A brighter tomorrow is on the cards for at-risk kids in the western suburbs.
The Tomorrow Foundation has set its sights on opening a permanent home in Footscray to help improve the lives of disadvantaged migrant and refugee children.
Chief executive and founder Alice Wojcik said the grassroots charity’s settlement program is outgrowing its Footscray North Primary School base.
Ms Wojcik said The Tomorrow Foundation works with children who have fallen between the gaps of other services.
“Our aim is to help them settle into their new life and give them a bit more hope for the future.”
The charity assists with education and social development via homework help, tutoring, a martial arts program and paying for children to go on school excursions.
Many of the children are refugees or asylum seekers, who have left behind war-torn countries and struggle to catch up in Australian classrooms.
“A lot of them do feel isolated; they are seen as the outcasts. They might be quite timid, so we are helping them become a lot more confident.”
Ms Wojcik said her own struggle growing up with a poor socio-economic background, as the daughter of Polish migrants, gave her insight into the isolation created by cultural differences.
She said The Tomorrow Foundation has a team of 30 volunteers but always needs more. A permanent Footscray home will also enable the expansion of its programs, making it possible to help about 300 children in the first year of operation. The youth and children’s centre would be the first of its kind.
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