The Club was very fortunate that in October we were able to snag a number of very interesting speakers who came to Leura via Zoom.

On Tuesday October 19 we were introduced to Max, the founder, and Jason, the CEO of an organization called Stepping Stone.  Since 1989, Stepping Stone House has provided a safe place for children and young people, aged 12-24 who are at risk or experiencing homelessness so they can begin to heal, build resilience, create connections and become the very best they can be.

Many of Australia’s young people have experienced domestic violence, sexual and emotional abuse, alcoholism and drug addiction. In addition, approximately 30% of this country’s young people have been forced to leave home because of their sexuality.

This is the reason that Stepping Stone House offers a dedicated and safe community for young people at risk by offering them a long-term shelter and a number of support programs, such as:

§  A sense of family and home away from home across the programs

§  Development through outdoor adventure education

§  Learning over 800 Life Skills

§  Creating lasting positive childhood memories

§  Graduation to either employment or tertiary education

§  Long term “after care” – they don’t stop support programs at age 18

We congratulate Max, Jason and the other Board Members and Team Leaders of Stepping Stone for reaching out to an at-risk segment of our community and making a difference. Access to their knowledge and expertise will be helpful as we roll out our own homeless project in the Blue Mountains.