Their Story: Bree*
The Australian Mutuals Foundation is proud to be Barnardos Australia’s top corporate partner, a leading children’s charity which does incredible work to assist disadvantaged children like Bree.
Barnardos had become aware of a teenage girl named Bree who had missed three terms of school. Bree had sadly been the victim of bullying and due to this, no longer felt safe to attend school. Bree also displayed low resilience and was highly anxious in public, often staying at home. Bree’s mental health was deteriorating due to the bullying she had experienced.
With the assistance of the Barnardos Youth Support Program, in conjunction with Bree’s school counsellor and vice principal, a referral was made to a high school that provided tailored support for young people with mental health issues. Bree was assisted by Barnardos staff with transport to attend the initial appointments, the enrolment process, and the purchase of a new school uniform and learning supplies to help her re-engage with her education.
Initially, Bree was missing school due to anxiety and fear around encountering the students who had previously bullied her at a local train station, however with the successful application of assisted school transport, she is now attending school daily.
To ensure Bree’s mother was in a position to continue the support for her daughter, Barnardos assisted with transport to attend job interviews and financial support in the form of food vouchers. Bree’s mother was successful in obtaining casual work and also completed a security training course, with the hopes of finding more stable and permanent employment.
Bree is just one example of how Barnardos Australia helps to provide support programs and services to motivate children, young people and their families to embrace learning and education so they can achieve their full potential.
The Australian Mutuals Foundation is proud to be a corporate partner to Barnardos Australia, which is one of Australia’s leading children and youth charities. If you would like to help support their amazing work, please donate today.
*name changed and stock photo used to protect privacy