“Is self-harm a drug?” was a question posed by two grade seven girls to our presenters at the end of a seminar. Clutching each other’s hands and crying, they sat down and one opened up about her struggles with anxiety. With the support of her friend and the NEO presenters, she summoned the courage to share about her Dad’s reaction to her disclosure of self-harm, and how she doesn’t talk about it with her parents anymore.
Read MoreBy now you will be aware that we have set out on an ambitious and faith-stretching journey to raise the funds to establish a bricks-and-mortar home for Teen Challenge in Launceston. It is with great pleasure that I write to let you know that we are so very close to achieving that goal.
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We contacted one of our schools recently to let them know that we had two mentors available. They spoke to the appropriate year group, expecting a few to put their hand up for the opportunity. Twenty-two young people put their names forward!
Read MoreYou’ve no doubt seen Tanya Cavanagh’s face and name associated with Teen Challenge Tasmania. She is the executive director, and the driving force behind the organisation, alongside husband Peter. But we thought you might like to know a little more about this woman with the purple hair and the easy smile. So, here you go. Grab a cuppa and sit down to learn how Wonder Woman and fast cars feature in Tanya’s story.
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As the demand for Teen Challenge’s Not Even Once program in schools increases, we have been training up new presenters. After training, new presenters are given the opportunity to test their new skills under the guidance of Teen Challenge director Tanya Cavanagh. One of the latest recruits is Ifeoma Obi. We caught up with her to find out more about her motivation for the role, and what else populates her day-to-day life.
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“Turn on your devices!”
It’s probably not the directive that high school students are used to hearing as they take a seat for a 90-minute seminar. Teen Challenge director Tanya Cavanagh instructs the group to download the Kahoot app. She is friendly, energetic and clear-spoken, her purple hair and warm smile the first impression.
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Bella isn’t wearing school uniform but she is wearing heavy makeup and chowing down loudly on a cup of 2-minute noodles, belching as she does. Her body language oozes rebellion as she takes a seat for our NotEvenOnce session. You’d be forgiven for thinking that we cringe when a Bella walks into one of our programs, but actually, we get excited!
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Jack caught the attention of Teen Challenge director Tanya Cavanagh as he frequented the Hope Thrift store during school hours. “Something about Jack piqued my curiosity, so I made contact with his school,” Tanya said, interested in learning more of his story.
Read MoreAfter forty years as a psychiatric nurse, you might not expect to find Helen Gibbs behind the counter at a costume shop. But that’s precisely where she spends three days of the week, and she is loving it.
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Sixteen-year-old Lillian is a very different person today than she was seven months ago. Thanks in part to mentorship through her volunteer role at Hope Thrift, she has overcome the grip that anxiety held on her life.
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Drug use in young people is on a steep downward trajectory, latest data from the National Drug Strategy Household Survey reveals.
Read MoreLooking for something that benefits others, but also gives you great satisfaction? You’re reading the right article, friend. We are so very proud of our Connections Mentoring program, which pairs one student to one mentor as a source of encouragement, support and advice.
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Kuyper Christian School has been embracing our #NotEvenOnce® drug and alcohol awareness program for five years. And leadership couldn’t be happier with the impact on students, parents, staff and the greater school community.
Read MoreDear supporters of Home of Hope, I want to start by saying thank you for staying the course through a long and winding journey. From the outside, it looks like our efforts have come to nothing. Yet, we are not defeated. We trust God for the future of Home of Hope. Some background and an update first, to bring you up to speed.
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In the five months since Hope Thrift reopened at its new St John Street site, staff and volunteers have had the honour of coming alongside young people doing it tough, providing homeless people with clothing and meals. The shop is also a place for mentoring young people, giving them practical retail skills while helping them overcome anxiety, and build confidence for the future.
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John* was twelve years old when he first came onto our radar and of other services trying to help him and his family. John had been arrested for stealing, possession of an illicit substance and drug paraphernalia, he was also addicted to ICE.........
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...Of particular interest to me was how the students reported that your sessions had impacted on their likely behaviour in the future – not even once seems to have struck a chord! ......
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The parents of current or former ice users all shared one common recommendation from their experiences – educate young people early about the effects of drug use to prevent them from making the choice to use drugs. This should occur in school and in the wider community.
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...except in my opinion the current Harm Minimisation message appears to have given up and accepted that Drug use is going to happen. Should we really be accepting that?
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I have been struck by two things I have heard repeatedly in separate instances recently, that people are being told by agencies somewhere out there and I'm struggling to understand the rationale.
1. The ICE problem is nowhere near as bad as the media make it out to be... 2. ICE is not as addictive as people think.....
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