How to help
Donate
Operation Newstart Victoria is a registered Not For Profit organisation and is endorsed as a DEDUCTIBLE GIFT RECIPIENT under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. It relies heavily on support from community partners and the generous assistance of individual and corporate donors for its continued operation.
You can support us with a donation on the secure website. Alternatively, you may send your donation to:
Operation Newstart Victoria, Travancore School, 50 Flemington St, Travancore, VICTORIA 3032.
A receipt will be promptly forwarded, so please ensure that your address or email details are included.
For online donations, we have partnered with the "mycause.com.au" website, which specialises in handling online donations in a secure manner, accepting Visa, American Express and MasterCard and offering full receipts. To donate, click the button below:
Volunteer
If you are interested in volunteering with us, please contact the program facilitators directly. For details, please refer to our programs page
"I have learnt more from you both and the ONW team than I have my entire degree!"
Placement student: Isobella Peterson
Do you want to build your ability to make a difference in young people's lives?
Operation Newstart programs are assisted greatly by volunteers who often help out in the day to day running and on Outdoor Adventure camp. If you have a passion for working with young people, our daily programs and camps provide a great opportunity to show young people that they are valued, leading to greater confidence and self esteem.
For Youth Work and Teaching students undertaking their tertiary studies, camps provide a fantastic environment to help your engagement skills really flourish.
Feedback
Testimonials
Young people
“Participating in the Operation Newstart really influenced me to do a complete turn around in the direction I was heading. It was the first time I had ever actually accomplished something that I was proud of. This made me start believing in myself that I could succeed in the goals that I set. The leaders also took the time to get to know me and helped me to overcome personal issues that I had going on in my life and once the underlying issues were dealt with I was able to be a better and happier version of myself. Completed 2008 now at University.”
“Operation newstart honestly changed my life, going into this program originally I thought ‘sick! 6 weeks off school for being a bad ass’. But as the weeks flew on the friendships and bonds I made with people completely changed my outlook on Operation Newstart. People don’t understand how much it actually DOES help because they haven’t experienced it for themselves. A struggling 15 year old with a high ego and anger issues, well did Chris and Jimmy put me in my place…not only did they give me great techniques on how to handle my anger, they reminded me why I should start respecting everyone else and stop being conceited. It showed me to believe in myself and taught me I can do anything if I put my mind to it.”
“Newstart with phil and Matt put my life back on track and got a lot of respect for myself and others. I’ve seen a lot of my firends that I was hanging around with have either died or have serious problems with the police or drugs. I learnt the tools I needed to get away from that life. I now own my own business and have a beautiful family and I don’t think I would have been on this path without Newstart, Matt and Phil thanks guys”.
“I flourished mentally and creatively, my future looks significantly brighter!!! Was gonna drop out year 8-9 but now I’m enrolled at RMIT industrial design yeey!”
"I feel confident, more reserved, more disciplined and more engaged in school. Newstart has helped me focus on future job and career prospects and personal battles. Andy and knucks you saved my life and I can’t thank you enough."
"Gave me the strength to distance myself from the negative people I was surrounding myself with."
"A change in my behaviour and a change in my home life, my anger problems got better and I talked to mum a lot more."
"It made me treat my whole family with more respect not get angry with them as easily and helped me talk to my mum more."
"I was no longer causing trouble in class. I wanted to learn. My teachers started to respect my change in attitude towards school after Operation Newstart. They were willing to take time out of their spare time throughout the day to mentor me and make sure I understood."
Schools
“Fantastic program – has no equal – needs to be maintained and built on”
“One student from our school has become a lot calmer and respectful in her dealings with other students and her teachers, We had an incident which we was about old behaviour. We were able to link in with the Operation Newstart workers who supported us by visiting the student and reminding her of what they had achieved. This student is still in school and working well again.”
“The student had significant anger management issues with everyone and was missing significant amounts of schooling. However, he did not miss a day of the program and has become a model student and leader at our College.”
“One of my students completed New Start and although he did not complete school, he did go on to TAFE and completed an apprenticeship and is now fully employed. He has a partner and has a child and I often see him and he still, more than 6 years on, raves about the impact of Di and Brendon on his life. That is just one example, I could give you many more, nearly all the students who I sent improved and while they may not have gone onto completing University degrees, they went onto being happy individuals with lives which had meaning and purpose and they did NOT end up in Jail or worse, which was certainly the path they were heading down.”
“B was highly disengaged, in lots of trouble at school, extremely down on himself and heading in a criminal direction. Family members had previous significant trouble with the law and we were concerned he was heading that way too. Newstart helped intervene early and prevent some of his issues escalating at home and at school. He finished the program extremely positively but then slipped back into a very deep rut. The staff and support team from Newstart continued to follow up with him and provided significant support – in court, in school, at home and in his workplace. He is now happily settled into a career and extremely well respected by his employers. His family are very thankful for the support through Newstart.”
A student was told given his behaviour that he would not be allowed to do VCE. Upon his return to school not only did he prove that he was able to change but he showed amazing determination to prove people wrong. He wrote 20 letters to surgeons before being accepted for work experience. It was no surprise to himself after completing VCE to be accepted into medicine.
Parents
"My son has realized where he is going in life at school, to head for his chosen career with so many great opportunities that he came across in ONG. He’s committed himself to settling at school so he can achieve this and not let ONG down. (or himself)"
"I completed the Kokoda trek with a group of geelong newstart participants and saw first hand the positive impact the program has had. These kids had abosultely horrible back-stories and had struggled for years with drugs, alcohol, depression, assault issues and more, but the strength of character and determination they showed was amazing. They had all started newstart as rebellious kids with no respect for authority, but by the end they were completely transformed. I came away from the trek wondering why the Newstart program is not much larger and why it doesnt have much more for resources and funding. It is my opinion, its an extremely valuable crime prevention tool."
"We were beside ourselves & under dreadful stress with the kids behaviour . That worry was shared and gradually a change took place."
"I have been positively and significantly impacted by Newstart because it has made my day to day life and relationship with L much easier due to her being more obliging to help and contribute. I think she learned good team skills during Newstart camps and came home more grateful and aware of her privileges and benefits of home life. More so, her engaged and caring youth leaders who were on the same wave length as her, were able to positively influence her thinking, her self awareness, and impart valuable advice and guidance to her. So our family and personal life has benefited greatly."
"Parent schooling participation was definitely worth having as well. I was very proud of my son and was thankful that he had this opportunity with Andy, John and Kelsey."
"Operation newstart is an extremely valuable and powerful program. The kids feel like they belong somewhere and take pride in that. The overridding opinion that I heard from all the kids involved was that when they started out they all felt awful about themselves, but this program made them beleive in themselves again and think positively and make positive choices in life."