We are delighted to share with you, a recent project undertaken by Better Homes and Gardens on the behalf of our young people.
The garden before
Recently, the team undertook a garden transformation project at one of our properties in Manly turning it into an impressive multi-purpose entertain and relaxing area that will benefit a number of our young people.
The property now has a beautiful pergola with outdoor furniture, hammock, new basketball/badminton set-up, lots of fabulous new plants and herbs and even a new BBQ! The space has been transformed just in time for summer so everyone can enjoy spending time outdoors.
The pergola
Thank you so much to Juliet and Charlie and all the Better Homes and Gardens team for this stunning asset for our young people. Did You Catch: Summer Ready Backyard? This episode aired on Channel 7 on Friday 25th November and you can catch up on 7plus.
We have been able to decorate our properties for our young people thanks to the donations from our amazing community!
We really want to make this time of year as magical as possible, Christmas, while it comes with a mixed bag of emotions, is also a great opportunity to build up a new bank of positive memories and traditions for the future.
Community
22 handmade wreaths were donated to us to decorate our properties where our young people live – which is just amazing, see in the photo below how we used them.
Oxford Falls Grammar School
Thanks to the staff and students from Oxford Falls Grammar for these amazing Christmas hampers – the children and young people in our care will be so excited! Thank you so so much for your ongoing support!
Christmas campaign
We have received numerous donations from individuals and organisations. Our Patron, Brian Burdekin, AO has pledged $5000 towards our Youth Development Fund.
Tree at one of our homesTree in another homeStaircase deco in another home
As young people navigate and survive the challenges of growing up – their everyday life skills are so important.
More young people today are taking a little longer to grow up than in past generations with mixed success. It’s a good thing that teenagers are granted a slower trajectory into adulthood – they tend to stay in school longer and tend to go on to further education as opposed to getting married young and starting a family at a young age.
Today’s delayed adulthood has many benefits but it also means that some young people are missing out on life skills. Skills that are important for all young people but especially so for the ones who need to grow up a little quicker due to their circumstances – like the children and young people who come to us.
Here are some of the skills young people should be developing:
Money and budgeting skills
In an increasingly digitalised world, it is important to teach young people the value of money.
Don’t go full digital – keep cash around!
Show teens:
how to open a bank account
where the ATMs are and how to use them
how to transfer money online
how to pay bills – online, over the phone and in person
how to save, budget for a goal or an emergency
the importance of giving to others, sharing what you have.
Cooking/food skills
Some young people naturally want to cook and experiment in the kitchen but for the vast majority, the adults in their lives take care of buying groceries and cooking for them. What happens when they move out – do they live on cereal, take away and baked beans?
Teach young people:
where to go grocery shopping
the correct amounts to ask for – a dozen eggs, half a kilo of nuts, a litre of juice.
how to identify basic ingredients in food
how to eat healthily
Show young people how to:
safely prepare and store food
use kitchen appliances – the cooker, oven, kettle, toaster, microwave, dishwasher, iron
Do they know the hazards of leaving gas on, of sticking anything into an electrical appliance, of not putting anything metal in the microwave (including foil)?
Clothing
Young people should know where to shop and what to shop for – such as choosing the right clothes for the right occasion, for example an interview.
Show young people:
what clothes will last, what clothes will require hand washing or ironing
How to:
read the labels on clothing
match items of clothing
do laundry – separating whites and colours, where the detergent goes, what setting to put the machine on
tie a tie
iron a shirt
organise a wardrobe
pack a suitcase
sew (perhaps this is going too far… but we can always try!)
Teen doing laundry
Personal grooming/hygiene
Some young people are not aware of the need for personal hygiene and grooming and this lack of awareness needs to be taken care of sensitively so not to offend the young person.
Inform the young people about the need for:
daily showering
oral hygiene
washing hair
cutting nails
what products to use
shaving
menstrual care and hygiene
House keeping
Sounds boring to a teen or young person but, nonetheless, skills to keep a home are important!
making sure their home is clean and tidy
knowing how to vacuum, mop, change sheets and make a bed
understanding the importance of clean kitchens, bathrooms, fridges and taking out the bins
knowing how to recycle
Life skills
We do so much for our children and young people that the importance of being able to accomplish basic tasks can be overlooked, like:
making/cancelling appointments
writing a letter and posting it
crafting an email
using a phone (most young people today will know this)
how to vote
how to use public transport
how to read a map and use GPS
how to drive and basic auto maintenance skills – change a tire, get gas, driver insurance
basic DIY – change a light blub, change a fuse, unblock a toilet/sink, fix a dripping tap
Teen fixing a drawer
Safety and first aid
Young people should know about:
physical and mental health/exercise
the importance of a healthy/balanced lifestyle
self-care
how and when to seek help
basic first aid
over the counter medication
who to call in an emergency
how to look out for other people
staying safe – online and in real life situations
basic survival
Healthy relationships
We live in a very confusing world and relationships are difficult to navigate for young people so it is important that they know what is ok and what’s not.
We need to teach young people about:
boundaries
mutual respect
emotion regulation
communication & listening
tolerance
understanding diversity
equality
empathy
compromise
healthy conflict/how to disagree
how to apologise
gratitude
morals and values
Teen setting goals
Employability
Young people need to be well socialised to find employment. They need to have:
social and emotional wellbeing and intelligence
organisation skills
communication skills
personal responsibility
problem solving
resilience
goal setting
time management
decision making
adaptability
how to create a resume & apply for a job
how to ace an interview
ability to evaluate skills and identify weaknesses
We think we have covered most things – can you think of any others that we may have missed? Does your teen/young person know how to do any of these?
We recently celebrated National Volunteers Week as well as the second anniversary of the Burdekin Volunteer Program so, we saw this as a perfect time to celebrate our volunteers and all they do for our young people with an appreciation dinner. Of course we appreciate our volunteers every day of the week.
Just like our dinner last year, our volunteers received certificates of appreciation for their extraordinary contribution during the challenging times over the past two years as we navigated working with Covid-19. We acknowledged particularly the huge impact a trusted adult can have on the life of a young person, especially one who has experienced childhood trauma.
It really has been a time like no other and we thank each and every volunteer!
We have recently just completed another round of volunteer training and cannot wait to welcome new recruits into the team. We are currently in the process of “matching” some of our volunteer recruits with clients. We take this process seriously, looking at the skills, interests and availability of the volunteer and thinking through who might be the most suitable young person and whether they’re ready for a new adult in their lives. Many of our young people have lost trust in adults so it’s important that they are in a good place to be ready and willing to meet with a volunteer mentor. When the match works well, it is brilliant and over time, a very strong bond can develop. As one of our young clients said, “it’s so good that there’s someone who wants to meet with me who isn’t paid to meet with me.”
In the meantime, if you would like to know more about volunteering we have lots of information on our website, you might like to start here and then search volunteer. Please get in touch if you are interested and we will let you know once the dates for the next sessions have been confirmed – we love hearing from you. If you have any questions, please email: volunteer@burdekin.org.au.
We have joined the fundraising efforts of the Property Industry Association (PIF) to fight youth homelessness with a 30 day fitness challenge which aims to raise $250,000 – will you support us?
Check out who of the Burdekin team has signed up for the PIF 30 Day Fitness Challenge, we would love it if you could support us! We have set a modest aim to raise $1,000, every single donation counts! And of course, we would like to overshoot the goal and contribute as much as possible to the overall goal.
About
PIF wish to raise $250,000 towards The Haven Project which includes the renovation of a house in Balgowlah into a new home for young people. You can read more about the project here: New Home in the Making and here: Haven House Balgowlah. We wanted to thank PIF so much for their efforts in getting this fundraiser off the ground for our project partners – SMLXL Projects, Bridge Housing and others, such an amazing community effort!
Burdekin are getting active in the name of team building, mental health, and physical health, but most importantly to Get Fit to For Homeless Youth.
#pif30daychallenge #getfitforhomelessyouth
Youth homelessness affects 44,000 young Australians, and each night, 1 in 3 young people are being turned away from supported accommodation services.
The Property Industry Foundation exists to solve this problem of youth homelessness. We bring together the property and construction industry to build homes for homeless youth through our Haven Project.
Every day for 30 days from 2 – 31 May, we are walking, running, cycling and everything in between to raise funds as we go – please support us!
