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Police Citizens Youth Clubs Movement

Mr MATT KEAN (Hornsby) [5.54 p.m.]: I appreciate the opportunity to speak on the Police Citizens Youth Clubs movement in New South Wales, which recently celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary. Some 75 years ago the Rotary club of Sydney joined with the Commissioner of Police at the time to build the Police Citizens Youth Club movement.

At the time it was known as the Police Citizens and Rotary Club. The reason the movement was initiated was to provide vulnerable young people with an opportunity to engage in a constructive and positive way with the police. For many of them, the only engagement they had with police was when they got into trouble with the law. This initiative was introduced so that young people who were at risk of being caught up in crime could have positive interactions with police officers and people in authority. Since then, there have been 57 police citizens youth clubs set up across New South Wales, serving communities from Orange, Wellington, Coffs Harbour, and my community of Hornsby.

Since being elected I have had the great privilege of being asked to be the patron of the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Police Citizens Youth Club, which offers services to vulnerable people in our community to ensure that their initial interaction with the law and authority is a positive one. On 21 October I had the pleasure of presenting a $67,000 cheque to the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Police Citizens Youth Club as the part of the New South Wales Government's Community Building Partnership program. It is a grant that will go towards the rejuvenation of the club's facilities.

The police citizens youth club in Hornsby has wonderful facilities such as the basketball court and futsal court, but it has a focus on the arts and this money will go to the much-needed upgrades of the performing arts centre to ensure that people with a disability or people who may otherwise not be able to access those services are able to benefit from the wonderful work of the police citizens youth club. The presentation of that cheque coincided with the seventy-fifth year anniversary. Since 1968, the Hornsby Police Citizens Youth Club has provided young people in my community with opportunities to achieve personal goals and, importantly, to have fun. The skills that the police citizens youth club helps to develop in young people should not be taken for granted. The life skills such as leadership, fitness and goal-setting enable young people to realise their potential and also provide them with the confidence to refrain from antisocial behaviour, which will help to transform lives and communities.

There are young people in my community who are vulnerable and will be tempted to participate in criminal activities, but the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Police Citizens Youth Club is able to provide these individuals with strategies to interact with the law enforcement officers in a positive way. I take this opportunity tonight to thank the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Police Citizens Youth Club's manager, Chris Perry, and his team for their strong leadership and vision. As a result of Chris's hard work, as well as the efforts of other staff and police, the club has grown and strengthened. We often hear of the importance of Government and communities working together to achieve positive social outcomes and there is no better example of that than the New South Wales Government working with the Police Citizens Youth Club movement through the Community Building Partnership program. The Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Police Citizens Youth Club practices this philosophy to ensure that the youth of New South Wales are prepared to tackle life's challenges.

The police citizens youth club recently celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary at Hornsby Returned Services League Club. All funds raised at this event were returned to the police citizens youth clubs in our communities to ensure that the vulnerable youth will continue to have an opportunity to make the most of the services that police citizens youth clubs offer. I note that the Premier has been a wonderful supporter and has also given a large grant to the Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Police Citizens Youth Club. I acknowledge his support for this wonderful organisation. Police citizens youth clubs do wonderful work in communities across New South Wales. They have not survived for the past 75 years by accident; they have survived because of the hard work of countless dedicated individuals who have provided a wonderful outlet for vulnerable youths. I acknowledge the work they have done for the past 75 years.

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