Bee’s passionate influence
Bee Orsini and motivational speaker, Sam Cawthorn.
Twenty-four-year-old Bianca ‘Bee’ Orsini has co-presented with Sir Richard Branson in front of thousands, been seen by millions on prime time television, and presented to more than 10,000 school students – all to combat youth homelessness.
What’s astonishing is that the passionate, articulate young woman, recently named on the ‘100 Women of Influence’ list by NAB and the Australian Financial Review, was herself a Salvation Army client less than three years ago.
Bee explains that after a childhood of family dysfunction, neglect and abuse, and parental alcoholism and gambling, she became depressed and self-harming. Drug and alcohol abuse and homelessness followed, until finally a friend pointed her to The Salvation Army Oasis Youth Support Network.
Bee stayed connected to and supported by Oasis, and was eventually offered a small role with Oasis as one of several champions to be a voice for homeless youth.
“Little did I know what I was about to learn is that my pain from the past would become the strength I needed to fuel a desire to help others which was about to ignite,” Bee says.
“I spent years of my life hiding who I really was because I was so ashamed of my past. I was scared that no one would like me or people would think less of me if they knew things that had happened to me or things I had done.”
Today in a fulltime role as Oasis Schools Ambassador, Bee spends much of her time presenting and running youth homelessness workshops, letting at-risk students know there is support available. She also presents to entire year groups of school students to show how they can personally make a difference.
She also conducts service tours, has collaborated with Edify to coordinate school Urban Mission Projects, and hosts student sleep-outs, Red Shield Appeal School lunches and more.
She says she is very privileged to have the opportunity to share her story with so many young people: “I was encouraged to seek out my potential, so I want is to see as many other young people (as possible) get that same chance!”
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