A team of fluro-clad volunteers is patrolling Wyndham to engage troubled South Sudanese young people.
Reports of large groups of the young people congregating at McDonald’s in Tarneit found Richard Deng deciding enough was enough.
“These young men are being lured into crime by other crime leaders,” he said.
“We thought as a community it’s time to stand up and protect our children. To cure this problem, we should be part of the process, not sit at home and complain. Because of the damage that our youths are causing, we should be part of the solution.
“Sometimes it doesn’t take one person to bring up a child, but a whole village.”
That’s how the South Sudanese Wyndham Patrolling Team was born.
Think Maori Wardens, but working with and for the South Sudanese community.
Mr Deng, a leader in the South Sudanese community, said the group of 15 volunteers took to the streets at nights to engage with the youths and encourage them to not cause grief for the wider community.
“What’s happening is that there’s a problem that’s led to a lot of these kids on the street … there is a bigger problem,” Mr Deng said.
“Many come from families who have been torn apart by child protection – we don’t even know the parents. They don’t have a stable background.”
He said it was important to note that not all children were from South Sudanese backgrounds, but also from other African countries.
Since forming just three weeks ago, the patrolling team has met with Victoria Police and the state government.
“Since we began, we have already made progress,” Mr Deng said.
“At the beginning, it was a bit difficult. A lot of these kids are wild – they don’t want to listen to community leaders or anyone. They’ve been away from their parents from as young as 10, they don’t have a culture … it was difficult.”
But the young people have begun opening up to Mr Deng and the other volunteers.
“They began to talk to us, tell us they need food,” he said.
“They were scared … a lot of the contact they had with adults was police or security … they thought we just wanted to call the police.
“Now they are talking to us. We take them food, we tell them they should go home and they are listening.
“We make it clear that in order to have a future in this country, they need to respect people, respect the police, the security, the broader community.
“These kids are just lost … they’ve been out of the community too long – they just need support and hope.”
For more information on the South Sudanese Wyndham Patrolling Team, or to get involved, contact Richard Deng on: 0413 820 994.
