Mountain Track offers holistic, flexible and long-term support, for young people who are experiencing tough times.

Everything we do at Mountain Track is designed to help a young person establish a real sense of connection. Mountain Track is all about forming strong, positive mentoring relationships, learning and growing, and then helping our young people discover what strengths they have and what is possible.

WHAT WE DO AT MOUNTAIN TRACK

To do this we:

Connect and engage with young people in need.
Provide our young people with individualised support and learning pathways,
tailored to their unique needs.
Organise diversionary activities.
Support personal development.
Provide learning, training, work experience and employment opportunities.
Help young people to connect and contribute to their community.

The process:

Young people come into the program from across the community. The Accelerator program is the entry point program to our long-term youth program. It is also an entry point for those young people seeking other short courses but still wanting to maintain a strong connection to Mountain Track.

Successful completion of the accelerator program opens the door to ongoing short courses that will be provided by Mountain Track staff plus members of the community who share their skills, talents and knowledge and offer up their own individualised courses.

Disaster team courses are designed for those young people seeking to become members of our disaster team. Completing the skills courses and then the adventure-based trek ensures our young people are ready to deploy to anywhere in Australia and be valuable contributors in disaster relief. They need to be motivated resilient and capable of operating in areas of limited support.

WHY WE'RE NEEDED

> 28,000 young people experience homelessness each night

1 in 10 young people aged 14-17 use illicit substances.

One in ten young people aged 12 to 17 years have engaged in self-harm.

1 in 5 people of high school age is not attending school.

One in seven young people aged 4 to 17 years experience a mental health condition in any given year.

13.9% of children and young people (aged 4 to 17 years) met the criteria for a diagnosis of a mental disorder in the last 12 months.

* Mountain Track surrounds our young adventurers with great mentors; individuals with an extraordinary ability to connect with them. Our mentors are people who are willing to give their full support, time and energy. People full of integrity, adept at sharing their knowledge, wisdom, interests and experience and capable of imparting the skills, attitudes, and abilities required to set our young people up.

Through strong mentoring relationships and walking alongside them the young person's sense of belonging and confidence grows. It’s this confidence that allows them to understand their potential and appreciate their inherent value and all they’ve got to offer.

* Mountain Track has a fundamental belief in the vast potential of all young people and we never give up on Mountain track youth. There for them as they pursue and chase their hopes and dreams.

* Mountain Track works by immersing our young people in our wilderness therapy program in the remote Jumbuk Forrest. This proven wilderness therapy model creates an environment where trusting relationships are quickly formed, and a sense of belonging develops.

* Mountain track works by working in partnership with our community. By building a community around them that cares for them, teachers them, invests in them and takes an active role in their lives and their future, there is great gains to be made.

* By offering young people opportunities to gain skills and competencies, through structured programs which guide them through accredited and non accredited employment training and practical work experience. Hands-on training is one of the methods used by Mountain Track to help young people master skills and gain independence.

The Mountain Track Method

* Mountain Track works by staying agile and alert to our young people’s needs, knowing our young person’s needs may shift over time. We understand that sustained change for young people with multiple and complex needs may take years, so this flexibility allows young people to re-enter or leave the program on their terms as often as is needed.

* By setting our young people up to be part of a crew. With a team who looks out for one another, takes responsibility for each other and wants the best for each other you’ve got an environment where the young person can grow and thrive.

* By designing programs which help develop the practical, social and life skills young people need to confidently transition into independent living. We support young people to build a tool kit that promotes self-regulating, problem solving and good decision making.