Chantelle went from being an addict to an advocate

20211105 Youth Insearch

For Chantelle, drugs and alcohol were a part of everyday life in her family.

“If there wasn’t a visit from the police then it wasn’t a normal day,” she says.

Chantelle has come a long way with the support of Youth Insearch over a number of years. Now a Youth Insearch volunteer, she knows first-hand how peer-to-peer support, case management, workshops and support groups can have a life-changing impact for a young person.

“I am extremely grateful for Youth Insearch – they saved my life more than once and they believed in me when no one else did,” Chantelle says.

“I have overcome my addictions and have been drug free since November 2013 and stopped abusing alcohol in December 2014.”

Chantelle has several qualifications to her name, has a stable job, is in a healthy relationship and has been the guardian of her younger siblings for some time. She is also working towards her goal of becoming a police officer.

For young people in regional communities across Queensland, having someone to turn to for professional support when they need it hasn’t always been an option. Working in partnership with local high schools, councils and community groups, Youth Insearch will employ a dedicated social worker in the regional Queensland communities they serve. The presence of a permanent social worker has shown to enhance their peer-to-peer program.

Over the next three years, more than 600 young people in seven regional communities across Queensland will be able to receive tailored support from Youth Insearch when they need it, particularly in the Western Downs and Wide Bay regions. The rollout of this model has been funded by Hand Heart Pocket with $730,577 over three years, as well as funding from the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and Tenix Foundation.

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