• Lisa’s story offers insight & hope
• Putting the FUN into crowdfunding
• From the Board Chair, Will Martin
• Congratulations Elli, finalist in the NSW/ACT Young Achiever Awards
• Time to Rethink Addiction
• Braydon finds a safe space to grow
• Thank you to our corporate partners
• Youth Week 2021: Together more than ever
• The art of healing

“Violence, abuse and neglect became the norm. The impact violence has on your soul… it changes the way you see the world, and it changes the way you see yourself.”

Lisa finally escaped her abuser after three years, returning to Australia to live with her father. However, the impact of the trauma was catastrophic, setting Lisa on a path of self-destruction.

“As a teenager, I tended to harm myself, but I didn’t know why. Unconsciously, I hurt myself again and again.”

By the age of 14, Lisa was suffering frequent panic attacks and diagnosed with severe anxiety. Prescribed medication helped for a while, but soon wasn’t enough!

“Eventually it didn’t matter what the drug was… as long as it altered my reality. I could not face the day without something in my system.”

In the grip of drug addiction Lisa says “your heart goes cold, you lose sight of who you are hurting” and after her third suicide attempt, she asked for help and arrived at Triple Care Farm.

“After two weeks in withdrawal, I moved into the three-month rehabilitation program, which focuses on education and therapy. It was hard work, but
worth it when your confidence grows daily and you start to imagine a life free of drugs and alcohol. In addition to the routine of classes, groups, welfare
assistance and counselling, we had some fun with weekend activities at the farm and off-site too.”

“Addiction is a lonely disease. But being in recovery with other young people, from all walks of life, reassured me that I was not alone in my struggles. The program taught me skills to live a normal life. I would be dead if it wasn’t for the farm!”

Lisa is now back living in the community and recently resumed her social work degree, which she balances with part-time hospitality work. She dreams of using her lived experience and tertiary qualifications to help other young people – and we have no doubt that she will change lives – just as she has changed her own.

Lisa concluded her story with a message of gratitude.

“To the donors and supporters, please don’t stop giving. You are changing thousands of young
people’s lives… you saved mine!”

Watch Lisa’s full reflection

*We have changed Lisa’s name and image to protect her identity, but her story has not been altered.

Sir David Martin Foundation is holding its annual fundraising event on Thursday 17 June 2021.

The Funding Network event for Sir David Martin Foundation is a virtual live experience with limited seats to attend in person.

Enjoy some refreshments before our MC James Valentine guides us through an entertaining “shark tank” style presentation, hearing from three presenters from different youth programs (Withdrawal, Rehabilitation and Aftercare) at Triple Care Farm.

Then the real fun begins! Attendees are invited to pledge financial support to their preferred program; challenging their fellow guests and colleagues to match them in an interactive crowdfunding session.

“We are delighted to be partnering with The Funding Network (TFN) to host this exciting live event,” said General Manager, Helen Connealy.

“This platform offers a great opportunity to bring together professionals, corporates and philanthropists and showcase the life-saving youth programs we support, in a refreshing new way.

“Having attended other TFN events, I can attest that they are fast-paced and high energy, inspiring laughter, tears, connection and generosity for innovative programs with the power to change lives.

“I hope our supporters will join us for this unique experience – either physically in the room or online.”

Register to attend now

From that point on, particularly as Governor of NSW, he always encouraged young people to fully develop their undiscovered
potential as a way of somehow breaking the cycle. He really just wanted to help them create opportunities to better their lives.

Youth Week is quite rightly an occasion to celebrate and listen to young people. Perhaps it should also be a time to reflect as a community on our investment in young people?

At Sir David Martin Foundation we know that one dollar invested in a troubled young person produces three dollars worth of value to the community.

That’s an investment worth making!

All young Australians deserve access to physical and mental health support, and a safe place to call home. They also need to feel empowered to reach out and ask for help when they most need it.

We need to be ready to listen and to care. Only then will they have the chance to fulfil their true potential.

Best Regards

Will

For some young people, their stay at Triple Care Farm represents the first time they have felt safe and protected in a very long time. This was the case
for 17-year-old Braydon.

The teenager, who hails from the NSW Riverina region, attended both the residential and withdrawal units at Triple Care Farm; completing approximately three months of residential treatment in total, before entering Aftercare.

Braydon arrived at Triple Care Farm reporting daily use of cannabis as his main concern. He struggled with mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety. He also spoke of a recent traumatic sexual assault, which had left him using marijuana as a coping mechanism to deal with the ongoing effects of trauma.

“It dulled my mind and let me just escape. When I was high, I didn’t have to deal with the realities of what was going on in my life. Truth is, I didn’t want the life I had, but I couldn’t see a way out.”

Once settled into the program, Braydon told staff about his desire to escape the cycle of drug use, get a job and live a life that would make his family proud.

One particular goal of Braydon’s was to complete the Certificate II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways. He took great interest in the living skills classroom, where he spent time creating detailed financial budgets for himself along with realistic goals for both his short and long-term future.

Braydon also worked tirelessly throughout the education program to gain as much hands-on experience and training as possible, soaking up every opportunity on offer.

He took great pride in his work – meticulously paying attention to every detail – and as his sense of achievement grew, so too did his confidence.

“I actually feel excitement for the future – I don’t remember feeling that for a really long time.”

Braydon tackled all aspects of the program head on and was more than happy to try new skills that were previously out of his comfort zone. This included woodwork, art and working with the farming and landscaping trainer to operate a tractor, something that he’d never attempted before.

“These were things I’d always wanted to learn, but just never thought I had it in me.”

As Braydon gained experience across these different areas, his outlook on life started to change.

“I feel like the old Braydon is coming back… I finally have space to think and grow. It’s hard to explain, but at Triple Care Farm you feel safe and listened to. That’s why it’s helped me.”

Towards the end of his stay, Braydon reflected upon his new skills gained, both through the education program and in counselling sessions.

“This place has saved me. It’s finally given me my life back that I had been missing out on.”

Braydon has since gained full time employment back in his home town and is keeping active and maintaining positive and healthy relationships with friends and family. He is also seeing a counsellor regularly and using some of the self-regulation techniques he learned at the farm to stay on track.

We wish Braydon all the best in his recovery journey and thank him for sharing his story with us.

If this story raises any concerns for you or a loved one please call Lifeline for 24/7 crisis support on 13 11 14, Call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732  or seek help from a medical professional.

*Name changed to protect student’s privacy

Investa has been a long-term supporter of Sir David Martin Foundation, joining as a major partner in Abseil for Youth for many years. We are delighted that they have recently reinforced this commitment – becoming a Silver Partner of our Foundation! They have also generously provided our small Foundation team with temporary office space this year. Thank you Investa!

We are also excited this year to welcome a new Corporate Silver Partner, NextGen.Net, Australia’s leading software provider to the mortgage industry, delivering quality products and services to a range of banks, non-bank lenders and mortgage brokers. We look forward to working together and achieving great things.

This is the theme of this year’s Youth Week 2021 (16 – 24 April) – a celebration giving young people an opportunity to express their ideas and views, act on issues that affect their lives and create and enjoy activities and events. To find an event near you, visit Youth Week (nsw.gov.au)

During Youth Week, our Foundation will be launching its inaugural Youth Advisory Group, harnessing a powerful youth voice to inform our work and future initiatives.

Watch our website for more information about this exciting initiative, and follow us on social media via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Triple Care Farm Art Therapist, Rachel Hill

The art room (above) and a sample of a student’s flow painting (below)

Last month, our Autumn Country Lunch attendees heard powerful insights from guest speaker, Triple Care Farm Art Therapist, Rachel Hill.

Rachel started working at the program four years ago, as part of her final prac for her Master of Art Therapy studies.

Since then she has worked with hundreds of students at the farm, helping them to express their thoughts and emotions in a safe and creative space – supporting and nurturing them as they grow and heal.

“The art therapy program supports and complements the counselling stream at Triple Care Farm,” explained Rachel. “It presents an opportunity for the young people to express emotions and experiences that might be difficult to put into words.”

The program offers both individual and group sessions, and uses a combination of set directive activities (for example, creating art in nature, mindfulness exercises or making masks as part of an identity exploration task) and as well as non-directive activities.

“Non-directive art therapy involves following the lead of what the students would like to do and developing their areas of interest. It is usually skills-based, so might be sculpture, sketching or working with clay. At the moment stencil, t-shirts and tie-dye activities are trending and very popular with the students. So we’ve started ‘tie-dye Friday’ and we all turn up in our tie-dye, creating a really fun and vibrant space.”

Rachel said that there are many documented benefits of art therapy, particularly when working with young people who have experienced trauma.

“We find that the tactile nature of working with art materials can be very helpful with self-regulation. Many studies are showing it can really calm the nervous system and be very beneficial for students if they are presenting with distress or agitation.

“Art therapy is also very beneficial with substance use disorders, in that it gives an opportunity to work with the subconscious and externalise what students are feeling inside. It can increase self-awareness and understanding about how to manage their own feelings and behaviours. Furthermore, creating art can bring a sense of joy and accomplishment.”