The children and young people that Burdekin works with need us to meet not only their basic needs, but to create memories of normal experiences of childhood that we all take for granted.
Like the simple joys of a Christmas, which gives personal meaning to the occasion. They need to be seen, heard and valued. They need to feel loved.
It is a sad reality that teenagers and young people are often overlooked when it comes to gift-giving. At Burdekin, we want to show them how unique and special they are and that someone is thinking of them – after all your gift might be the only one, they receive this holiday.
What to give?
Here are 10 reasons to fulfil a wish of one of our young people, by buying them a gift card this Christmas:
Empowerment and Choice: Gift cards allow the young person to select the gift of their choice, giving them a sense of control and autonomy. We are all for sharing the power!
Practicality: The young person might be facing financial hardship and the gift card/s can be used for essential items like clothing, food, or school supplies, meeting their immediate needs.
No Pressure to Be a Perfect Gift-Giver: Finding the right gift for someone in need can be challenging. A gift card takes the guesswork out of the process, ensuring the recipient gets something they truly appreciate and want.
Increased Access to Opportunities: If the young person uses the gift card to buy things they might not usually afford – like books, educational tools, or technology – it enhances their learning and personal development.
Promotes Financial Independence: Receiving a gift card teaches valuable lessons about managing money and budgeting, financial literacy is a very useful skill to gain.
Fosters Self-Care: Many of our young people prioritise helping others or meeting their own basic needs, over-looking their own welfare. A gift card allows them to treat themselves to something special without feeling guilty.
Supports Local Businesses: Purchasing a gift card to a local store or restaurant supports small businesses and the local economy. This makes the purchases especially impactful in strengthening communities.
Personalised: Our team of Youth Workers are across the wishes of our young people and have developed an individualised Wishlist. We match the gift with the right young person, fitting their unique interests and circumstances, making it a very personal gift.
Reduces Waste: We avoid the risk of giving something to our young people that they won’t use or like. This is important for the environment, as well as for employing our scarce resources responsibly.
Spreads Holiday Cheer: Giving a gift card is an act of kindness and generosity that can brighten a young person’s Christmas and provide hope and encouragement, making them feel valued and seen.
A gift card is a thoughtful, practical, and empowering present that meets the unique needs and desires of a young person who’s currently facing challenges.
We are so excited to report that Burdekin has two employees that have been nominated as finalists in the Westfield Local Heroes – Toby Williams for Westfield WarringahMall and Sian Gordon for Westfield Hornsby.
The successful hero for each of the 42 Westfield destinations is awarded a $20,000 grant for their organisation, and each finalist receives a $5,000 grant for their organisation or group.
Now in its seventh year, the Westfield Local Heroes program will have contributed $8.6 million to more than 860 successful Local Hero organisations since it began.
About Westfield Local Heroes
Westfield Local Heroes is a recognition and awards program that shines the spotlight on individuals in Australia who make a positive impact to their local community or environment.
About Burdekin’s Westfield Local Heroes
Sian Gordon is an integral part of Burdekin’s Youth Housing program that’s delivered across Hornsby and the Northern Beaches, which supports homeless young people with accommodation and case management. Over the last five years at Burdekin, Sian has demonstrated dedication, commitment, and deep care for the young people that she supports in her roles as a Case Manager and Team Leader.
Sian goes above and beyond in her role, as she seeks out support from the local community for donations and goods that go towards providing a welcome and safe environment for the young people to live in. Sian draws out the best in her clients as she works alongside them, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary life skills to transition into more steady accommodation when they are ready to leave the program. The wrap-around supports that Sian provides include linking young people to education, teaching living skills and budgeting, advocacy and lastly, supporting reconciliation with family, where appropriate.
Sian is a committed and passionate community leader who is a true role model for her young people and team. This is reflected in her genuine care for everyone that she works with.
Voting closes at 6pm on Monday September 9.
Toby Williams
Toby is a member of our Risk and Safety Compliance team and has been with Burdekin for the past 15 months. He works to ensure organisational compliance and the safety of the many children and young people we care for, and our dedicated staff who deliver that care.
Burdekin assists Toby to support his local Northern Beaches’ community in other ways as Burdekin understands that young people who are connected and maintain an interest in their local community have a protective factor in their lives.
What would it mean to Toby to win the $20,000 grant?
“It would mean the difference between children and young people having access to all that their peers do, and not missing out. Burdekin will use these funds to ensure that young people and their families can purchase the tools they need for their apprenticeship, buy a formal dress and tickets, purchase some work clothes for an interview, and to ensure that they don’t become homeless. Burdekin has also indicated that it will allocate 15 per cent of the funds to support young local referees and 15 per cent to support young local swimmers.”
Toby Williams, Risk and Compliance Office at Burdekin
At times, children and young people are forced to drop out of sport, carnivals or opportunities due to financial constraint. We know sport helps our mental health, as well as providing a positive connection to local communities, as well as adult mentors. The money from the grant will be used to establish a fund for children and young people that’s aligned with the Manly Warringah Football Referees Association and Swimming Metro North East, ensuring every child and young person has the same access to opportunities as their peers.
Please remember to vote for Sian and Toby in the Westfield Local Heroes award program before 6pm on Monday September 9, 2024.
Did you know that you can become a Northern Beaches Hero and choose to fundraise for The Burdekin Association in the Beach2Beach Charity Fun Run and Festival on Sunday August 25?
All you have to do is go to the fundraising section, click on start fundraising and scroll down to select your favourite charity (Burdekin!) You have the option to register, start fundraising (easily set up your own fundraising page) or make a donation (sponsor a fundraiser or give directly to your charity).
The family friendly event offers three course options, catering to everyone from serious runners to families: a 14km route from Dee Why Beach to Newport Beach, a 6km route from Warriewood to Newport Beach, and a 3km route from Mona Vale to Newport Beach. The event promises an awesome atmosphere with live music, international food and fun activities for the kids all at the finish line.
We are also delighted that our community partner the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles is supporting us again too!
Keep in mind for next year that The Burdekin Association also registers for the infamous City2Surf, which this year took place on Sunday August 11. Described as ‘The World’s Largest Fun Run’, this epic 14km course takes you from Sydney CBD to Bondi Beach with a great party atmosphere. The 2023 event hosted 70,000 participants with over $2.9 million already raised for over 400 charities. Participants need to be very organised for this fun run and register early as it is guaranteed to sell out!
The whole family can join in.
Join us
We would like to invite you – friends, family, colleagues, partners and kind strangers to join us. Some of you will perhaps already be signed up or intending to just for the fun of it, and we ask that you consider joining our team and helping us to fundraise for our young people.
We think fun runs are a particularly great and risk-free way to raise money for your favourite charity. We also like them because:
Anyone can participate
It is great fun
It’s achievable for everyone
It is a shared experience with the community
If you want to get fit, it is a motivation to do so
If you want to raise funds for charity, it’s a great motivation to do so
It’s a great opportunity for making friends
It is less cost prohibitive than many other events
It connects us to the cause – youth homelessness
It promotes physical, social and emotional wellbeing
It promotes feelings of support and inclusion
What’s not to like? Would you consider joining us?
Some people find it challenging to ask for support for their fundraising efforts – but if you don’t ask, then people don’t know about it. Take Burdekin for example, we don’t like having to ask all the time, but without money coming in from friends, family, partners and philanthropists, we would never reach our fundraising goals.
As soon as you have committed to the event, tell your network of friends, family and colleagues about your efforts to run, walk, skip, hop – whatever way you want to roll – your way. We can help you with this email template that you can send to your contacts to ask them to support your fundraising efforts.
Email template
Dear (donors name),
I have exciting news! This August I have registered to participate in the Beach2Beach Fun Run and Festival (and/or) the City2Surf to raise money for a charity that is close to my heart.
The Burdekin Association offer an incredible service to children, young people and their families. They are passionate about creating solutions to solve the problem of youth homelessness in our community.
I hope that you will consider sponsoring me to participate in (name of run). Race entry fee is not part of my fundraising goals and I have paid for that up front. 100 per cent of all funds raised will go directly towards The Burdekin Association to help fund their support and responses to children, young people and their families.
Please find a link to my fundraising page: (insert link)
Thank you so much for your consideration,
Sincerely (participant’s name)
For health, wellbeing and a great cause!
How to get started
Personalise your fundraising page: if there is an option to personalise your fundraising page – make sure you do it – add photos and other relevant details. People also love hearing from you – a short video or regular updates to your your page and socials, sharing your progress.
Entry fee: if you are concerned that people won’t support you because running is your hobby – make it clear that you are paying the entry fee yourself. Consider also donating to your own event, to start the ball rolling.
Friends and family: close friends and family have your back, so consider asking them to start the ball rolling with donations – a fundraising page that already has donations is more likely to receive more – strange, huh?
Social media: don’t be afraid to post to your social media networks – again, people can’t donate if they don’t know. If people don’t want to donate, they can just keep scrolling. Post regular updates, one post on your social channels may not be enough to reach many people in your network. Ask your contacts if they would be willing to share your fundraiser too. Ask the charity you are supporting (hopefully Burdekin) do give you a shoutout too – it all adds up!
Thanking people: please make sure to thank people for their support – it only takes a second and goes a long way!
After the event: you would be surprised how many donations come in after the event, make sure to update people after the event via email, text message and/or socials.
Team Burdekin
For the Beach2Beach Fun Run and Festival, teams of twenty-five people or more receive a guaranteed 25 per cent cash back to the charity they are supporting – the more people we can get on Team Burdekin – the more money we can raise for local youth! Team members will also receive a Team Burdekin t-shirt and if there is enough interest, we could organise group training sessions and a bus to the start line!
In the past we have been the very lucky beneficiaries of our partners’ fundraising efforts. In 2023, Manly Warringah District Club raised $8,262 for the Burdekin Association. If you would like your organisation to participate in any event, of which The Burdekin Association would be a beneficiary, would be delighted. Please let us know how we can help you with this, and as always, we are incredibly grateful for any and all support received.
Registration
There are a number of ways to register.
You can sign up as part of our team by selecting Team Burdekin in the registration process, or
You can register to support Burdekin and select – no to team.
If you are an organisation, you might have your own team set up and can still support Burdekin
Sponsor a runner – support a friend, colleague, or family member
If you’re reading this, you are most likely someone who already knows why giving back matters and you most likely share our concern about social issues, including youth homelessness, and may want to do something about it. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and it is difficult to know where to start.
Many, rightly believe, that it is our moral obligation to look after those less fortunate in society. But, did you know that people who give back tend to be happier, healthier and live longer?
“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.”
Chinese proverb
The power of giving back
Volunteering your time, energy, attention, expertise and financial assistance doesn’t just make the world a better place, it also makes you better as a person. You could be the most successful person in the world, but what does it mean if we don’t use it to make a difference and share with others? True fulfillment in life comes from lifting each other up.
In times of uncertainty, nurturing empathy and kindness buffer us from the various negative narratives around us. In fact, being kind and altruistic can offer a solution to many of the problems we face as a society.
Kindness: The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. From a survival point of view, kindness makes sense – we have evolved to understand that kindness and cooperation means inclusion and safety.
Empathy: Humans are hard-wired for empathy. It helps us to connect with and respond to our babies, but it is also a skill that develops over time and is why, perhaps, some people are more empathetic than others.
Kindness and empathy are good for us as a species and because of this, we intuitively know that our happiness depends on the happiness of others.
Altruism: True altruism is the unselfish concern for other people, doing things out of a desire to help, not because you feel obligated to out of duty, loyalty, or religious reasons. Altruism is about reducing another’s suffering, without expecting anything in return.
Kindness is contagious: If you dropped a single pebble into still water, the water would ripple outward in widening circles. Kindness contagion is much like the ripple effect of the pebble and the water. Even just witnessing an act of kindness motivates us towards acts of kindness ourselves.
The ripple effect of giving.
Health benefits of giving
‘Helpers high’ refers to the feel-good chemicals our body releases when we do something good – release endorphins (oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine) – that make us feel good and therefore are ways of supporting our own wellbeing too.
As mentioned, we have evolved to understand that acts of kindness and altruism improve wellbeing and foster social connections – making us both personally happier and stronger and more resilient as a community. Doing good, makes you feel good, and because it is contagious, we do more good.
Wellbeing: Small and large acts of kindness help reduce stress, depression, anxiety and loneliness and increases our levels of life satisfaction, happiness and self-esteem, diverting our attention away from ourselves, giving us a sense of purpose. We can have all the success in the world, but if we don’t share the success with others – what does it matter? We need a community to belong to – something that is bigger than us.
Physical health: Giving back may also improve our physical health by lowering blood pressure, strengthening our immune system, staving off disease and lowering cortisol levels. Ultimately, helping us to live longer, happier, healthier lives!
Sometimes we will never know the impact we have had on someone’s life – so, do it anyway.
You might never know how much your support means to someone.
Ways to give back:
Give time: get hands-on, we are always looking for volunteers to help us make a difference.
Expertise: do you have a special skill or service that could help us? Get in touch.
Partner: would you like to partner with us to solve youth homelessness?
Be a carer:Burdekin foster carers, care for children and young people in a variety of settings.
At Burdekin, we believe in the power of community and the impact of collective effort. Recently, we experienced a great example of this when the amazing team of 60 Ben & Jerry’s volunteers from all across Australia and New Zealand joined us for their Community Volunteer Day. Their hard work and dedication made a significant difference in the lives of the young people we support. We couldn’t be more grateful.
Transforming homes, one brushstroke at a time
In the Inner West, the Ben & Jerry’s volunteers rolled up their sleeves and got to work on one of our properties, making it feel like a true home for the two young people in our care. From assembling furniture, painting walls, relaying pavers and sprucing the garden, their efforts have transformed the space, creating a warm and welcoming environment.
Bringing New Life to Our Gardens
On the Northern Beaches, the Ben & Jerry’s crew tackled the overgrown garden with enthusiasm and energy. They weeded, planted mature trees, laid down mulch in the garden beds, created a herb garden, sanded and painted outdoor garden furniture and assembled a lovely outdoor garden setting. Thanks to their hard work, the outdoor space now looks inviting and beautiful – a perfect place for the young residents to relax and feel at home.
Supporting Young People on their Journey to Adulthood
Both of these properties are currently home to young people aged 16 and 17 who are in the process of leaving supported care and transitioning into independent living and adulthood. These young individuals aren’t completely ready to be independent, and having a supportive, nurturing environment is crucial. The efforts of Ben & Jerry’s staff and volunteers have enhanced these spaces, making them better places for these young people to continue receiving the support they need.
Celebrating a Meaningful Partnership
Burdekin is immensely grateful for the partnership we have with Ben & Jerry’s. Their volunteer work has improved our properties and shown the young people in our care that they are valued and supported by their community.
Together, we can continue to empower young lives and build a brighter future for everyone.
To read more about volunteering opportunities with Burdekin, click here.
We acknowledge the Aboriginal people of the Cadigal and Gayamaygal Clans. We acknowledge the Country on which we live, work, and gather as being Aboriginal land.
We acknowledge the lands, waterways and skies that are connected to Aboriginal people. We honour them and pay our deepest respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
We respect their rightful place within our communities, and we value their ancient cultural knowledge and practices.
We deeply respect that this will always be Aboriginal land and we will honour and follow the first peoples’ values in caring for the Country and for preserving their culture.
We deeply value that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the oldest living culture in the world and we will continue to work with their peoples and communities to ensure their cultures endure and remain strong.
