By Aaron Cordy
IN August 2018, Sönke Tremper wrote himself a note. “Long-term dream is to set up a social enterprise that runs 4WD adventure tours/mentoring for young people in trouble.” Less than a year later, Giz A Break was born, offering help to at-risk teens.
Giz A Break is a registered health promotion charity that wraps a youth and social work approach into an off-road touring format. They create space for teens where they are safe and seen away from their everyday environment, to build connection, confidence, where they have the freedom to express themselves with a safety-first mantra.
“The majority of the young people who work with us do not engage with the mental health system, or don’t engage well with it. They often don’t go to go to school, sometimes not at all, and sometimes irregularly. So, they’re the kids that are too tricky to reach for most others, but they will engage with us because they like the idea of going out there and getting away from home,” said Sönke.
They work with individuals and small groups, from full-day adventures to seven-day camps, with a team of skilled and experienced youth workers, outdoor educators, and social workers.
“We’re so careful how we curate the environment for the young person to be supported and not feel super vulnerable or ill at ease. They’re welcomed, they’re embraced, without being overwhelmed,” said Giz A Break’s Dallas Piggott.
“I think we do a really great job of balancing how we can best get this young person to bloom in the short amount of time we have them.”
Founding an organisation like Giz A Break relies on grants and community support. One way to get behind them is the Tracks 4 Trauma fundraising initiative, where adults can go on one of the day or longer trips to gain an understanding of what they offer the teens.
Les Mitchell was one of a group of local businessmen who recently took part in Tracks 4 Trauma. They trekked through the Wyperfeld National Park and Big Desert State Park and raised $29,000
“Everybody volunteered to contribute towards the cause, and the group chilled amazingly. We had some fun times. We did some four-wheel driving. We did a bit of just driving around through the bush,” said Les.
“We learned a lot more about what Giz A Break do. A lot of us had a fair idea, but we learned more about that, as well as having a good time and understanding the running of the organisation. Saying that, there was no sort of direct talk about Giz A Break. It was sort of just part of the conversation.”
To learn more about his wonderful organisation, visit www.gizabreak.org.au, follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
“Shepparton is an amazing community. The town on the river that’s willing to give and always has been. The generosity of the group that came out was unbelievable,” said Sönke.
