Stories From A Grassroots Organisation

Why Community Matters People often ask us which LIVEfree program has the greatest impact. The truth is... It's almost never just one. A child might first meet us on the Brighter Beginnings bus. Over the following weeks, our team begins building trust. We notice they're struggling to engage at school, so we connect them with mentoring through Shine Education. During those conversations, we learn they're living with ongoing dental pain, so they're referred into Smile & Thrive.

Every Number Has a Name Halfway through the year, it's tempting to measure success by numbers. The number of children we've supported. The number of breakfasts served. The number of mentoring sessions, dental appointments and school visits. And while those numbers matter, they only tell part of the story. Behind every statistic is a child who felt seen. A family who found hope. A young person who discovered they didn't have to navigate life alone. So far this year, together,

Every Journey Matters Sometimes the most important things don't happen inside our building. They happen on the road. They happen during an early morning school pickup, while delivering groceries to a family doing it tough, transporting resources to a school, or simply making sure someone can access the support they need. That's why we're incredibly grateful to The Cooper Foundation for helping us secure a new vehicle for LIVEfree Project. To many people, it's just another car

What if suicide prevention wasn't something left to mental health professionals? What if every teacher, youth leader, childcare educator, volunteer, parent and young person felt confident to recognise when someone was struggling, and knew what to do next? That is the vision behind Side By Side. Developed by LIVEfree Project, Side By Side is an early intervention wellbeing initiative designed to strengthen communities from the ground up. Rather than focusing solely on crisis r

What We're Seeing on the Frontline Every day, our team steps into schools, homes and communities across Newcastle. No two days are ever the same, but one thing is becoming increasingly clear: children and young people are carrying more than ever before. We're meeting students navigating housing insecurity while trying to concentrate in class. Children caring for younger siblings before school. Young people attempting to make sense of anxiety, grief, friendship breakdowns and

Where has the year gone – I am sure you are all wondering that the same as I am. What and an amazing time we have been having in community being busy equipping, nurturing and strengthening young people, students, families and individuals with life skills, life-long enduring knowledge that will help shape their future steps and connection with our Stronger Families and Connected Future Pathways programs...what a privilege!! We have also see some amazing rollouts of our “Shin