Remarkably & Wondrously Made
We believe that each individual is created with intrinsic value and potential (Psalm 139:14 CSB). This foundational belief means that we treat everyone with respect regardless of their beliefs, culture, gender, orientation, disability or diagnosis. We build upon this foundation with three guiding principles:
Respectful of Community
Responsible with Trust
Receptive to Support
1. Respectful of Community
We aim to connect young people with each other and with the wider community. Each day consists of multiple opportunities to chat, play community building games and reflect as a group.
We also invite special guests from community organisations to share about what they do and how young people can get involved. We connect teens to TAFE courses, local clubs, volunteering opportunities and more.
2. Responsible with Trust
Trusting young people gives them the opportunity to develop responsibility, independence and purpose, all of which are essential when it comes to choosing and pursuing a career.
We believe that every person has a deep desire to do something meaningful with their life and we give our teens the time and space to figure out what is meaningful for them. We trust that they want to learn things that matter to them, and we trust that those things truly do matter. We trust that they will learn when they are ready at a pace that works for them.
We expect teens to be responsible with the trust they are given by making good choices about how to spend their time. Our mentors are also responsible with the trust that teens give when sharing about their lives. Insights from mentoring are only shared with the young person's permission or where legally required.
3. Receptive to Support
Young people can go far on their own, but they can go much further with support. We strive to provide the best support possible with great materials and resources, passionate volunteers and regular 1-on-1 mentoring.
We are not a mental health care service and we cannot guarantee that teens will engage fully to maximise the support we offer. However, we can offer support to families by recommending helpful books, websites, Facebook groups and YouTube channels to enrich learning at home. Check out our Resources page for more information.
FAQs
Do you teach from a Christian perspective?
When recruiting volunteers to run electives, we seek to offer a balanced range of perspectives. This may involve inviting an expert on the theory of evolution one week followed by a special guest from Creation Research the next. Every volunteer will be advised to acknowledge that there are other views. We will promote group discussions that respect everyone's thoughts and ideas. Electives on religion or ethics will run by the same principle. As always, teens can choose whether or not they participate.
Do you support LGBT+?
We support individuals by offering a welcoming community, and we have intentional discussions about respecting one another. We do not, however, celebrate or promote LGBT+ days or events on our social media.