Connecting young people in outback NSW

For more than a decade, school chaplain Narelle has been meeting the social, emotional and spiritual needs of young people in rural New South Wales. Like all chaplains, Narelle is passionate about seeing young people discovering life and living it to the full. 

But in her hometown of Coonabarabran, she has seen the need for connection and support grow.

“Over the last fifteen years, I’ve seen it get harder for teenagers in rural Australia. They’re facing dysfunctionalities at home and living up to increased pressure from social media. I have a real compassion for our young people and love the idea of getting them outside and out of their comfort zones,” says Narelle.

Along with fellow chaplain, Henry, and local SRE teacher, Peter, Narelle is doing something about this. 

After talking with parents in their local communities, the trio took a busload of teenagers to a nearby adventure camp, where they spent a few days in a safe and fun-loving community. 

“Teen Ranch adventure camp is an independent campsite run by Christians that offers high-ropes, canoeing, water-sports and other resilience-building activities.”

“Over the three days, you could see the students forming some great friendships. It didn’t matter that we had students from four different schools, or some of the kids were in the foster system – they’re just young people having an adventure and discovering God’s love.”

Coonabarabran has a population of roughly 3,000 and Narelle has seen first-hand how hard it can be for young people to find community when they’re in isolated environments. 

But thanks to your support, there are opportunities like Teen Ranch and other SU Camps designed for young people looking to find that sense of belonging. Thank you for caring for the wellbeing of young people in outback Australia!