“You would make a good youth worker.”
That was a sentiment Liam heard repeatedly during the 2023 Sydney To Surfers bike ride. Liam, a keen cyclist, was riding in the event to mentor several young participants and raise funds for Youth Off The Streets.
“One of the people who said that was Kylie Sharp,” Liam says, referring to Youth Off The Streets’ Education and DFSV Prevention and Support Team Leader.
“She probably saw what I was like with the kids on the ride and knew that my previous experiences would help me relate to young people.
“So I got a second opinion from Joseph [Ratouvou],” Liam continues, “and he suggested that I take night classes on youth work at TAFE.”
“I ended up studying three nights a week while working full-time at an Amazon warehouse before I graduated with my youth work certificate last November.”
Liam had known Joseph Ratuvou, current Team Leader Crisis Accommodation, since he was in high school.
“When I first came to Youth Off The Streets, Joseph was working in Education at EDEN College,” Liam remembers. “He was the first person to walk me around the campus.”
“Joseph showed me the trampolines and basketball courts, and I remember thinking how different it was to other schools. The other staff were really accommodating and supportive too.”
The mainstream education system wasn’t well-suited to Liam’s needs, as he had difficulty coping with the pressures of high school and preferred to stay at home.
That’s why he transferred to EDEN College, one of Youth Off The Streets’ six accredited independent high schools. Students can access wellbeing initiatives, service learning opportunities, support from Student Support Youth Workers and flexible teaching that responds to their needs, interests and strengths.
Liam began to realise his potential after enrolling at EDEN. He re-engaged with education and bonded with other Youth Off The Streets team members – youth workers included.
“As a student there, you definitely wanted to be a youth worker,” Liam says.
“You’d see how the youth workers made such a difference for students, and they were fun to be around. But I didn’t want to do that as a job straight away. I wanted to build up some life experience first.”
Liam accumulated some of this experience by joining our Cycle of Courage program, where he developed teamwork, leadership and independent living skills through practical cycling activities and expeditions.
While Liam was enrolled in Cycle of Courage, he cycled in the 900-kilometre Sydney To Surfers event. Later, he returned to the event to mentor students. This was the first step towards his new career.
In March 2024, Liam had completed his studies and accepted a youth worker position at Chapel School.
“It was a big change, but I settled in pretty well during that first month,” Liam recalls.
“It helped that I’d known many of the staff previously, and they could show me the way.
“It took a while to learn how everything goes and make connections with young people, but I feel like I did pretty well at building that rapport.”
To assist in the transition, Joseph provide Liam with trauma-informed training, support and mentorship.
“You go to Joe with questions and he’ll give you the best answers,” Liam says.
Now, Liam works at Don Bosco House, Youth Off The Streets’ crisis accommodation service for young people experiencing homelessness.
“Young people come to us from many different backgrounds and with many different struggles, but mainly, I help them to build up their living skills and housing options,” Liam says of his role.
“If they’re in school, I help them with writing a resume or finding a job. I also support the residents to make sure they’re living in a clean and tidy space and that they’re cooking, budgeting and working towards their goals.”
“Young people stay with us for three months, and during that time, I’m trying to help them find long-term accommodation by building up their everyday living skills and set them up for success.”
In addition to his day job, Liam is still mentoring aspiring cyclists and developing their social skills and teamwork capabilities.
He trained several Youth Off The Streets Step Up and Chapel School students and rode alongside them in this year’s 82-kilometre MS Gong event.
“One of the young people didn’t know how to ride a bike, so teaching her how was very fulfilling,” Liam says.
“I learn so much from the young people and the way that they push themselves.”
“In fact, sometimes they push us more than we push them.”
This year, Cycle of Courage students will participate in the first-ever Youth Off The Streets Resilience Ride. You can pedal alongside them and raise essential funds for children and young people in need by clicking here.