A lick of paint and several working bees has given the Midjuburi Youth Resource Centre in Sydney’s Inner West a new lease of life.
When the Foundation heard that the Midjuburi Youth Resource Centre (MYRC) needed a helping hand to rejuvenate their space, our corporate teams were at the ready. Over several hugely productive working bees, industry volunteers cleaned, cleared, painted and refurbished key areas at MYRC – a vibrant community organisation that provides a safe, creative and nurturing place for young people aged 12-24 in Sydney’s Inner West.
The refurb to the centre’s offices, counselling room, lounge, kitchen and bathroom have made a huge difference to the MYRC staff and the young people that access the centre.
“Our meeting room now has a beautiful meeting table and proper office chairs, instead of a trestle table and plastic chairs, our counselling room looks amazing with new couches and mats, our hall where we do our afternoon programs for young people has the most flash furniture, and in our kitchen we have our spectacular new and very much improved oven so we can cook up a storm. Finally, the amazing team fixed up our shower and provided us with a washing machine and dryer so young people can have a shower and wash and dry clothes when needed,” says Louise Hammond, MYRC’s CEO.
”The Foundation organised corporate teams to come and paint our offices and get rid of our very old furniture and before we knew it our offices had beautiful, functioning desks.
Louise Hammond, CEO, MYRC
A working shower and new washing machine are particularly essential to the health and hygiene of the young people who use the centre’s facilities. “MYRC can now provide services such as free showers to young people and an ability to wash and dry clothes,” says Louise. “It’s super important because often in society we take for granted that when we have a health issue such as scabies that everyone has the necessary items to treat and deal with them. But without a washing machine it is really hard to wash sheets and blankets and towels. In winter a lot of our clients only have one school uniform so when it is raining for weeks, drying the uniform quickly is a stress and often can be enough for young people to start disengaging from school. Having a dryer at MYRC has meant young people can have clean and dried school uniforms.”
The hardworking MYRC staff are also loving the changes to their workspace. “It is such a joy to be able to come into our offices and sit at a proper desk, instead of working at trestle tables,” says Louise. “When staff feel like they have a nice, functional space they feel more motivated to be more productive. The feedback from young people using the counselling room and hall is that it is a really nice space that makes them feel more comfortable and relaxed. It demonstrates that MYRC wants young people to have a physical space that is inviting, warm, safe … something they may not have in other parts of their lives. It also gives a clear message that they deserve to have nice things and items that make them feel special.”
It was always Louise’s goal to upgrade the MYRC furniture and make physical improvements at the centre but she didn’t have the time or resources to make that dream a reality. That’s where the Foundation and its partners can step in and create tangible change. “We honestly cannot believe how lucky we were to be introduced to the Foundation and to have all the amazing corporate sponsors come and donate their time,” says Louise. “I will be forever grateful for everyone who gave up their time to paint our walls, to donate food to our pantry, furniture or whitegoods. The refurbishment has been more than I ever expected and something I could have never done.”
Thank you to our industry volunteers and donors!
- King Living Foundation
- Ali + Jenny Green (individual donors)
- Charter Hall
- Brookfield
- Dulux
