Batting for at-risk Youth

Australia has the highest illicit drug use in the developed world. Combine this with issues of suicide and homelessness, and you have a potent mix for many young Australians. But Australian cricketer Brett Lee, together with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)–Australia, is striving to empower youth-in-crisis to a better life.

Lee supports the work of ADRA’s New Day Foundation Program (NDFP), which works with three major target groups of young people: youth-in-crisis; young people who have attempted or thought about suicide; and young people with a drug addiction.

Along with cricketing brother Shane, Lee helped launch NDFP in June 2000. Since then, Lee has been happy to support a program reaching out to young people.

“We’re not experts in dealing with at-risk youth,” says Lee. “But we do have something to say about believing in yourself. Our message is that nothing is worth taking your life for.”

Lee’s involvement is also personal. “I lost a close mate when I was about 12. He took his own life,” explains Lee. “I thought, I want to be involved with a charity that’s close to my heart. I really wanted to work with a charity that could work out why people were suicidal.” ADRA’s New Day Foundation Program aims to do just that, challenging youth-in-crisis to live for today—and to tomorrow.

Through accomplishing tasks such as backpacking, abseiling, caving and team building games, Adventure Therapy helps young people realise they can achieve positive outcomes.

Earlier this year, as part of the NDFP, ADRA sponsored eight at-risk young people from the Hunter region of New South Wales through a 10-day adventure program at Delhuntie Park, Vic, one of Australia’s foremost youth-in-crisis intervention centres. Lee joined the self-titled ‘Hunter Heroes’ for a day.

Lee talked to the group about staying positive and achieving dreams. “Your brain is the major thing that can heal so many different types of things,” says Lee. “If you’re mentally switched on and you want to get to that finish line, you can have all these people try to knock you down but if you really focus on it and keep looking and thinking I can do that, then all those people start to move away. You guys can do whatever you want.”

In explaining some of the hurdles he’s overcome, Lee talked about breaking his back at age 17. Doctors told him he wouldn’t be able to run again nor play professional cricket. But Lee persevered, striving for his goal of playing for Australia. “The thing that I’ve learned in going through this is that if you really want to achieve something, then if I can do it, anybody here can. It’s as simple as that.”