Eagles RAPS Inc. has been operating in Doonside as a youth suicide prevention service since 1997, and in 2002 began an educational program for young people who cannot attend mainstream school for various reasons.  It is often considered that our young people are all “junkies” and “crims” and therefore do not deserve an education.  While we do have young people who are affected by substance abuse and who have been in the Juvenile Justice system, there are many reasons why young people are not in mainstream school, including but not limited by:

·         Mental illness;

·         Homelessness;

·         Domestic violence;

·         Critical life events;

·         Bullying;

·         Anxiety and depression;

·         Disability;

·         Learning disorder;

·         Family issues;

·         Socialisation or behavioural issues.

We have, for instance, two brothers who are trying to care for their mother who has multiple sclerosis.  We have a young boy whose mother is terminally ill with Cancer and he is helping to look after her while still trying to achieve his HSC so that he will be in a position to look after his younger brother when Mum dies.  We have a young girl who witnessed a relative’s murder by another family member who was high on ICE.  We have another young girl whose parents were killed in a car accident.

Eagles RAPS Inc. has looked after these young people since 1997 and has provided an alternative education program for them since 2002. 

Throughout these years Eagles RAPS Inc. only received government funding for four years from 2007-2010 under the Federal Connections funding.  From 2011 – 2014 we received some funding from a service which subcontracted a small amount of the Youth Connections funding to us.  For the remaining years we have survived through donations from the community, philanthropic grants, our own fund-raising ventures and our personal funds. 

There is a saying attributed to sixteenth century scholar, John Bradford who said, “But for the grace of God there go I”. For some of us it means that we were fortunate, not to be in a similar situation such as the young people at Eagles. Some of you may well have been there and someone reached out to help you become the person you are today.  Whether by chance or fate, most of us have been presented with an opportunity to go to school and get a tertiary education without any issues other than hard work.

To continue the work we are doing with these young people, I am asking you to be the person who is reaching out and giving them a chance at a life they so richly deserve. Think back on your life and ask yourself would you be the success you are today if you had to do it all on your own?

The majority of kids we work with are capable of greater things if only they were given the chance to shine in their own right, accepting our help and a belief in themselves that they can succeed in spite of what they think now.

Eagles RAPS can successfully operate on $250k per year and continue to provide the service we have over the past 21 years. Please have a look at our website to see what we do at Eagles, and read what some of the young people have to say. If you believe that what we do is worth supporting and you want to be part of helping the kids, please contact us to discuss a partnership or donate through "Give Now". Your support of Eagles RAPS will ensure a continued support for the young people who are trying to finish an education, get a real job and get out of the welfare cycle.