Donations 2004/05
Australian Medical Procedures Research Foundation
The AMPRF deals with the issue of heroin addiction and has several shelters throughout Perth, where patients as young as 13 have been treated for heroin addiction. Drug addiction is a social disadvantage and the risk is higher among those in the poverty net and those children living in a home which is caught in the trap of poverty and drug addiction. The Australian Children's Trust funded a research project into Dr George O’Neil’s work with drug addicted pregnant women and their rehabilitation which aims to increase the number of babies who remain with these mothers.
Visit the AMPRF website at www.amprf.org.au
The Red Cross - SHARK Program
The Australian Red Cross (WA) SHARK Program aims to strengthen the capacity of the community to engage and include young people within a preventative framework. Volunteers are recruited and utilised to work with young people who have been identified through the justice or education system as being at emotional, social or educational risk. The goal is to increase educational sustainability, reduce skill deficits and promote opportunities for young people to succeed. The volunteers provide a positive role model and offer support in the areas of literacy, numeracy and life skills. The Australian Children's Trust funded the continuation of the program for a further year after State funding ran out.
The Red Cross - First Steps Employment Program
The First Steps Employment Program secures casual or part-time jobs, traineeships or structured workplace learning programs for Indigenous high school students. It aims to motivate young people to stay at school and encourages them to take advantage of further education and training opportunities.
Students from metropolitan high schools participate in the program, and students are working in retail and fast food environments including Coles, Woolworths, Hungry Jacks, McDonalds, Chicken Treat, Red Rooster and KFC. The First-Steps Employment Program was one of two projects identified as exemplary by Federal Minister Kemp’s office for indigenous employment and training. The project falls under the National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (NIELNS). Again, the Trust funded the continuation of the program for a further year after State funding ran out.
Visit the Red Cross WA website at www.redcross.org.au/wa