Four lucky Dismantle alumni from BikeRescue had a once in a lifetime opportunity to head to Tasmania's stunning Overland Track, thanks to The Duke of Edinburgh Award, Flight Centre and AwardsWA.
The iconic Overland Track meanders through terrain ranging from sheer mountains, temperate rainforest, wild rivers and alpine plains, all in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. It's described by Lonely Planet as one of the best walks in the world.
Six nights camping in the wilderness and 65 kilometres later, our adventurers came home with an unforgettable experience under their belts and an achievement to be very proud of.
BikeRescue re-enage youth at Banksia Hill Detention Centre
Curtin's University's AHEAD initiative, which aims to bridge the gap and get disadvantaged students into tertiary education, engaged BikeRescue for a five program stint at Banksia Hill Detention Centre.
The exploratory program aims to measure BikeRescue's efficacy in demonstrating good outcomes for incarcerated youth, including community engagement following release. Participants restored a bike to keep each and even got to test their new rides out in the prison courtyard. Project Officer at Curtin AHEAD, Len Neilsen, commented: "Feedback from the Dismantle programs was really positive. Banksia Hill management and teachers strongly supported the programs, noting that the kids participating in the workshops were highly engaged and more positive about their studies throughout the program. As a result, Curtin is committed to supporting the program as much as possible into the future!"
Upon release, participants are invited to visit Dismantle to pick up their bike and be introduced to our work-readiness programs. If interested and eligible, they’ll be encouraged to take on one day a week of paid, supported employment with ReNew Property Maintenance.
"I can say with certainty that BikeRescue was a success at Banksia Hill. When the young people heard about the program, their curiosity and interest was spiked and they couldn’t wait to get started. Through Bike Rescue, we noticed an improvement in our students willingness to have a go and were impressed with how open they were with the mentors." - Sandra Dusz, Principal Youth Education, Banksia Hill Detention Centre.
We'd like to thank Curtin and Banksia Hill for a wonderful experience and look forward to re-connecting with the participants at Dismantle following release.
COVID fundraiser earns Dismantle $20K, keeping staff employed during lockdown.
How do you keep a team of experienced bike mechanics/youth mentors busy during a global pandemic? This was a question we never thought we'd have to answer, but answer it we did. Last year, Dismantle received a donation of two shipping containers full of new bikes from a now dissolved Melbourne ride-share company.
While rusty old bikes are normally what we're chasing, the COVID shutdown gave us a unique opportunity to quickly retrofit our workshop into an online bike retail warehouse (of sorts).
To date, we have sold, assembled and delivered over 160 bikes across Perth, keeping our casuals busy with safety checks and deliveries, and raising over $20,000 to put towards our at-risk young people doing it extra tough during the pandemic.
There's still a few weeks left to grab one at $160 a pop. Best be quick as the program needs to finish before we get too busy with term 3.
Thanks to everyone who shared the link over social media!
ReNew hits the headlines and Spotless joins client list
ReNew would like to extend a very warm welcome to their newest client, Spotless. The ReNew crews started doing garden maintenance and enhancement work for the company and have already received some positive feedback.
ReNew’s also been in the public eye lately, with a recent article published in Business News. The article highlights some of the brilliant feedback ReNew teams have been receiving from major clients including the City of Vincent and Colliers International:
“From the time we first reached out, ReNew has been something that we are all proud of. The teams ReNew employs provide high quality work, and our clients have been very impressed with the professionalism and are very keen to embrace socially responsible practices.” - Phoebe Laing, Colliers International.
City of Vincent Mayor, Emma Cole, recently shared that the council have been receiving consistently positive feedback from residents. “Our parks team have received lots of positive feedback from residents about the works carried out by ReNew. One resident contacted the City after the work was done because she wanted the workers to know ‘that their work and care is truly appreciated’. The resident described the cleaning as ‘a standout’ and said she would give them ‘top marks’. ‘I was so impressed. This was the best job done ever – and I have lived here since 1968,’ the resident said.”