Chris Riley (priest)
| Father Chris Riley | |
|---|---|
| Religion | Christian (Roman Catholic) |
| School | Salesian |
| Education | Salesian College (Rupertswood) |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | Christopher Keith Riley 1954 Echuca, Victoria |
| Religious career | |
| Profession | Priest and youth worker |
| Previous post | Principal, Boys Town |
| Present post | CEO of Youth Off The Streets |
| Website | youthoffthestreets.com.au |
Christopher Keith "Chris" Riley AM is an Australian Roman Catholic priest. He is a member of the Salesian order and the founder and CEO of the charity Youth Off The Streets.
Riley was born in Echuca, Victoria in 1954 and grew up on a dairy farm in the district. In 1973 he graduated from a school run by the Salesians. He was inspired by the movie Boys Town and went on to train as a teacher. He has worked as a teacher, youth worker, probation officer, residential care worker and principal of the charity Boy’s Town. In 1982 he was ordained a priest at Oakleigh, Victoria.
Riley is the founder and CEO of Youth Off The Streets and has worked with disadvantaged youth for more than 35 years in a variety of roles including teacher, youth worker, probation officer, residential carer and principal. He officially founded Youth Off The Streets in 1991.
As CEO of Youth Off The Streets, Riley oversees the operation of over 25 programs which employ over 180 staff and involve more than 250 volunteers. He has implemented innovative behaviour modification strategies to help young people deal with a history of trauma, abuse and neglect. Many of these strategies have been adopted by schools across Australia and by government agencies. Riley believes there is no such thing as a “child born bad”, but acknowledges that there are bad environments, circumstances and families that impact negatively on our young. “We must have the courage to demand greatness from our youth.”
Qualifications
Riley founded Youth Off The Streets (YOTS) in 1991 with a food van delivering meals to homeless youth in the Kings Cross area in Sydney. Since then the organisation has grown to offer more than 25 services, including aboriginal programs, crisis accommodation, alcohol and other drug services, counselling, accredited high schools, outreach, residential programs and a mentoring program. The organisation is non-denominational and works for young people who are homeless, drug dependent and recovering from abuse.
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