MEDIA RELEASE
27 May 2008
Confronting Documentary Gets Parliamentary Screening
Homeless Youth to Meet MPs
The Oasis documentary about youth homelessness based around life at the Salvation
Army’s Oasis youth refuge, which captured more than 1.1 million viewers across Australia,
is headed to every Australian secondary school to place the issue of youth homelessness
on school curriculums in a way that will make an impact with teenagers.
The ‘Oasis Education Guide’ will be launched at Parliament House on Wednesday 28
May, 5–7pm, including a documentary screening. The launch will be hosted by Ian
Darling, Oasis documentary co-director and producer and Caledonia Foundation chair;
and The Hon Tanya Plibersek, Federal Minister for Housing.
The M-rated documentary and study guide is packaged for teaching in eight curriculum
areas, including Society and Environment, Values Education, Religion and Society, Health
and Human Development, Community Development Studies, Psychology, English and
The ‘Oasis Education Guide’ is the third component of The Caledonia Foundation’s
campaign to put the crisis in teen homelessness back on the national agenda that
began with the ABC broadcast of The Oasis documentary and the release of the
National Youth Commission's “Australia’s Homeless Youth” report in April – the findings of
which revealed Australia is facing an unprecedented level of homeless teens.
Interviews available: Ian Darling; study guide author Marguerite O’Hara; The Oasis youth
refuge workers Captains Paul and Robbin Moulds; young people from the documentary;
Caledonia Foundation executive director Fiona Higgins and the National Youth
Commission’s Major David Eldridge.
Media enquiries: Via Hootville Communications’ Debra Maynard on 0407 299 007.
NEWS 
