The Dubbo PCYC has been helping vulnerable people in the community for the past 51 years, and now its asking for our help.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The COVID-19 enforced lockdown has impacted every business in some way, and the PCYC is no different. It's 90 per cent self-funded through its programs and activities, which have all come to a halt during the lockdown.
"PCYC NSW is a charity, which a lot of people don't actually realise, so we're not government funded," Dubbo club manager Emily Ross said. "Obviously when the clubs are closed, which we are at the moment with COVID, we're denied that income.
"We're doing the PCYC Emergency Appeal, which is there because that income is needed to provide programs to our vulnerable members of the community."
Through the Rise Up strategy the club facilitates programs including 'Fit for Life' where, twice a week they provide provide kids with breakfast, do some exercise then drop them off to school.
READ ALSO:
- UPDATED: See the full list of Dubbo and Wellington venues of concern
- 'Little ray of sunshine' for anyone fully vaccinated against virus
- How almost dying led to a promise to change someone's life every day
- Campervans available for recovering COVID patients unable to isolate
- Three transported to hospital, one critical, after car crashes into motel
There's also the 'Fit for Work' program to help disengaged students plan for the workforce.
"We work with education, with some of those disengaged kids, we work with them to re-engage them into school, and then work with local businesses to get those kids ready for what the workforce looks like," Ms Ross said. "We determine what they would like to do and then seek employment for them."
There's also a huge Friday night program, which is run in conjunction with the local police Aboriginal Youth team, called Walwaay, which can see up to 200 kids at the club.
"Since that program started, youth crime in Dubbo dropped 60 per cent.
The police do an incredible job with that, and obviously PCYC on a Friday night is where the kids are.
"When we do reopen, we want to be able to hit the ground running, and without that income coming in we can't do that. We work with a lot of vulnerable kids out here, and PCYC has become that place that they go to - it's a safe place, it's a fun place, and we need to be able to offer those programs."
You can make a donation through the PCYC website, at pcycnsw.org.au
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News