The Young Love Foundation is about caring for young people and teaching young people to care about themselves. We are a non-profit organisation which contributes to the health and wellbeing of young people in our community. We put into practise the idea that it takes a village to raise a child.
The Young Love Foundation provides school and community based mentoring programs and personal development workshops for young people who are facing profound challenges in their lives, including mental health, substance abuse, and sexual health issues. These are very real and worrying threats to the health of Australian youth, and the prevalence of these issues is on the rise. Our families and communities are breaking down, and so is the self esteem of our young people.
15-20% of our teenagers have a significant mental health problem
The most common illness we see in teenagers now is depression
1 in 3 young Australian deaths is due to suicide
1 in 4 12-15 year olds consume alcohol weekly
1 in 4 girls and 1 in 7 boys are victims of child sexual abuse
Australia has the third highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the western world
26% of year 10 and 47% of year 12 students have had sex with multiple partners
What can we do to help? Our communities can work together to provide love and care for our young people, and teach them that it's okay to love and care for themselves. Our mentoring programs assist to provide a community of support around young people. Mentoring from a positive role model provides a nurturing pathway for teenagers to feel supported through tough times, particularly if they feel they can’t talk to other significant adults in their lives. The power of having someone neutral to talk to, who really listens and actually hears you, is extraordinary. Mentors can change thinking and save lives.
With this in mind, we conduct three mentoring programs, one in schools called Ismo, one for teenage mums called Bump and one in partnership with the Salvation Army and TAFE called Youth Connections. Ismo (In School Mentoring Opportunity) is for guys and girls in high school in years 9 and 10, Bump is for young mums under 23, and Connections is for re-engaging young people with education or employment.
Please help us to provide a supportive community around young people.
Interview on MTV Australia about the Young Love Foundation:
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Sources
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research 2008
National Survey of Secondary Students 2002
Medical Journal of Australia 2003
Australian Institute of Criminology 2000