Supported towards a bright future With university studies just beginning and one eye on a career in the Australian Defence Force, 18-year-old Justus is
looking forward to a bright future thanks in part to AnglicareSA’s Launch 180 program. Launch 180 intensively supports young people aged 16 and 17 while they learn to manage the realities of living independently, supporting them to build their confidence, knowledge, and necessary skills as they transition out of the care system. Justus, who had been in the care system from the age of 10, began receiving support from the age of 16, before moving into Supported Independent Living (SILS) at 17. He said having a place to call his own while still having crucial supports around him made a world of difference. “I used to be really introverted when I entered the Launch 180 program,” he said. “I didn’t like talking to people and around the time I entered the program, my best friend had taken his own life just two weeks prior, so it was a really rough time for me.
Justus says our Launch 180 program made a world of difference to him
“I was very closed down because of that, but the Launch 180 team really helped me open up. I think if I didn’t have that support, I would be a very different person than who I am now.”
Setting sail towards positive memories It was a picture-perfect Friday afternoon late last year when 12 young people from our Launch 180 and Post Care Pathways programs set sail from Glenelg to Marino Rocks on a ‘Memory Making Trip’.
The Youth Services team used the prize money from Post Care Pathways’ win at the 2024 Anglicare Australia Awards to fund the sailing trip. Jenna Masi, Leaving and Post Care Services, said the cruise was an opportunity to create positive, lasting memories that many of them had never had the chance to experience. “Many of these young people have spent much of their lives in care, enduring painful experiences that no child should ever face,” Jenna said. “This trip was more than just sailing. It was a real possible moment of healing and a rare opportunity to create new memories, ones that they can cherish and look back on with joy.”
Young people from our Launch 180 and Post Care Pathways programs set sail from Glenelg on a ‘Memory Making Trip’
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