Our Story
Where we began
Breakaway Youth (originally Breakaway Camps) was founded in 1989 by Merv Landy. Merv worked as a prison officer for 7 years, and during this time he had many conversations with inmates, asking them what might have prevented them from prison.
The most common answers Merv received were: “had someone really loved me,” and, “had someone taken me out of the environment I was in, like going camping”.
Merv then spent another 7 years working for a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. It was here he realised, in his own words, “I was still working at the wrong end of the stick”. At this point, after some in-depth research, Merv was convinced that prevention and early intervention was the key.
Our Vision
Our Mantra “Hope for life”
Through access to safe, consistent and caring relationships, a strong sense of belonging and opportunities to build confidence, our young people can experience hope and more positive ways to live and be.
Our Mission
To build long-term, consistent faith-based relationships with young people that provide care, trust and respect.
To actively care for and guide young people through the transition from being a teen to a young adult, through creating spaces for them to belong.
To use adventure-based activities and intentional learning spaces to build confident, skilled and resilient young people who can cope with the challenges of life.
To operate safely and effectively, promoting the well-being of each young person and their families/carers.
To encourage and support young people to be able to make critical life choices that will assist them in becoming responsible contributing citizens who are positively engaged in life and their community.
To endeavour to be Christ-like in all we do, putting love into action through our words and behaviour.
Our Values
We value the fundamental right of every young person to grow up being loved and cared for by a responsible adult and we value the positive relationship between a significant adult mentor and a young person.
We value that each and every young person should have a supportive community around them that encourages and guides them through the teenage developmental period.
We value and model good working family relationships, including open and honest communication.
We seek to demonstrate core Christian values through leading by example and showing respect to everyone.