Australian teens launch Young Hands to inspire school leavers to make a difference

The lure and thrill of partying with friends during schoolies week is attractive for many Australian school leavers. Thousands head to the Gold Coast or beyond for drunken celebrations and it’s notorious for trouble and dangerous behaviour. But Kelsey Baines and Rhiannon Tuntevski are two Australian teenagers hoping to change the schoolies experience into a positive one where youngsters can make a difference in the lives of others.

Kelsey, 18, and Rhiannon, 19, have established Young Hands – a group dedicated to engaging 18 to 25 year olds in the work and causes of Hands Across The Water – which will officially be launched in July 2014. Hands was founded by Kelsey’s father, Peter Baines OAM, in the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. The organisation has built and continues to support numerous orphanages in Thailand as well as community centres and sustainability projects to support the local areas devastated by the tragedy.

Kelsey, Rhiannon and the rest of the Young Hands team have participated in Hands’ annual grueling bike rides across Thailand every January – designed to raise funds and awareness about the organisation – since they were all in their early teens. And now the girls are reaching out to a younger demographic to encourage them to get involved with the reputable Australian charity which continues to grow.

Young Hands is launching its own five day, 500 kilometre bike ride in Thailand next year for school graduates which will be led by the group as well as Tour de Asia – a tour company based in Thailand. Riders are required to raise $2015 for Hands before participating and Kelsey believes this figure is very achievable for young people.

“What we believe is that within each young person there is the desire to change and become involved with their world. What we want to do is help them to realise their potential in doing that and being part of the change,” Kelsey says.

The ride will finish at one of the orphanages Hands built, where the children will greet the participants – an experience Kelsey says is like no other.

 “The power of giving back and seeing first hand where your money and hard work has gone is something all the Young Hands crew has experienced. Words can’t describe the feeling that you get riding into the orphanage after completing the bike ride and seeing other young people experience this. You are not only changing your own life but through the experience you are impacting hundreds of children in Hands’ care. Speaking from experience the bike ride opens your eyes to how the other half live and puts all your issues into perspective,” she says.

The experience will be alcohol free as some school leavers are not 18 and the main goal is to finish the ride. Kelsey says riders are free to celebrate whichever way they choose once it’s completed and are free to travel around Thailand if they please.

 “As a group of young people we have all had our lives completely changed in some way because of our involvement with Hands. Broadening teenagers’ view of the world and giving fresh perspective on how green the grass is where we are is a priceless experience. We believe that if more young people took the chance to participate in an experience like this, we would see generations of young people being more appreciative of the blessed life they are living and positively contributing to the world,” Kelsey says.

Young Hands will hold other fundraising events aside from the bike ride – including a music night for older youths aged 20 to 25. The organisation will also be presenting their experiences and the ride to Year 11 school groups during the year as well as using social media to gain exposure.

www.handsacrossthewater.org.au

team@handsacrossthewater.org.au

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