Young people

You can provide young people the support they need to become confident, successful adults

One in eight Australians will be disengaged from full-time work or study for most of their lives.

• This starts in school, where a quarter of all students don’t feel like they belong and one in five is regularly absent.
• Young people in rural or remote areas, or young people raising kids of their own, can find it especially tough

Logan's story

Logan wants her two young kids to have the childhood she never got to have.

That’s why she joined a Red Cross program to help young parents like her gain skills and confidence. At the time, she had one child and was trying hard to cope with the trauma of her own childhood.

Just over a year on, she’s happy and healthy, enrolled in a training course, and has two children who are thriving. She wants them to experience sport and a bed of their own – all the things she was denied as a child.

Her case worker says she’s one of the most loving and caring people she’s ever met.

And Logan can’t speak highly enough of her work with Red Cross. “I’m pretty much set up for life. It changed me, which made me want to change for my kids.”

What does Red Cross do about this problem?

• We help young people in remote areas with practical things like getting a driver licence or mentoring to help them complete school
• We help people enter the workforce with job readiness programs and English classes
• We run camps, drop-in services and cultural programs to help young people feel proud of who they are
• We support young parents to get the skills they need to raise their children
• We run mentoring programs for people in prison and people who have left prison, to help them cope and live free from crime

Last year:

• we helped more than 6,000 young people with case management to achieve their goals, access services or find a safe place to stay
• we helped 415 young parents build confidence and skills
• we reached hundreds of people in prisons and with sentences through peer support
• we’re working in 10 remote communities to help young people succeed and be proud

How can you help?

Your regular gift to Red Cross means we can help more young people succeed.

• Peer support and mentoring
• River licences, English and job skills classes
• Parenting support, including accommodation and life skills
• Cultural camps, boxing and sports program