2020 ended on an exciting high note for Vinnies Metro Youth, with the opening of a new Vinnies Young Adult Conference in the Chatswood Region of the Broken Bay Central Council. The excited and bright group of young people is currently made up of recent school leavers, who are keen to continue their support and involvement with Vinnies as they embark on the next stage of their lives.

They have hit the ground running by participating in Chatswood Region Christmas Appeal fundraisers.

The Young Adult Conference aspires to target the social justice issue of poverty and homelessness in order to make a tangible impact both in the Chatswood area and on a larger scale within the Vinnies network. They are currently planning fundraisers to contribute towards the Assist a Student Program to fund education for children overseas as a way to break the poverty cycle. Additionally, they aspire to target youth mental health given all the members have come straight out of school where they have had exposure to the detrimental effects of school and home-based pressures and stresses. They have been inspired to give back to their community following in the footsteps of so many strong Catholic ambassadors such as Mary MacKillop who said, “never see a need without doing something about it”.

Cailin Geraghty is the newly elected Conference President, she is particularly passionate about the issue of youth homelessness within Australia given this is a country of abundance and it is quite confronting to know there are young people without a safe place to call home. When asked about what she loves about Vinnies, Cailin shared “I love how it is a tangible expression of my faith. I see Vinnies as a medium where I can lead by example and show servant leadership to my community as well as respond to Jesus’ call in Matthew 25:40 … whatever you do to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you do unto Me.”