Father takes Sydney students far from Streets

Renowned Australian youth pioneer Father Chris Riley and national TV presenter Mike Munro made a whirlwind trip to Broome last week with a group of high school students as part of an engaging school excursion.

Fr. Riley, the founder and chief executive of Sydneybased charity Youth off the Streets — an Australian community organisation working for young people who are homeless, drug dependent or recovering from abuse, arrived in Broome with students from the organisation’s Step Up program, based in Western Sydney.

The program offers young people who have difficulty accessing mainstream education, the chance to complete Year 11 and 12 and gain a higher school certificate.

Fr. Riley organised for students to visit Broome to experience Aboriginal culture first hand. Veteran TV presenter Mike Munro, a long-term friend and supporter of Fr. Riley accompanied the group.

During their trip, the group went on the Minyirr Cultural Tour to learn about connection to country. They also visited the Kimberley Stolen Generation and interviewed locals to learn about their personal stories. The students delved into the region’s history during a visit to the Sisters of St John of God exhibition and enjoyed mud crabbing.

For student Jannali O’Hara, 17, the visit marked his first time to Broome and said it had been a new and eye-opening experience, particularly the story-telling with residents from the Kimberley Stolen Generation. KSG senior linkup care worker Yisah Bin Omar said the experience of meeting elders was life-changing for the students.

“Students who want to know (about the past)…they can watch movies but to sit down with someone- it makes it more personal.”

Fr. Riley said the visit to Broome enabled Aboriginal people from big cities to connect to country.

The Sydney-based Catholic priest is widely known for his commitment to youth and has spent the last 40 years working with kids from challenging backgrounds.

He founded charity Youth off the Streets in 1991 which grew from a single food van delivering meals to young homeless people to a major agency, providing a wide range of youth services.

He visited Broome last November as a guest speaker at the West Kimberley Youth Sector Conference.