Oasis Video and Report

May 7th, 2008

I’ve recently noticed a huge interest in the NYC report on youth homelessness in Australia, spurred on a lot by the Oasis dvd project that was screened on the ABC television not too long ago. For many people the issue of homelessness, and that of the homelessness of children, youth and families remains under the rug, something that they don’t see much, if at all. The Oasis film, and the NYC report lifted the rug for many, and it’s inspired many people to do something, others may find themselves tempted to lift the rug again and grab the broom.

For youth workers, pastors and family workers I recommend that you grab a copy of the report and give it a read, and as you do stop occasionally to watch the Oasis piece which you can order on DVD or download online. I then suggest that you show it to your community and see if it spurs anyone to do something with it, after all “how can we worship a homeless man on Sundays if only to ignore the homeless for the rest of the days of our lives?”

I also suggest that you might be interested to listen to a number of the stories that didn’t make it into the final film, many of which are online to view as short films, there are also a number of other resources on the website for people to engage with.

“The National Youth Commission’s report Australia’s Homeless Youth is the result of the first national independent inquiry into youth homelessness since the Burdekin Human Rights inquiry in 1989.”

The National Youth Commission (NYC) held 21 days of hearings in 2007 across all States and territories. Altogether, 319 people gave formal evidence and 91 written submissions were received from community organisations, individuals and government departments.

The NYC’s findings have been published in this report, including over 80 recommendations. The report is available to download below as a summary or in chapters.

The National Youth Commission’s Australia’s Homeless Youth Report, and the feature documentary The Oasis were both launched during National Youth Week in April 2008.

Download the NYC Report: The National Youth Commission’s Australia’s Homeless Youth Report

Download the Oasis Documentary: The feature documentary “The Oasis”