Early Years
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 • Diploma of Teaching (3 years trained) Australian Catholic University, Chadstone, Victoria, 1975 • Secondary Teachers Certificate of Registration No. 37378, 1975 • Primary Teachers Registration Board, 1976 • Bachelor of Theology, Melbourne College of Divinity, Clayton, Victoria, 1982 • Bachelor of Arts (major Sociology and English) Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 1984 • Diploma of Abuse and Trauma Counselling, Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors, Queensland, 1996 • Diploma of Psychology, Applied School of Psychology, Sydney, 1997 • Diploma of Aboriginal Studies, TAFE NSW OTEN, 2010 • Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs, TAFE NSW OTEN, 2010 • Honorary Doctorate of Letters, University of Western Sydney. “This award is in recognition of your outstanding humanitarian service to the community, especially youth,” 2010 • Masters of Special Education, University of Southern Queensland, 2010.
Read more about this topic: Chris Riley (priest)
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