Written by ABC Radio National
Changing Australia: Bernie Shakeshaft and getting at-risk youths back on track
While some regions respond to rising youth crime with tougher laws, others take a different path – one built on support, opportunity, and second chances.
In Armidale, NSW, Bernie Shakeshaft and his BackTrack Youth Works program have been quietly transforming lives since 2006. Rather than punitive measures, BackTrack offers at-risk young people wrap-around support – helping them stay off the streets, out of detention, and on a path to a brighter future.
What’s even more inspiring? Young people who have been through BackTrack are now stepping up, volunteering to find solutions as the region faces a new wave of car thefts. This is the power of community-led change.
Macdoch Foundation is a proud partner of BackTrack.
Listen to this insightful interview with Bernie on Radio National ‘Breakfast’: Changing Australia: Bernie Shakeshaft and getting at-risk youths back on track – ABC listen
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Macdoch Foundation has commissioned a team of Australia’s finest food systems experts to comprehensively map and size institutional food procurement opportunities across Australia for the first time.
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