Our team headed out to Maroubra earlier this week for our very first corporate charity day at Bowen College to help support Youth off the Streets (YOTS).
Youth off the Streets is a Sydney-based charity, started by Father Chris Riley and run as a non-denominational organisation that supports young people who might be homeless, drug and alcohol dependent or recovering from abuse. They offer services such as accommodation, educational support and job readiness, which gives young people a second chance at having a happier, more stable life.
We spent the day assisting the Youth off the Streets team in a working bee where we weeded gardens, planted herbs, scrubbed windows, painted and generally tidied up their schoolyard and got it ready for students. It was certainly different to a day in the office, but time flew by, and we were amazed at the amount of work we achieved when we all came together.
It was such an emotional and powerful experience. The YOTS team shared stories of some individuals they support and how they came to be homeless, which made us realize just how lucky we are, but also how grateful we are for charities such as Youth off the Streets for making such a difference in so many young people’s lives. The day was an incredible team bonding experience, and we all got to play a small part in helping these young kids feel loved and cared about.
At the end of the day, we participated in an activity that the students do each morning. We took turns in telling the rest of the group, one thing that we are grateful for and we each got to share an insight into our childhood. This really drove home just how hard some of these conversations can be for these kids.
One of the many reasons I choose to work for The Missing Link is that the business supports staff spending a day throughout the year to volunteer for a charity that means something special to them. We have staff who do Bondi2Berry, ShitBoxRally , Meals on Wheels and many others. This gives our staff the opportunity to support the community and bond with their teammates at the same time.
With more than 100 of us working in the business, if we all take the opportunity to volunteer, that’s 100 days’ worth of support that we can give back to our local communities each year.
So if you’re looking for a charity to support for your next volunteering day, I highly recommend Youth off the Streets, the experience was something I’ll remember for a long time to come.
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