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About Us
Our Purpose
We support young people to change their lives and re-integrate into sociaty
Our Vision
To harness the talents of young participants and provide them with skills to :
• Keep Alive
• Stay Out of Prison
• Secure a Future
Our Mission
Keep Kids Alive,
Out of Prison and
Skilled Up for a Better Future
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly..."
Theodore Roosevelt, April 1910
WHO ARE WE
The RuffTRACK program is modelled on a similar program in Armidale NSW, BackTrack, aimed at engaging vulnerable young people and helping them develop life and work skills to plan their future pathways
RuffTRACK supports young people aged between 11 and 17 years of age who have disengaged with school and the community.
We support them in education and skill development to transform their lives.
Our programs are based on the following:
• Agriculture education
• Public speaking
• Animal care and training
• Building relationships
• community outreach services
• self-generated income projects
• connecting to country
We work closely with Hawkesbury Local Area Command (Police) and the incredible BackTrack to fundamentally change young people’s lives.
When a young person joins RuffTRACK, they bond with a dog in their first days. This partnership takes them on a journey of learning responsibility, caring for others and communicating without violence.
The team then travels the country, demonstrating their skills and giving them purpose and a reason to give life a serious go.
The skills developed during this time are endless and include:
• Aluminium fabrication
• Animal husbandry
• Building healthy relationships
• Bushcraft
• Carpentry
• Conflict resolution
• Dog sports
• Dog training
• Domestic skills
• Driving and licence attainment
• Effective communication
• Horticulture
• Landscaping
• Leather work
• Mechanics
• Nutrition and physical education
• Welding
• Woodwork ....
and a whole lot more !
Our History
We started making tracks in the Hawkesbury in 2019, inspired by the effective BackTrack program for vulnerable young people facing challenges in Armidale, New South Wales.
Instigated by the Hawkesbury Local Area Command team and with the assistance of BackTrack’s youth workers, we began a 12-week pilot program in September 2019. The program connects young people with animals to foster responsibility and trust.
Today, five years since our inception, RuffTRACK supports more than 50 young people a year.
Our Location
Just over 60 kilometres from the Sydney CBD, RuffTRACK is located at Londonderry NSW
RuffTRACK is located in the Western Sydney suburb of Londonderry and on the fringe of the Hawkesbury region and Penrith valley.
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