We are committed to breaking down the barriers that exist for young people in our community.
 

Barriers to education
Barriers to training
Barriers to employment opportunities
Barriers to access
Barriers to fair treatment

Barriers to social inclusion
Barriers to having their voices heard
Barriers between cultures 
Barriers between young people and their wider community
All the barriers that inhibit or limit young people being healthy, active members of a harmonious community. 

 We believe that by encouraging young people to have their say and resourcing  them to find and implement their own solutions, young people will be more in   touch with and care about their local area, as they are actively involved in  
making it a better place to live.  Through this process, not only do young   people’s perceptions of themselves improve, but also the way in which they are  perceived and embraced by the wider community.

We also encourage greater  involvement and support from the wider community in looking at and addressing 
the issues confronting our local young people.
 

OUR PURPOSE:

Humanity Matters Inc (HM) exists for the use by and  benefit of young people aged  12 -18 years of age.

Cultural Harmony:
This service strives to achieve mutual understanding, respect and appreciation among young people of different cultures and to be accessible to all young people regardless of race, ability, gender, sexual preference, philosophy, cultural background, health status or class.

Welfare /  Independence /Empowerment:
 HM endeavours to improve the quality of life for young people and is committed to assisting young people 
reach their full potential, through empowerment.

Community  Appreciation:
HM strives to elicit understanding, respect and appreciation of young people by the wider community

BACKGROUND:

Humanity Matters started out as Bankstown Multicultural Youth Service (BMYS ) which was established in 1987 in response to serious conflicts between young people from different backgrounds. Two streetworkers, one Arabic and one Vietnamese, were funded to address the conflicts by connecting with the young people involved. 

After this the service was funded for a Multicultural Youth Worker and and Coordinator with book keeper. In 1988 BMYS became incorporated. The organisation was further extended with the Circuit Breaker Program which provided free literacy and numeracy assistance to young people at risk of dropping out of school. 

 In 1998 the focus of the Circuit Breaker program shifted to young people who had dropped out of school early due to the significant issues in this area. The program's name also changed to Links to Learning. 

As a response to cross cultural conflicts between young people in different areas across the Bankstown LGA the Cross Sub Cultural Your Peer Mentoring Project was set up. Young people representing the various youth sub cultures in the area were trained by TAFE in Community Mentoring. These young people then provided both individual and group support to other young people. They also organised a range of community harmony activities that provided the opportunity for the community to get together and connect.            

With the introduction of the Policing Public Places "Move On" legislation at the same time of the heavy media focus on Bankstown over crime issues a great deal of tension was generated in the area. Young people became the focus of much negative attention and as a result became detached from the wider community. BMYS formed close connections with the broader community during this time, particularly with neighbourhood watch and  seniors groups. The purpose of this was to act as a bridge between young people and their broader community. 

With young people perceived as a menace their presence within the CBD was not tolerated and they were constantly being "moved on". In response to this BMYS worked closely with the local police to find a common ground that did not result in young people being shut out of public areas. In 2000 BMYS was finally successful in securing HomeBass, a place  for young people within the Bankstown CBD. 

A partnership was formed with Bankstown Council and the local PCYC to provide an integrated range of services for the detached young people to be linked into. Finally young people were provided with a safe, welcoming, environment where they could access services and activities. Young people's presence and contributions were harnessed, embraced and celebrated.

To further this in 2004 the Seniors For Youth Project was initiated. This project recruited local seniors to provide a food service for the young people attending dropin at HomeBass. Through this weekly interaction support networks were formed between young people and seniors in the community.

To build the capacity of young people in the area a hospitality project was established. Young people are provided with training in the hospitality industry and then provided with "real life" work experience helping them to develop a good work ethic as well as providing them the opportunity to make a positive contribution to their local community. 

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In 2018 we changed our name to Humanity Matters to reflect the importance of the inclusion of young people within supportive communities.