After seeing the plight of disadvantaged youth in his community, Bernie Shakeshaft decided to take action. Starting in 2006 with a shed and an idea, Bernie founded the BackTrack Youth Works Program, in an effort to turn around the lives of kids struggling to stay in school, stay out of trouble and falling through the cracks. Using the skills he developed growing up and as a jackaroo in the Northern Territory learning from the Aboriginal trackers, Bernie has developed an award-winning program that involves animal-assisted learning, agricultural skills and a residential facility. In this episode, Bernie shares the unique story behind BackTrack, the organisation’s plans to expand across the country and how we can keep at-risk kids alive, out of jail and chasing their hopes and dreams.
Listen time 39 minutes.
Read the transcript.
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