Successful not-for-profit STREAT works with disadvantaged young people aged 16-24 years old, providing hospitality training and employment pathways. Caraniche has provided pro bono psychological support to STREAT since 2018.

 As a social enterprise, STREAT punches well above its weight. Receiving less than 1% of its funding from government, STREAT generates over 70% of its revenue through social enterprises, four inner Melbourne cafes, a bakery and catering service.

In 2017-2018, STREAT helped a record number of 662 young people through youth programs that include outreach opportunities with local community Victoria Police, two-hour taster introductory workshops and three work-readiness programs.

There’s a flexible nine-week individual work experience program with support (entrée), a six-month intensive with group training, support and work experience (main), and a six-month transition into open employment option (STREATs Ahead).

Of the young people who work with STREAT each year, 59% of them have a past or present experience of diagnosed mental health issues, while 36% have experienced legal issues or contact with the justice system in the past or present.

Co-founder, Kate Barelle comes from a clinical and forensic psychology background and understands the challenges young people are facing when it comes to seeking help or reaching out to organisations like STREAT.

“We’re providing work readiness training but we’re also identifying a range of other issues,” says Kate. “Many of our young people have diagnosable mental health conditions but don’t have access to treatment or assessment.”

“Because we’re self-funded we don’t have leverage to send off to the services they need,” she explains. “So it’s absolutely fantastic that Caraniche has come in. We’ve had this need for a long time.”

Caraniche provides pro bono psychological services to young people in the STREAT programs, offering the flexibility to tailor services and proximity too, being walking distance to STREAT.

“Proximity makes a huge difference,” says Kate. “Caraniche has presented in our classrooms a couple of times now and we’ve been able to walk our trainees up to the Abbotsford office for appointments. It’s an extraordinary opportunity.”

As well as partnering with Caraniche for psychological support, STREAT recently welcomed a Labrador-Kelpie therapy dog to the team and in its first year, Magic provided 608 dog therapy hours.

“Many of the young people in STREAT’s programs have been through rough experiences and trauma, having a familiar face, wagging tail and snuggles to comfort them has made the world of difference.”

With a small team of youth workers and social workers, STREAT offers holistic case management to the young people in their programs, connecting them to services like housing providers, drug and alcohol organisations and legal centres.

“This is where it makes such a difference to be able to refer someone to Caraniche,” says Kate. “It’s really difficult for a young person to nagivate the current system, add in past trauma or getting banned from services, and it can become impossible.”

 

Caraniche at Work is a division of Caraniche. Caraniche is well known across Australia for a broad range of services – alongside the psychological support and training we provide to Australian workplaces through Caraniche at Work, we work with some of the most marginalised people in our community to get their lives back on track through alcohol and drug counselling, specialised services for youth, and behaviour change programs.