We are now half way through 2015 and things as usual have been very busy. Financially we are tracking online with our budget and in terms of student numbers we are still aiming for 700 students this year which is an increase of 22% on 2014.
Our Golf Day has come and gone and again it was a very successful event despite having to contend with some rain for the 2nd year in a row. The final result saw us raising $67,000 which is a tribute to the very generous golfers that participated, the hard working Golf Committee, the Youth Opportunities team and the NAB volunteers.
So far this year we have run 8 programs in Term 1 and 12 programs in Term 2. Paralowie and Gawler High Schools are now running our program this year which is great. Terms 3 and 4 are also going to very be very busy and we have had to increase our Trainer numbers by 2 to accommodate the extra programs.
We still have many more students wanting to do our program that we can’t accommodate due lacking of funding. We do hope to continue growing the number of students that complete our program which means we need to continue to raise more funds.
We had a reception at Government House on June 24th where His Excellency the Governor, the Honourable Hieu Van Le AO and Peter Marshman OAM, the Founder of Youth Opportunities, presented 5 Principals with the inaugural Youth Opportunities Awards for Excellence. They were recognised for their outstanding contribution to their school and to the wider community. These 5 Principals were Ann Prime – Salisbury High School, Des Wauchope – Craigmore High School, Meredith Edwards – Woodville High School, Janelle Riemann – Willunga High School and Orio Denti – Renmark High School.
With the increasing unemployment numbers we need to appreciate that there is a growing number of children that are being brought up in tough situations. Our program gives these children a chance to succeed despite their circumstances.
Please continue your fantastic support of Youth Opportunities as every child deserves a chance to succeed.
Peter Carey
Chief Executive