Year of service celebrated
1 August 2011
AFTER a year of successful service the Salvation Army Youth Service in Forest Lake was congratulated last Friday when Community Services Minister Karen Struthers dropped into the service to meet the staff and speak to youth worker Toniele Brennan.
The Lake Service, which works closely with other organisations in the area like Boystown Inala, Inala PCYC and Forest Lake Police Beat as well as local school chaplains and school staff, has a youth space which also doubles as a drop in space twice a week as well as an onsite youth worker.
“The youth worker position was created to work with local young people at risk of being in trouble with the law,” Ms Struthers said.
“Community organisations like the Salvo's Lake Youth Service are on the frontline for preventing youth crime and making a difference in our local area.
“The centre in Forest Lake is a popular gathering place for young people, providing a café, pool table and Friday night activities.”
Ms Struthers said the youth worker Toniele Brennan had been doing a great job creating a safe, positive environment where young people could gather and enjoy themselves without getting into strife with the law.
“It is better for young people, their families and our community if we can get in early to keep them out of the youth justice system,” she said.
“The Forest Lake Youth Service is providing an effective alternative, particularly with its after-dark outreach van that engages with young people in the area.
“Sometimes they are working with children as young as 10 years old and adults as old as 24.
“The outreach team is also encouraging and assisting young indigenous and multicultural young people to stay out of trouble.”
Lake Youth Service team leader Phil Staines said the service had seen the level of engagement with youth in the area grow during the past year.
“They will now chat about issues, they're a lot more open about that,” he said.
Ms Brennan said the service had also been working at engaging with youths in years nine and 10 to “get them before they completely disengage from school”.
“The parents are also engaging with us, and they'll talk to Phil or myself first, we tend to act as mediators,” she said.
The service began in January 2010, following a $110,000 a year commitment made at the State Government's Community Cabinet.
http://www.thesatellite.com.au/story/2011/02/08/year-of-service-celebrated