AusLeisure

Deployed to East Timor (Timor-Leste) for three years, Australian Federal Police Officer and Plus Fitness Maroubra member Libby Bleakley noticed how not many East Timorese have the opportunity to train in a gym.

With an unemployment rate of 70% and two-thirds of the population under 30 years of age, Bleakley decided to try and impact local lives by build a community learning centre and gym.

In developing the ‘Learning Centre for Youth and Community’, Bleakley aims to bring the community together to build relationships and respect with the goal of reducing crime, especially violence within families and communities, with the Centre to operate in a similar way to Police Community Youth Centres (PCYCs) in Australia.

As part of her fundraising, Bleakley will be walking the 357 kilometres from Martin Place in Sydney to Parliament House in Canberra on a 10-day Trek For Timor from 3rd to 12th March.

Plus Fitness is getting behind the fundraising and plans to help the project by assisting in the setting up of the gym facility of the centre.

The project is also backed by the Rotary Club of Blackheath and Rotary Australia World Community Service Ltd (RAWCS) through whom donations can be made.

East Timor Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao has become a Patron of the ‘Learning Centre for Youth and Community’ projects, backing its creation by stating “this project has been developed to establish a facility for the Timorese youth and community that will develop skills, character and leadership through educational workshops, crime prevention workshops, language courses and fitness training; to build strong social foundations and to prevent crime within the community.”

When complete, the Centre will consist of two classrooms, community meeting area, gardens for growing food, a gym, an office, manager’s quarters and a toilet block.

The facility will offer English classes, workshops on health and nutrition, crime prevention (specialising in child protection, sexual assault and domestic violence issues), arts/craft and other educational activities. The gym/drop in centre will be open to both male and females, with designated times for females only.

The community meeting area will be utilised for various groups and activities.

Bleakley is currently working tirelessly on the project continuing to fundraise and has already secured the land in Dili, Timor-Leste where two Timorese managers for the project are now residing in demountable quarters on the land.

After her Trek for Timor, Bleakley will be heading back to the country to oversee the build - which will happen in stages from in April with plans to officially open the centre later in 2016.

A Plus Fitness spokesperson stated “(we) are proud to be a part of this fantastic initiative and will be behind Libby all the of way as she conquers her 357 kilometre walk from Sydney to Canberra for her great cause.

Click here to donate to the East Timor Learning Centre for Youth and Community project.

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