The principal of Cameo Property Services will seek to use its market presence, professional influence, various networks and experience to “give back” to the communities in which it operates.

The very nature of the services we will introduce and made available to our clients will assist them in their quest to own property and build their personal wealth for their future and that of their children – however there is a broader spectrum of assistance that Cameo aspires to providing that is outside of its normal business operations and that is in the future of our societies through our youth.

Cameo Property Services already supports the Boys Town Foundation and the Abused Children’s Trust, now known as ACT for Kids, and is seeking an appropriate avenue or reputable program through which we can further assist our homeless & troubled youth to live a more fulfilling, productive and rewarding life.

Our young are our future and we need to listen to and meet their needs.

Snapshots of the current crisis:

• $2billion is the cost to the Australian economy if current rate of early school leavers continues.
• 100,000 is the number of homeless Australians each night; 10,000 are under the age of 12.
• 15% is the percentage of Australian children under the age of 15 not attending school on a regular basis.
• 67% is the high school completion rate (year 12) in Australia. This is low compared to the USA and Canada (88%), Germany (91%) or Korea (94%).The deficiencies of Australia’s education system are causing a significant waste of human potential and economic competitiveness. Non-attendance, truancy and suspension rates are rising, yet it is a grossly underreported crisis.

It is no coincidence that every half an hour in Australia, a child between the ages of 10 and 14 commits a violent crime. Perhaps even a clearer indication of the link between Australia’s education system and its crime rate is the direct inverse correlation between school time and jail time. Statistically, the less time inmates spent in school, the more time they’ll do in jail. More than half of all prison inmates in Australia do not have a certificate level of education.

All Australians are unknowingly bearing the burden of the education crisis though the flow-on costs to society of juvenile crime, homelessness, drug abuse, youth suicide, family breakdowns and skills shortages.
Government s at both levels have not wanted to confront the issue, and have done a great job of playing ignorant, Their inaction has kept the problem in the dark so that few people are even aware the situation exists, let alone that it is so acute.

Cameo has become aware of one persons dedication to changing this situation around.
John Fitzgerald, author and professional speaker founded the Toogoolawa Schools in 1998, an alternative place of education for boys 10 to 15 who have left, or been permanently expelled from, mainstream schooling. It was his work with Toogoolawa that earned him an invitation to Bill Clinton’s Global Initiative forum on education last year.

John came away with a heightened sense of urgency to combat this growing problem and has since founded the Silent Crisis campaign network as a means to voice the interests of youths at risk, to raise awareness of their plight and to unify non-government organisations working in the field. Through the Silent Crisis website, John hopes to bring these NGOs together to combine forces and resources

His work is inspirational and it is these works that Cameo wishes to support in its quest to put something back into the community and help provide a better future for our young.