Russell Matheson (Macarthur, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not a week goes by that I do not hear about the wonderful things young people are achieving in my electorate. Be it academic or sporting achievements, leadership roles or charity endeavours, I am continually amazed, but not surprised, by the great things young people are doing in Macarthur. Today I would like to pay tribute to Youth Solutions, a not-for-profit organisation that supports young people in Macarthur, Wollondilly and Wingecarribee and helps them make safer life choices and achieve their full potential.

The team at Youth Solutions in my community works with young people to identify drug and alcohol related issues and address these concerns. Some of its initiatives include youth, drugs, alcohol and tobacco forums; adolescent smoking programs; educational programs at local high schools; party safe projects; and parent programs. The organisation also has a youth advisory group that meets every month to talk about the issues concerning young people and develop solutions to these problems. I have met this group and I was very impressed by their great ideas and their enthusiasm. Youth Solutions is also working in partnership with the Campbelltown Catholic Club to encourage safer celebrations for young people in my community. In its latest campaign, Who Carries the Responsibility, it will make celebrations safer for young people through an online pledge campaign.

As a former police officer, one of my favourite programs run by Youth Solutions is its Midnight Basketball program. This is an initiative between the Campbelltown City Council, Sector Connect, Uniting Care Burnside, YMCA, Macquarie Fields Police, Youth Off the Streets, Office of Communities Sport and Recreation, Claymore Youth Centre and Youth Solutions. The Midnight Basketball program gives young people the opportunity to engage in sport and give them access to positive role models and youth workers. It also provides a safe and positive environment at a time when young people may be vulnerable to harmful and antisocial behaviour. It is a fantastic program that has achieved great results for young people in my community. Since 2002, Youth Solutions has won a number of awards including community service awards, business awards and national drug and alcohol awards.

The reason I want to speak about this organisation today is to encourage my community to support its upcoming charity night on 21 July at the Campbelltown Catholic Club. The Youth Solutions Latin Fiesta charity night will raise funds to support its future projects in the Macarthur community. In this week's Macarthur Advertiser, Youth Solutions' chief executive officer, Geraldine Dean, said Youth Solutions was great for community support and this was a great way for everyone to get involved. The night will include a latin band and dances, a three course meal, a silent auction, a raffle and mystery prizes. I would like to thank the team at Youth Solutions for the fantastic work it does for young people in my community and wish them all the best for their charity event. I would also like to encourage those people in Macarthur that are passionate about our young people to take part in this event and show their support for this great bunch of people doing amazing things in our community. I would like to wish Geraldine Dean and her team all the best in addressing the needs and concerns of our youth in Macarthur.