The Shack

Increasing stability in young people’s lives

The Shack Youth Services provides support through advocacy and connecting young people and families with local services. At The Shack, we work to increase stability in the lives of young people and support them to reach their goals within a therapeutic and safe environment.

The Shack Youth Service works with Young People (aged 12-17) who reside in the Local Government Area’s of Bayside, City of Sydney, Georges River, Randwick, Waverley, and Woollahra.

We support young people who may require support in the areas of:

• Mental health 
• General health
• Alcohol and drug use
• Centrelink & income difficulties 
• Employment and education 
• Housing 
• General advocacy and support

The Shack Youth Service provides young people and families with the following services:

Educational programs
Shack Tutoring (in partnership with UNSW) provides cost free tutoring for students in Years 6-12 living or going to school in the Randwick and Bayside LGA. The student is matched with a UNSW student who can tutor them in a range of subjects, after school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on the Kensington Campus.

Psychosocial/Educational Programs within Schools
'This Is Me' is an 8-week psychosocial program focusing on the transition to high school for Year 6 students.

'Safety Matters Teens' (run in schools in the Bayside, Georges River, Randwick, City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra local government area) The aim of this group is to minimize risk of harm and enhance the protective behaviours of Young people.

'Love Bites' is a Respectful Relationships Education Program for young people aged 15-17 years. Love Bites aims to provide young people with a safe environment to examine, discuss and explore respectful relationships.

School holiday programs
The Shack provides free activities during all school holiday periods to Young People who reside in any of the LGA’s listed above. Activities can include laser tag, bowling, movies, mini golf, trampolining, circus skills/gymnastics, and theme and water parks. Programs are created prior to each holiday commencing and registrations are compulsory to secure a spot.

Advice and Support
The Shack provides one on one short term advice and support to our young people. Area’s of support might include mental health, troubles being experienced in the home, school disengagement, coping strategies and alcohol and drug use.