Girls on Fire is all about bringing the opportunities to young people. In 2025, we saw a long-held dream realised; to visit a youth justice centre and see what Girls on Fire could do for some of Australia’s most at-risk young people.

Our founder Bronnie and our Wellness Officer Mel developed a program for girls and boys within Reiby Youth Justice Centre. We worked with an amazing Girls on Fire mentor, Peter Jensen, a firefighter with FRNSW and Aboriginal Engagement Lead with Western Sydney, a regular at Girls on Fire on our cultural inclusion programs. Funding from the Investing in Women program from the NSW Government and support from staff at Reiby Youth Justice Centre made it possible.

Reiby Youth Justice Centre is located in Airds, South Western Sydney. The centre accommodates a maximum of 55 girls and boys under the age of 15 years, who are on control orders or remanded in custody.

Objectives

The program was designed to:

• Provide a hands-on, engaging experience with firefighting and emergency equipment.
• Promote physical activity and teamwork.
• Offer personal growth opportunities and increase self-belief.
• Introduce young people to the concept of responsibility and community service.
• Act as a test case to strengthen and broaden our programs to better reach at-risk youth at critical moments in their lives.

Program meets Participants

There’s something magical about seeing young people interact with firefighting and emergency equipment and at Reiby Youth Justice Centre was no different.

We worked with two groups of girls and one group of boys over two days.

The first group of girls enjoyed interacting with the fire truck, wearing the gas masks, and being outdoors. The highlight for them was using the water hoses, which they found exciting and fun.

Several girls expressed a strong desire to return and mentioned they had learned a lot from the experience.

The second group of girls enjoyed wearing the gear and engaging in physical activities. They particularly liked the fire activity and expressed interest in having CPR training in the future.

The boys enjoyed putting out the fire, participating in races, and engaging in physical activities. They were also excited about the prizes and the music, requesting more music for future sessions. They were also very competitive and keen to test their worth and show their skills to everyone around them.

What we learned

Girls on Fire believe in the power of giving young people hope for the future. We want to help youth by fostering community engagement in fire and emergency preparedness.  That means understanding young people in all kinds of circumstances, including ones like juvenile justice.

By running camps in places like Reiby Youth Justice Centre, Girls on Fire can:

1.       Strengthen our programs to meet at-risk teens at earlier stages and at times where change may be possible with the right mentoring and self-belief

2.       Give young people a glimpse at connection and purpose, skill development, resilience, and community contribution in a way they may not have experienced before

3.       Make a meaningful contribution to the wellbeing of at-risk young people by affording them the same opportunities and access we would with other teens interested in our programs

4.       Help spread the disaster preparedness message to more members of the community

Our program was specifically designed to look at personal growth and confidence, resilience and wellbeing, personal connection and relevance, and introduce a way to think about others and the impact we can all have when working with the community.

It is an experience we hope to repeat in the future.

“The team at Reiby Youth Justice Centre would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Girls on Fire for their dedicated efforts in facilitating engaging and educational programs for our young people. The activities provided were not only enjoyable but also empowering, leaving a positive impact on both the young people and the staff. Feedback from the young people highlighted their excitement about the interactive activities and the opportunity to learn more about the important work that firefighters do. We are grateful for this collaboration and look forward to continuing our partnership with Girls on Fire, creating more enriching experiences for the youth at Reiby Youth Justice Centre,” said Matthew Stein- Programs Supervisor, Reiby Youth Justice Centre.

Thanks to Reiby Youth Justice Centre staff and executive, Peter Jensen, and our wonderful camp participants for making it such a rewarding experience.

To find out about Girls on Fire and the work we do, check out our mission and vision now.