Yousif Tamim and Taylor Gleeson are committed, young frontline fighters. They are well-known for their work engaging with under-served communities across Sydney. Their work focuses on at-risk youth, offering mentorship and support while creating community for youth that may not feel like they belong. Together, they each bring a new set of experiences to their new roles. What we do know is that their craft makes a profound difference on the lives of young people.
Yousif, who relocated to Perth in his late teens, started learning English and found it easy to acclimate to his new surroundings. He is multilingual, speaking five languages: English, Arabic, Denka, Farsi, and Swahili. Rising from a multicultural family, this bilingual skill set only furthers his mission in eliminating barriers and building relationships with youth populations from all backgrounds. Taylor’s story is nothing short of amazing. Having once been a disengaged youth herself, Amber understands the obstacles that those she serves encounter. When she looked back on her experiences, she remembered not having a whole lot going on at home. During her adolescence, she fell prey to a number of mental illnesses.
Yousif and Taylor adventures among suburban shopping centers, skate parks and train stations every night. They want to keep reaching young people as part of the journey. They’ve run a once-a-week barbecue at their local skate park in Sydney’s inner south. This annual event fosters a friendly and unintimidating environment, allowing for an engaging experience.
Making Connections through Outreach
The way Yousif and Taylor engage with at-risk youth prioritizes authenticity and genuine understanding. Yousif’s people skills make a world of difference in the field, especially when the team is doing outreach work. He has the unique ability to motivate youth to invest in their education and personal development.
He is great! I am encouraging him to complete Year 10 and he truly looks up to me,” said Yousif about the 15-year-old whom he mentors. His mentorship has included supporting a young person in addressing hundreds of dollars worth of fines accrued during high school. “So some of these boys, they’re fines from when they were in high school and then, because they don’t pay them, they accrue and build interest,” he explained.
Taylor makes Yousif’s effort bigger by allowing him to lead the way at skate parks. All the while, she generally leads their missions outside of places like shopping malls. She has learned that being real is key to reaching the youth. In her words, “I just think authenticity is really important. Young people can smell fakers.”
A Growing Impact on the Community
Since joining the Barnardos team in Sydney in 2022, Yousif’s contributions have had a significant impact on the organization’s outreach efforts. Mr. Craig, who works for the charity Barnardos, said that there had been an amazing growth in African customers since Yousif’s arrival.
I would say we had about five African clients before Yousif joined us. Since then, we’re down 30 times,” Mr. Craig said. Yousif’s engagement strategies are churning out some impressive results. He has a special gift for engaging youth of all colors and stripes.
Yousif’s dedication to his craft shows through in the ways that he cares for young people in crisis. It’s not a bad time,” he opined. He offered his personal cell number, always available to provide continued support and direction.
Personal Journeys Shape Professional Paths
Having survived their own experiences with the system, both Yousif and Taylor’s backgrounds underwrite their current interventions as youth workers. After growing up as a troubled kid herself, Taylor’s real-life experience inspired her life-long mission to help kids who battle the same challenges. “I got dragged off from skipping school almost every day,” she remembered. “I was going maybe three days a week and I was just so out of it and unmoved.”
By sharing her personal history, she’s able to create a safe space for young people who sense a loss of direction or haven’t yet found their place in life. It provides her space to provide the empathy and sense of understanding that can cultivate trust and rapport.
As a young teenager, Yousif began to learn English. Today, he’s on the front lines with marginalized communities, bringing to life the transformative potential of resilience and adaptability. His multicultural background deeply informs his work with youth and gives them the relatable leader who knows what they’re going through.
