REBECCAS Community, a Sydney based youth outreach organisation, is looking for volunteers to help out at Schoolies Week on the Gold Coast from November 20-28.
Thousands of school leavers are expected to converge on Surfers Paradise for the festivities.
Rebeccas Community director Dominic Mapstone said the group would provide three services aimed at the prevention of sexual assault – foot patrols, safe transport home and crash-out beds.
Mr Mapstone said during patrols last year volunteers encountered 50 young people each night in need of assistance, the youngest aged only 10.
‘We came across young people passed out from one end of Surfers (Paradise) to the other,’ he said.
‘They just don’t realise the danger they are in or they don’t have the money or energy left to make themselves safe for the night.
‘We don’t give them a hard time about it, just a bucket and transport to a safe place till morning.’
Mr Mapstone, a social worker who previously worked for Rosies Youth Mission, has been supporting young people at Schoolies Week since 1994.
He said the retreat was on offer to volunteers aged 18-35, to live together and to staff outreach services provided by Rebeccas Community.
They will work alongside experienced volunteers, youth workers and health care professionals and receive full training and support.
Mr Mapstone said the retreat program was designed to give participants a demanding outreach experience across a number of services and the opportunity to reflect on their experiences and their faith.
It was a shock for many of the volunteers just how serious the situation is during Schoolies,’ he said.
‘Blood and vomit and tears are not quite as prevalent in most other retreat programs.’
Returning to help this year’s volunteers will be Jazmin, a labrador pup, which joined volunteers last year and quickly became the talk of the festivities.
A limited number of places are left on the retreats.
For more information e-mail Dominic Mapstone at dominic.mapstone@gmail.com or phone (02) 9749 4555 or (0419) 433 584.
