Puddle Jumpers Inc (PJs) is a non profit, non-government organisation committed to responding to the social development needs of society’s most vulnerable children and young people; priority of our work is reserved for children who do not live with their birth parents.
We believe all kids matter, and deserve the right to engage in happy and fun experiences in their life.
Puddle Jumpers Inc commenced in May 2012, the first camp service ran in December 2012, a second camp and an activity day event was held in April 2013. Melanie Tate (Our CEO & Founder) devoted her time to the charity set up in a volunteer capacity to ensure children in need receive the services that they deserve.
In extension of those services, in February 2016, the first free food night was held at the original Puddle Jumpers premises in Forestville. Free Food Nights are still being held today at our current premises in Glandore to ensure that disadvantaged families and children are receiving the basic necessities that all of us deserve.
Jump over puddles
We aim to empower children to recognise and express their individual abilities, interests, and talents, and to provide each child and young person with a transformative opportunity to grow and develop their own capacities and competencies.We aim to build resilience in kids to enable them to believe in themselves, to believe that anything is possible and help them ‘jump over puddles’ that they have in their own lives.
Jump in all the puddles
We aim to enhance community cohesion, promote social inclusion, and encourage respect and tolerance for social diversity. We aim to provide opportunities for self-challenge and development and facilitate opportunities for new learning in a fun and safe atmosphere. We aim to share the happiness and adventure of being children and young people, and simply encourage kids to be kids, to ‘jump in all the puddles’.
The Ripple Effect
We aim to provide opportunities for volunteers to be involved in their community and open their hearts to the wonderful world of helping others. We aim to provide volunteers with training, support and opportunities to expand their own development, promote social awareness, social compassion, and social leadership. Encouraging our volunteers to develop a social partnership to enhance both their own lives and the lives of the children and young people they engage with. We aim for volunteers to understand and value, the impact that their actions and hearts can have on others in the community, especially those in need, thereby enhancing young adults’ sense of social community, interaction and belonging.
We will do this by:
- Providing recreational and educational residential camps for kids
- Providing volunteer positive mentors for kids on camps
- Providing volunteers (especially young adults) with the opportunity to volunteer and gain experience in the human services sector
- Promoting positive concepts of self worth through the challenges and involvement in relationships and activities
- Enhancing volunteers personal development skills
- Ensuring that all volunteers receive adequate training and screening checks to optimise the experience of camp for all involved
- Having high ratios of volunteers on all camps and activities
- Enhancing volunteers’ social leadership skills
- Promoting healthy lifestyle practices through policies such as sun smart and healthy eating
- Expanding children and young people’s aspirations and visions of themselves
- Providing leadership development opportunities for volunteers which contribute towards building individual self confidence
- Enhancing children’s skills to facilitate positive self-determination and empowerment
- Facilitating social engagement opportunities, which encourage the development of empathy and compassion for those less fortunate.
- Working from a strengths based approach; enhancing and building on existing strengths and capacities
We are committed to:
- Ensuring we meet the needs of kids and volunteers participating in our programs
- Ensuring we are an open, honest, and transparent organisation
- Ensuring the highest standards of safety and ethical behaviour to protect children
- Enhancing the opportunities for development of our staff and volunteers
- Ensuring we support the rights of the child and act to ensure a child safe environment is maintained at all times