The Manly Warringah Waratahs are pleased to announce a new association with local youth homeless organisation The Burdekin Association.
Burdekin will become one of the Waratahs official community partners as we look to strengthen our ties with the local area through our Manly for Manly community program.
Burdekin are a Northern Beaches based organisation who provide services for 12 to 24 year old’s with the aim of preventing young people from becoming homeless, as well as supporting those that are.
They do this by helping the youth develop healthy relationships, stable accommodation and establishing goals to secure education or career pathways.
Burdekin CEO Justene Gordon (pictured above with our Community Manager Phill Edwards and players Josh Wigney and Logan Weston) said that partnering with the Waratahs was a fantastic association.
“We have been speaking to the club over the last few months and are really pleased to be working with them this coming season and beyond.
“Some of the work we are looking to do with the club will really help raise awareness for our organisation and what we stand for, which we hope will translate into ultimately helping keep youth off the streets of the Northern Beaches.”
While the perception of the Northern Beaches is of a very affluent community, the reality is very different for a lot of families and something that Justene and Burdekin are hoping to change.
They provide a variety of accommodation services including semi-independent housing and out of home care.
They also run an Early Intervention and Family Support preventative program supporting young people and their families to prevent family breakdown by improving their relationships at home.
“Homelessness is a very common issue across not just the Northern Beaches but Sydney as a whole”. said Gordon. “Not every case is the same, there are a lot of reasons for youth getting themselves in these situations so we need to make sure we look to help the root cause of the issues.
“Helping these youths out and putting them on the right path to a fulfilling life is our goal, and we are pleased to have Manly Cricket helping us in our quest.”
The Waratahs and Burdekin will be joining forces for the upcoming Pub to Pub fun run from Dee Why to Newport, with all Men’s and Women’s players, as well as our coaching staff and officials, joining in. The players will be raising funds and awareness for Burdekin as part of the day.
We will also be participating in their upcoming Home Sweet Sleep out and providing hampers for distribution over the Christmas Period. The 2 organisations will continue to collaborate in the near future about how else the Waratahs club and local cricket community can contribute.
To find out about all of Burdekin’s services and paths for you to help, or if you would like to refer a youth in need of help, visit their website at www.burdekin.org.au or contact them on burdekin.admin@burdekin.org.au
You can also contact our Community Manager Phill Edwards on philledwards@gmail.com or 0433 114411 if you have any questions or would like to contribute in any way.
