6 Things you should know about vaping

Vapes, or e-cigarettes, were introduced as a healthier, non-addictive alternative to smoking cigarettes in about 2006. Since then, these battery-operated devices that produce vapour instead of smoke have exploded in popularity, particularly in young people. What you might not be aware of is that vapes have never gone through a rigorous health and safety review, and there has been no testing. They are widely available and popularity is soaring, but there has been no formal investigation into the impact of vaping on our health.

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“Is self-harm a drug?” she asked

“Is self-harm a drug?” was a question posed by two grade seven girls to our presenters at the end of a seminar. Clutching each other’s hands and crying, they sat down and one opened up about her struggles with anxiety. With the support of her friend and the NEO presenters, she summoned the courage to share about her Dad’s reaction to her disclosure of self-harm, and how she doesn’t talk about it with her parents anymore.

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Tanya CavanaghComment
Exciting progress on our building fund

By now you will be aware that we have set out on an ambitious and faith-stretching journey to raise the funds to establish a bricks-and-mortar home for Teen Challenge in Launceston. It is with great pleasure that I write to let you know that we are so very close to achieving that goal.

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Tanya CavanaghComment
URGENT: We need more mentors!

We contacted one of our schools recently to let them know that we had two mentors available. They spoke to the appropriate year group, expecting a few to put their hand up for the opportunity. Twenty-two young people put their names forward!

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Tanya CavanaghComment
Tanya, fast cars and Wonder Woman!

You’ve no doubt seen Tanya Cavanagh’s face and name associated with Teen Challenge Tasmania. She is the executive director, and the driving force behind the organisation, alongside husband Peter. But we thought you might like to know a little more about this woman with the purple hair and the easy smile. So, here you go. Grab a cuppa and sit down to learn how Wonder Woman and fast cars feature in Tanya’s story.

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Meet one of our newest NotEvenOnce presenters

As the demand for Teen Challenge’s Not Even Once program in schools increases, we have been training up new presenters. After training, new presenters are given the opportunity to test their new skills under the guidance of Teen Challenge director Tanya Cavanagh. One of the latest recruits is Ifeoma Obi. We caught up with her to find out more about her motivation for the role, and what else populates her day-to-day life.

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What does a Not Even Once session actually look like?

“Turn on your devices!”

It’s probably not the directive that high school students are used to hearing as they take a seat for a 90-minute seminar. Teen Challenge director Tanya Cavanagh instructs the group to download the Kahoot app. She is friendly, energetic and clear-spoken, her purple hair and warm smile the first impression.

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Why we love the rebellious students

Bella isn’t wearing school uniform but she is wearing heavy makeup and chowing down loudly on a cup of 2-minute noodles, belching as she does. Her body language oozes rebellion as she takes a seat for our NotEvenOnce session. You’d be forgiven for thinking that we cringe when a Bella walks into one of our programs, but actually, we get excited!

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Tanya CavanaghComment
A letter to our Home of Hope supporters

Dear supporters of Home of Hope, I want to start by saying thank you for staying the course through a long and winding journey. From the outside, it looks like our efforts have come to nothing. Yet, we are not defeated. We trust God for the future of Home of Hope. Some background and an update first, to bring you up to speed.

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Tanya CavanaghComment
Hope Thrift is thriving

In the five months since Hope Thrift reopened at its new St John Street site, staff and volunteers have had the honour of coming alongside young people doing it tough, providing homeless people with clothing and meals. The shop is also a place for mentoring young people, giving them practical retail skills while helping them overcome anxiety, and build confidence for the future.

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Dealers targeting our kids

John* was twelve years old when he first came onto our radar and of other services trying to help him and his family.  John had been arrested for stealing, possession of an illicit substance and drug paraphernalia, he was also addicted to ICE.........

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#notevenonce Project educates 3000+ Tassie Kids in 10 days to combat ICE & AOD use

...Of particular interest to me was how the students reported that your sessions had impacted on their likely behaviour in the future – not even once seems to have struck a chord! ......

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