Saving street kids: Fr Chris honoured

Sydney
15 December 2002

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Saving street kids: Fr Chris honoured

Saving street kids: Fr Chris honoured

Fr Chris Riley.

By Damir Govorcin

“Awards mean nothing to me. If I can use it to benefit and promote Youth Off The Streets then well and good,” says Fr Chris Riley.

He has just been named NSW Australian of the Year, in recognition of his tireless work for Youth Off The Streets, a charity he founded 10 years ago.

During that time, Fr Chris has helped hundreds of kids who have been abused or disadvantaged.

Without significant government funding, Youth Off The Streets has become one of the largest youth services in Australia offering street-based programs, secondary schooling, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, counselling, long-term residential treatment, semi-independent living, individual casework and family support facilities.

Fr Chris hopes his award can help improve the profile of priests in the community.

“I must say my biggest surprise was that they gave this award to a Catholic priest, considering the amount of bad publicity priests and the Church have received in recent times,” he said.

“Some priests are bad, but the majority are hard-working and are good people.

“Winning this award shows the incredible support Youth Off The Streets has in the media and the community. It shows people believe in what we’re doing.”

With Christmas only a few weeks away, his thoughts turn to the estimated 26,000 homeless kids living on the streets.

“Most Australian children spend the year looking forward to Christmas, but it’s one of the hardest times for our homeless,” says Fr Chris.

“Being a family celebration time, it can be extremely lonely for those kids who aren’t in touch with their families.

“From a fundraising point of view, it’s also really hard for a charity as everyone puts all their efforts and money into presents for family and friends, and there’s little left for donations.”

Fr Chris and a group of around 20 Youth Off the Streets kids are planning to spend Christmas in the central-west NSW town of Wellington to assist families who have fallen on hard times due to the drought.

“We have had a few knockbacks from some towns because country people have real pride and don’t want charity,” says Fr Chris.

“Our kids have raised some money to buy presents to help out families who are doing it tough.

“I want our kids to learn how to give, rather than take.”

This year, Youth Off The Streets has initiated several ground-breaking programs.

GetReel, a national competition encouraging children to write their own anti-drugs campaign, received hundreds of entries and was won by a group of children from the Don Dale Detention Centre in the Northern Territory.

Service Learning and Time Out were introduced for young people who have displayed violence and aggression.

Youth Off The Streets kids also participated in a unique fundraising program to help other disadvantaged children in East Timor, rescued brumbies from the Snowy Mountains, and stood side by side with celebrities to demonstrate their artistic talent at a special fundraising art session.

“It is a miracle that our kids even get up to face the world on a daily basis, given the extreme abuse and pain that most of them have gone through,” says Fr Chris.

“So many people have written our kids off, putting all types of negative labels on them and feel they have nothing to offer.

“Our kids’ achievements have proven the doomsday prophets wrong.”

To make a donation to Youth Off The Streets call 9721 5700.