used for anyone aged 12-24 and their families.

Services offered:

Youth counselling
Individual support
Events
Youth Advisory Group
Workshops

KYDS Youth Development Service, Mission Australia Northern Sydney, headspace Brookvale, Burdekin, Sydney Drug and Education Counselling all offer a variety of counselling services out of the Beaches Youth Hub.

Staff from the Beaches Youth Hub will work alongside the young person to design strategies to meet their personal needs and ensure positive outcomes.

The Beaches Youth Hub runs social events to celebrate young people in our community and provide a space of connection. Beaches Youth Hub has hosted: skate jam, bike dirt jumps, waves of wellness, learning to surf, beats and eats, bubble soccer and inflatable obstacle course.

The Youth Advisory are young people aged 12-24 who bring their dreams, ideas, and concerns about what is it like living, working, or studying in the Pittwater area.

At the Beaches Youth Hub, engaging workshops are help for young people and their families. These workshops cover topics on healthy relationships, mental health, drug and alcohol health, body image and self-love, parenting seminars, life skills and much more. The Beaches Youth Hub assesses the need in the community for topics that could benefit young people the most.

Beaches Youth Hub