This Homelessness Week, schools, workplaces, and community groups across Brisbane pulled on their brightest, boldest, and most-loved knits and joined the Brisbane Youth Service (BYS) community for Daggy Jumper Day.
This year’s campaign brought people together to learn more about youth homelessness and reflect on the role communities can play in supporting young people.
Across Brisbane, supporters embraced the spirit of the day in their own way. Workplaces swapped business attire for daggy jumpers, students organised activities and fashion parades, and supporters shared photos and stories from across the community.
At the Brisbane Youth Service breakfast, community and sector partners, government representatives, and supporters gathered for a morning of conversation and reflection. Guests heard from young people who talked about their own lived experience of homelessness, their resilience, and the support that helped them move forward.
“Home was no longer a safe place to be. I made the difficult decision to leave because of domestic and family violence. Leaving meant walking away from everything familiar without knowing where I’d sleep the next week, whose couch I’d be on, or how long I’d be welcome before I became a burden …”
“Looking back now, I realise I wasn’t independent. I was surviving. When I left home, I wasn’t just searching for somewhere to stay. I was searching for somewhere I could finally begin to heal …”
Having a safe place to live, regular meals, health care and therapy gave me something I’d been missing for a long time – stability. Once I had that stability, I finally had the capacity to think about my future instead of just surviving each day.
– Young person
The morning also provided opportunities for guests to connect with one another and reflect on their hopes for young people in Brisbane. Through the collaborative Hope Wall, attendees shared the future they want to see for young people, alongside commitments for how they could contribute to that future.
Here are a few messages that were shared:
My hope for every young person is…
That they can realise their own value and know their own strength.
To have guidance and a support network and achieve their dreams and find their place in the world.
The opportunity to be who they really are, discover who they want to become and have people who back them and their choices.
To feel safe, heard and valued. To be surrounded by love, security, and hope.
I will help build hope by…
Supporting young people to build new futures in partnership with BYS.
Advocacy for advancing long-term housing outcomes for young people.
Leading, listening and amplifying the experiences of young people. Together we can end homelessness.
Making sure this important conversation continues beyond Daggy Jumper Day!
BYS CEO Pam Barker said Daggy Jumper Day continues to create opportunities for people to engage with the issue of youth homelessness and connect with others who want to be part of positive change.
“Every year we use this fundraising opportunity and this storytelling opportunity to raise vital funds,” Pam said.
“The warmth and comfort that jumpers bring shines a light on the fact that many young people don’t have access to safe housing, don’t have a place to belong, don’t feel comfortable and connected to who they are in their community.”
Daggy Jumper Day is an opportunity to tell the lived experience stories of young people, so we can understand how and why we need to address homelessness for young people and abolish youth homelessness altogether.
Youth homelessness is a challenge that affects our whole community, and creating a city where young people can thrive is something we all have a role in.
As Daggy Jumper Day comes to a close, the jumpers will be packed away for another year. The conversations, connections, and shared commitment to young people, however, continue.
One‑third of the young people we support (aged 12–25) are parents, caring for young children while facing homelessness and complex trauma themselves. Young parents need support that recognises both their own needs and their children’s.
Brisbane Youth Service offers individualised support, parenting groups, and a program for young dads, helping them stay connected, build parenting skills, and strengthen family safety and wellbeing. Our Safe Young Mums and Bubs Program provides specialised accommodation and intensive, wraparound support for young mums or pregnant people experiencing homelessness and domestic, family or sexual violence, and their babies.
Donate today to help break the cycle of homelessness and disadvantage
One‑third of the young people we support (aged 12–25) are parents, caring for young children while facing homelessness and complex trauma themselves. Young parents need support that recognises both their own needs and their children’s.
Brisbane Youth Service offers individualised support, parenting groups, and a program for young dads, helping them stay connected, build parenting skills, and strengthen family safety and wellbeing. Our Safe Young Mums and Bubs Program provides specialised accommodation and intensive, wraparound support for young mums or pregnant people experiencing homelessness and domestic, family or sexual violence, and their babies.
Donate today to help break the cycle of homelessness and disadvantage
We’re nearly 50!
Since 1977, Brisbane Youth Service has walked alongside young people facing disadvantage and homelessness. Almost five decades on, our mission remains: helping Brisbane’s young people shape new futures. As we approach our golden jubilee in 2027, we invite you to join us in celebrating the achievements and resilience of young people, listening to their voices, and driving lasting change, together.
We’re nearly 50!
Since 1977, Brisbane Youth Service has walked alongside young people facing disadvantage and homelessness. Almost five decades on, our mission remains: helping Brisbane’s young people shape new futures. As we approach our golden jubilee in 2027, we invite you to join us in celebrating the achievements and resilience of young people, listening to their voices, and driving lasting change, together.