BYSA

AN INTRODUCTION THAT CHANGED IT ALL.

For decades young people have turned to Blacktown Youth Services Association, also known as BYSA, in times of need. There are many success stories of young people who turned to BYSA in crisis, and went on to find their purpose, including becoming Youth Leaders and in turn, assisting other youth in need. They are endeavouring to continue their 36-year legacy of providing support to youth aged 12 to 24 years within the Blacktown Local Government Area in the face of a dire lack of funding.

This is how Stephen Bali MP, Member of Blacktown introduced BYSA to the Blacktown Workers Club Group (BWCG) in 2020.

Blacktown Youth Service Association (BYSA) was established in 1986 for youths needing guidance and assistance to find their purpose and positively transform their lives. The youths that are welcomed into the humble abode come from disadvantaged situations such as domestic violence, abuse, neglect and some experience homelessness. BYSA has been a safety net that catches young people as they fall through the cracks of society by early intervention to change the trajectory of their lives.

The journey began with a ClubGRANT of $4,000 for food and hygiene packs to assist the young people who are often in a situation with no access to these essentials.

Word quickly spread to the BWCG Staff, who were swift in their response to helping the youth in our community get through Christmas. The Staff gathered and donated non-perishable food items, hygiene products and mobile phones. Not only that, BWCG Staff chose to donate their Christmas raffle earnings of $2,800 to BYSA. Through the lockdown a BWCG staff member even handknitted scarves to keep the young people warm through winter and put hygiene packs together.

Further donations from members from a “spare change” drive exceeded $1,600, whereby the Club had donation boxes for BYSA at every point of sale.

2021 emerged and BYSA confirmed with the Club that they had missed out on major government funding they desperately needed to stay afloat. They had only several months before their financial situation threatened closure, there and then the BWCG Board of Directors committed $60,000 cash donation ($10,000 per month for six months).

The Management and Staff of BWCG were even more motivated to get BYSA back on their feet! This sparked the first of two major fundraisers for the youth service association. The three-day BYSA Outdoor Cinema Fundraiser was launched which coincided with Blacktown City Council’s Youth Week.

The live music for the night was arranged by BYSA, featuring many young people who had found their passion for music through BYSA’s program of Creative Media. Artists included Lil Spacely, Sir Pedro65, MXTI, John Lusunzi, Atticus featuring Caitlin Stevens, DJ Phowz and DJ Fin$. MCs were MC Jas and MC Lui. Most importantly, the event ran smoothly with great work of the BYSA volunteer squad, a group of Youth Leaders and young people.

Delicious food was served up by BlackBear BBQ and Dipping Dots, with rides and games for the kids.

Kay Kelly, BWCG President says, “As a community club group that operates two major venues in Blacktown, it is imperative to us to give back to the communities in which we operate. BYSA is an integral part in ensuring the youth of Blacktown have a place to turn to in times of crisis, creating a better environment for all of us.”

The fundraiser generated an extra $35,000 in funding for BYSA, meaning that the support from the BWCG had exceeded $100,000.

Winter was drawing near, and with that a lot of young people, including those who seek refuge at BYSA are in fact cold and without a home or a place to sleep.

The reality is that there are youth in Blacktown’s local government area sleeping rough every night.

In a show of support and to raise awareness, Management and Staff from the BWCG, led by Group CEO, Morgan Stewart, chose to sleep rough with a goal of raising over $30,000.

Blacktown Workers Club Group’s “CEO and CO Winter Sleep Out” took place in June 2021.

Group CEO, Morgan Stewart, who had participated in similar fundraisers in the past, wanted to embrace the cause of the winter sleep out, but keep it local to support the community in which two of the clubs in the Group operate.

“Homelessness is an issue currently affecting the Blacktown area and when the Workers team decide to make a difference, we want to see the impact in our local community. There are no more deserving recipients than BYSA – an organisation on the frontlines of youth in crisis and experiencing homelessness,” says Morgan.

The Board of Directors of the Blacktown Workers Club Group donated $10,000 to the fundraiser, part of their ongoing support towards BYSA. Their efforts were more than just writing a cheque however, with long-serving President Kay Kelly showing her unwavering support to the cause and the team, by spending the night sleeping rough.

Major support for the fundraiser also came from the Payce Foundation, part of Paynter Dixon, the organisation currently undertaking the redevelopment of the club at 55 Campbell Street. They followed their $20,000 sponsorship of the BYSA Outdoor Cinema with another $10,000 to support the “CEO and CO Winter Sleep Out”.

The “CEO and CO Winter Sleep Out” generated an extra $33,235 in funding for BYSA, meaning that the support from the BWCG has now exceeded $135,000.

The relationship between BYSA and the Blacktown Workers Club Group continues with the Club providing work experience in the form of music, young aspiring music producers and DJs held a BYSA led event at Workers Blacktown’s newly formed late night bar, Redwood.

The BWCG are continually looking at ways to help the youth of Blacktown, not just monetarily but in ways of experience by including the youth of Blacktown and surrounds to participate in various community activities and projects.