For more than 60 years, yourtown has stood beside young people. We believe every young person has the strength to tackle life’s challenges, and that they deserve a safe place to turn. We also believe lasting changes happens when people and communities come together with shared purpose and vision.
The difference you can make
Our ambition is to scale our programs and services so that we can support more young people in deeper and more meaningful ways. Through your philanthropy, you can provide a safe, accessible, and empowering place that transforms lives and strengthens communities.
In 2024-25, these figures reflect some of the ways children, young people, and families found support with yourtown. Behind every number is a story of courage, connection, and hope.
Kids Helpline
Kids Helpline counsellors responded to 136,424 contacts from children and young people.
3,122 new registrations brought our My Circle online community to more than 23,500.
127,460 primary and secondary school students participated in Kids Helpline @ School.
Parenting programs
188 parents and 258 children found guidance, connection, and new ways to grow together.
Family services
133 families built strength and resilience in times of need.
Education and employment
6,174 young people participated in programs that helped them learn, train, and prepare for their future.
Parentline
Counsellors responded to 6,392 contacts from parents and carers across Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Your impact
You may choose to support a specific program, service, or area of interest, or provide flexible funding that can be directed to the area of greatest need.
A national safety net for children and young people
Issue: Every 90 seconds, a young person contacts Kids Helpline. However, right now, despite our very best efforts, we can only answer 3 out of every 5 contacts. Not because the demand isn’t urgent, but because we simply don’t have the resources. We don’t want to see any child or young person who need support and not be able to get it – that’s a heartbreaking gap.
Action: Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free, professional 24/7 counselling service for children and young people aged 5-25. We are the safety net for Australia’s mental health and child protection systems.
More children and young people than ever are reaching out, late at night and early in the morning, when most other services are closed. They’re dealing with mental health challenges, bullying, abuse, family breakdown, loneliness, and thoughts of suicide.
Every day, our counsellors undertake 13 emergency interventions to keep children and young people safe from immediate harms like suicide and child abuse.
Your impact: Thousands of contacts from children and young people are going unanswered. We need your help to make sure no child in crisis goes unheard. In the words of a beautiful young person no longer with us, “Everybody matters, everyday.”
A safe place for women to heal and rebuild lives
Issue: Domestic and family violence is a pervasive issue in our nation. One woman is killed every week by their current or former partner, and the rate of physical and sexual violence is far, far greater.
Domestic violence has a profound impact on women and children’s emotional, psychological, and physical wellbeing, on extended family members, and our communities. Sadly, one in five women return to violent partners after they leave the stability a refuge provides, due to the chronic shortage of transitional housing and affordable private rentals.
Action: yourtown’s domestic and family violence services stand beside families as they move from crisis to safety and on toward independence. Our refuge offers a place of safety and strength where women and children can begin to rebuild their lives through trauma-informed care.
When families leave our refuge, they are offered six-to-12 months of transitional housing, providing a foundation of stability, care, and practical support as they reconnect with community and step into safer futures with dignity.
Your impact: You can ensure more women and children have a safe haven to call home as they rebuild their lives free of violence. With your help, we can ensure there are more transitional homes available for women and children.
Keeping young vulnerable families together
Issue: Young parents with children at risk of statutory care often encounter intergenerational disadvantage, domestic and family violence, and their own experiences of child abuse and neglect. Many have also been in contact with the youth justice system. Sadly, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are consistently over-represented in the child protection system.
Action: yourtown’s San Miguel Family Centre in Western Sydney supports children to remain safely with their parents by intervening early. San Miguel provides young families with secure long-term housing and intensive therapeutic support to disrupt cycles of disadvantage. Parents aged 25 and under are empowered to build skills, create safe and nurturing bonds with their children, and move towards independence.
Your impact: San Miguel’s model of care doesn’t fit neatly into the NSW out-of-home-care system. With your support, we can ensure this vital service continues to support the most vulnerable families in NSW to change their trajectory.
Changing lives through the power of work
Issue: Youth unemployment has remained stubbornly high over the last decade at double the national rate. For those experiencing poverty, mental ill-health, and disability, or in contact with youth justice and child protection systems, the path to stable employment can be particularly challenging.
Action: yourtown’s Social Enterprises provide unemployed young people aged 15-25 with paid work experience and training as a stepping stone to the workforce.
Over the last 25 years, our programs have become one of Australia’s longest running and most impactful Social Enterprises. We have supported over 4,000 young people to earn a wage, gain new skills, build confidence in their abilities, and contribute to their local community. Approximately 85% have gone on to secure employment.
Our Social Enterprises deliver construction, grounds maintenance, and digital marketing services for corporate and government clients in Qld and NSW.
Your impact: With your support, we can scale our Social Enterprises – providing more young people across Australia with opportunities to realise their full potential.
Supporting young parents to give their children the best start to life
Issue: Young parents often face additional pressures as they juggle caring for their children with challenges around housing, relationships, mental health, education, work, and community.
Early intervention is critical to break the cycle of disadvantage and trauma often present in the lives of the young families we walk alongside. If left unaddressed, these experiences can significantly affect the ability of young families to grow, connect, and thrive.
Action: yourtown’s young parents programs provide welcoming and supportive environments for parents aged under 25 to build confidence, strengthen relationships, and create safe, nurturing homes for their children. Families can benefit from practical parenting support, child development activities, life skills, health and wellbeing initiatives, therapeutic counselling, and specialist supports. They are also supported to help their children make a successful transition to kindergarten and school.
Your impact: The need for young parenting support in communities experiencing significant disadvantage far outweighs our capacity. With your support, more families in these communities can access support that meets them where they are.
Our approach
yourtown’s work is informed by the voices of children and young people, data and research, and best practices from around the world. Our programs and services are underpinned by a program logic, theory of change, and performance framework. We continuously monitor, evaluate, and improve our work to support the best possible outcomes in young people.
Our commitment to you
yourtown has strong governance and administration – giving you confidence in your investment. As a partner, we will share the impact of your generosity in ways that are meaningful to you. This could include regular updates, impact reports, and opportunities to engage with yourtown and witness your contribution first-hand.
Get in touch
If you’d like to explore philanthropy with yourtown, please contact our team.
Amy Rymer
Strategic Partnerships and Philanthropy Manager
0402 427 351
[email protected]
