YOUTH ROLL UP THEIR SLEEVES TO HELP WITH TENTERFIELD FIRES

Date: January 2024

Following the Black Summer bushfires in 2019/20, Sony Foundation partnered with BackTrack, an organisation which supports vulnerable and disengaged young people in regional areas, to open youth hubs in two towns devastated by the bushfires and empower young people in the local areas to be part of disaster recovery efforts in the future.

Since opening the Youth Hubs, BackTrack began developing a formal training program to give youth the practical skills to safely support communities after fires and floods.

In September 2024, their new skills were put to the test for the first time when fires swept through the Tenterfield local government area, burning more than 35,000 hectares.

BackTrack arrived the morning after the fire front abated, assisting farmers in the Bluff Rock area. BackTrack General Manager Steve Bramley said the organisation’s approach is about being there for the long-haul – well after the emergency services have gone home.

“With our two mounted 600-litre firefighting units (also purchased using Government funding), we were also able to support the NSW Rural Fire Service with mopping up spot fires. This allowed them to redirect assets to other areas more in need.”

“We had the skills and were ready for anything that was asked of us.”

One year on from the official opening of the BackTrack Youth Hubs in Tenterfield and Macksville there is lots to celebrate. Almost 200 young people have engaged in the program and over 250 training outcomes have been achieved.

Tenterfield

There are now 2 part-time youth workers and an Operations Manager employed at Tenterfield, with 16 young people currently engaged. Fitness activities are running nightly at a local gym and we’ve developed diverse partnerships across the community. Now that you have helped us establish proof of concept, new funders have enabled the construction of a permanent shed, which young people helped to build, and we have BackTrack Works crews going out on a growing number of community, government and commercial contracts, including:
- 4 young people diverted from incarceration
- 8 young people completed Rural Fire Service Training
- 14 young people received their L Plates & 1 their P’s
-12 young people received film making & radio training

Macksville

More than 100 young people have directly engaged in ShoreTrack in this period, with an additional 66 connecting via the Trade Taster program. This includes young people from right across the region. 

ShoreTrack young people have also given back to the community on volunteer jobs including a community garden at Macksville Hospital, repairing cricket grounds, replacing infrastructure after flooding and construction work at the local Sports Hub.
- 12 young people have secured Employment or apprenticeships
- 16 are engaged in Rural Operations Traineeships.

Meet Sam*

Sam, a 15-year-old student from Tenterfield High School, faced serious challenges in engaging with mainstream classroom education and lacked a strong support system, when he was referred to BackTrack in September 2022.

With the support of our Tenterfield youth workers, Sam was able to attend school part-time while participating our programs, which provided practical instruction, mentorship, and intensive wellbeing support.

Since joining BackTrack, Sam has undergone a remarkable transformation, with growing confidence and active involvement in various training and work experience opportunities. He has excelled in tasks such as fencing on flood-affected properties, contributing to park refurbishment, maintaining lawns for community housing, and completing accredited training.

BackTrack Works subsequently employed Sam and supported him in starting a Certificate II in Rural Operations, where he has shown outstanding commitment and attendance. He has completed a Small Motors course and helped build the permanent shed at Tenterfield, and he’s also been able to pursue his passion for fishing with the ongoing support of our youth workers and BackTrack Works role models.

*Names have been changed for privacy

Ongoing Impact & Disaster Resilience

Realising this collaboration was much more than a pop-up, Sony Foundation and BackTrack decided to package the program as a blueprint for rolling out ‘BackTrack-like’ programs in new towns. This will enable new communities wanting to make change to address their own local issues, using a tried and tested methodology.

The BIGMe concept is based on ‘The BackTrack Way’ and the First Nations Circle of Courage concept of; Belonging; Independence; Generosity; Mastery. It also aptly describes what happens when young people engage: they grow and fulfill their true potential.

In Tenterfield and Macksville, the BIGMe programs have engaged hundreds of young people; providing holistic youthwork support following natural disasters as well as training and employment pathways, while also skilling young people up in firefighting, fencing and other practical disaster recovery skills. This has built community resilience and empowered young people for local responses for many years to come.