Street dreams is music to young lives
Street Dreams is helping to transform young lives. (Photo courtesy of Dom Brook)
In Bidwill on the outskirts of Mount Druitt, NSW known as one of Sydney’s most disadvantaged communities, ‘Street Dreams’ is helping to positively impact often extremely disadvantaged young lives.
Run by The Salvation Army Oasis Youth Foundation and charity organisation Musicians Making A Difference (MMAD), Street Dreams uses hip-hop dance and mentoring to support not only ‘at risk’ young people, but all interested young people aged eight to 18.
The program, which also aims to nurture young leaders, is now into its third year. It is estimated to be positively impacting over 50,000 children and their parents in groups throughout Sydney, the Central Coast and Brisbane.
Salvation Army Lieutenants Rachael and Philip Farthing run the Chifley Mission, which offers a Salvation Army drop-in and referral service and spiritual support, through their home in the centre of Bidwill. They believe Street Dreams is proving an effective tool to help support young people in their area.
“The feedback we’ve had recently from the families is that they love Street Dreams. It’s great for the kids’ self-esteem. They get to perform, build confidence and learn new skills,” Lieutenant Rachael Farthing says.
She says poverty, unemployment, addiction, crime, early school leaving, childhood malnutrition and neglect are a reality for a proportion of kids and families in the community.
“Through Street Dreams, we really can support them, encourage appropriate behaviour and as the young people involved they get older, we hope it will help them make good choices,” she says.
“Also, it can at its simplest level, give young people somewhere positive to spend their time so they are not hanging out on the street, fighting, damaging property or stealing.”
Rachel says contact with parents through Street Dreams, has helped support and stabilise whole families through referrals and support with groceries.
“They often can’t afford to put food on their plates, then the kids don’t go to school because they don’t have lunch. It’s an awful cycle.”
Rachael says she has seen a number of the young people blossom.
“We have one girl who had a lot of anger issues and was often suspended from school for her behaviour. In one of our first Street Dreams classes they talked about dreams and she mentioned that she wanted to sing. The teacher encouraged her to come back and sing for the class.
“It was her first real performance and she was really nervous, but really good. From then, we have seen here grow in her confidence and in her willingness to get in and have a go. She has grown up into a leader and is helping out other kids,” Rachael says.
“It is all really encouraging.”
Comments
No comments yet - be the first.