2011 : August

Tuesday 23 August – At The Salvation Army’s Oasis Youth Support Network today, five young people will graduate after successfully completing a month long work readiness training course that will see them gain full time employment by mid September.

Launched in 2006, the Oasis Pathways Program (formally known as Get Skilled 4 Work) was developed to cater for the needs of socially disadvantaged young people who were at risk of long-term exclusion from employment, due to a lack of appropriate education, skills and training.

“The recent Pathways Program has helped to realise the dreams and aspirations of five young people by helping them to secure full-time employment in a competitive corporate work environment,” says Caroline Nugent, Coordinator of the Oasis Training Pathways program.   

“Thanks to the partnerships formed with the community and business sector, Oasis’s young people now have an opportunity to gain professional training, experience and financial independence,” says  Nugent.

Oasis’s new graduates will commence full time work in administration through Pathways Partners; Australand, Mirvac, Lend Lease and the Australian Taxation Office.

The five graduates, and their employers, will have ongoing access to support and coaching from Oasis as they make the smooth transition into their respective careers.

The Oasis Pathways Program course offers life coaching, budgeting and financial management, while developing communication and interpersonal skills, personal presentation and interview preparation. All necessary components that help address the many challenges faced by homeless and disadvantaged young people.

The innovative Oasis Pathways Program is just one of more than 25 cutting edge services delivered by the Salvation Army’s Oasis Youth Support Network in Sydney to help disconnected young people get back on their feet and begin turning their lives around.

For more information:

Vanessa Birch

Vanessa.birch@aue.salvationarmy.org                

02 8353 9407 / 0404 833 237

With less than one month to go, entries are coming in fast and thick to THE OASIS: Homeless Short Film Competition!

Raising awareness and understanding about homelessness amongst secondary school students, THE OASIS: Homeless Short Film Competition is a national competition specifically designed to develop the capacities and knowledge of young Australians, growing them to become concerned, committed citizens and leaders of the future in social policy.

With prizes totalling more than $25,000, as well as fifteen 4GB Flip Mino Cameras for the top fifteen entries, secondary schools and students are encouraged to get on board now!

Students are asked to make a (no longer than three minute) film about any aspect(s) of homelessness; raising awareness, highlighting positive stories, inspiring action locally and nationally, and supporting existing services.

Schools from around the country are already submitting their short films and Oasis Schools Liaison Officer, Bee Orsini – herself formerly homeless - is travelling to other schools encouraging students and teachers to participate.

“Young people have the capacity to change our future to one in which no young Australian has to worry about where they will sleep at night.  My job is to help young people see that they can make a difference,” says Bee.

With facts showing us that the incidence of youth homelessness has doubled in Australia over the last 20 years, with 32,000 young people under 25 defined as homeless (and when including children under 12, this number increases to around 44,500), the time to raise awareness is now.                                                                                                    

THE OASIS initiative was launched in 2008 with the premiere of the AFI award-winning documentary THE OASIS on ABC Television and the release of a major report into youth homelessness in Australia, The National Youth Commission Report on Youth Homelessness, commissioned by The Caledonia Foundation. Under this, THE OASIS: Homeless Short Film Competition is part of an extensive education and outreach program which is central to a five-year philanthropic initiative tackling the growing incidence of youth homelessness in Australia.

Entries in THE OASIS: Homeless Short Film Competition must be in before 5pm on Friday September 16^th 2011, with winners announced in November 2011. Please visit THE OASIS website for further information.

Download The Oasis Homeless Short Film Competition flyer.jpg

The inaugural Oasis City2Surf team were outstanding in their fundraising efforts this year, meeting and exceeding the goal of $10,000!

With a wet and gloomy wake-up on Sunday morning, many of our City2Surf runners were faced with a strong temptation to stay in their warm beds, however while the temptation was strong, the will to run for Oasis was even stronger!  

Those who did make it out of the house in the wee hours yesterday were rewarded with a (semi) dry run packed full of positive vibes, friendly runners and endorphins. The cool conditions were perfect for the long haul run and the descent into Bondi was exhilarating, with amazing beats and masses of the general public cheering runners on as they worked their way across the last kilometre to the finish line.

All in all, a brilliant day for our even more brilliant Oasis City2Surf runners!

We want to say a huge Thank You to all who ran for Oasis – whether you were kitted out in one of the official Oasis City2Surf shirts, or running in your favourite gear; whether you were running your first race, or your 21^st race; we would not have been successful without your support, and the support of those who donated to your fundraising pages.

How can we not mention the incredibly competitive and creatively minded Virgin Money team?! Without your brilliant support we would be nowhere near the total amount of funds raised. Your drive for raising funds for Oasis was incredible to see in action, and we are truly thankful for your support.

Gyton Grantley, our celebrity runner, raised not only a phenomenal amount of funds within forty hours, but also our profile. Thank you! Sporting one of our classic Oasis City2Surf running singlets, Gyton blitzed both the race and the fundraising aspect, giving his face to many budding photographers throughout the day.

Every step you ran, walked, hopped, skipped, jumped, or limped, was purposeful – your passion for the cause of youth homelessness, nominating us as your charity, makes a direct difference in the lives of the homeless and disadvantaged youth of our streets.

Your fundraising efforts enabled us to not only meet our target for our inaugural City2Surf, but exceed it. We raised an inspiring total of $10,000 and the donations are still trickling in.

From all of us here at Oasis, we thank you for your blisters, sweat and tears!

To check out more photos and City2Surf updates, visit our Facebook page here.

This week we celebrate one of Oasis’s unsung heroes, Jo Poynter. After founding and dedicating over 14 years of her life to running the Oasis Education Centre for Sydney’s homeless young people, Jo is sadly retiring.  

A classically trained ballerina in her former life, Jo began volunteering at Oasis to help with administration in 1992. After constantly being asked by young people dropping into the office, to read aloud the information on forms or flyers, a brilliant idea was born.

In her own words, “I went to the head of Oasis and said, ‘If I go to uni and get a teaching degree, will you give me a school?’ He said yes,” says Jo.

Three years later Jo graduated from UTS with a degree in Adult Education and returned to Surry Hills to begin the Oasis Educational Centre. Jo taught basic numeracy and literacy, up to Year 11-equivalence, to any young person who simply wanted to learn.

The purpose of Oasis’ school is designed to offer a unique format of learning to young people who may have slipped through the cracks of ‘traditional’ education systems.

Providing a safe space to study, learning occurs at the student’s own pace and has the benefit of intensive one-on-one support from dedicated teachers like Jo.

Following the success of the Surry Hills school, Oasis saw the need to expand its tailored educational programs and case management model, to other areas ofSydney. In 2010, an Oasis Youth Connections school in Chatswood was launched and another school located in Ryde will be opening its doors in 2012.

When asked what one of her career highlights has been while at Oasis, Jo’s face lights up with a broad smile, “It’s seeing the aggression go out of a young person when they realise you are truly seeing them for who they are as a person inside – rather than the tough façade they project on the outside.

“Our teaching is very human, as teachers we have the same foibles as anyone else.” says Jo.

On behalf of the staff and young people at Oasis - we honour and thank you Jo for all that you have given to the Oasis Education Centre.

Your legacy goes beyond the walls of the school you founded, to the hundreds of young people who have benefited from your patience, warmth and wisdom.

You will be missed by all and we wish you every success and joy in your retirement.

Less than two weeks until the 2011 Oasis Charity Media Auction draws to a close, and the time is NOW to get yourself, your business, or your client, a brilliant deal from many of the country’s top television, radio, online and print media outlets.

With all funds raised from the media auction going directly to Oasis in Surry Hills, making a direct difference in the lives ofSydney’s homeless and disadvantaged youth, this is advertising with a feel-good twist.

Below are the current top bids – contact oasismediaauction@omd.com to place your bids NOW!

The 2011 Oasis Charity Media Auction closes at midnight Friday 19th August.

The 19th Annual Oasis Ball was a brilliant success - and this is in no small part due to our brilliant sponsors!

We want to send a huge Thank You to the below companies, who donated our fantastic Live and Silent Auction Items.