“It turns out it was the missing piece he never knew he needed." How cooking helped Liam* find his way: a sad farewell to our Back on Track program

“With every young person I try and figure out the missing pieces of their puzzle. For Liam*, it was acceptance,” says Keely, a restorative practitioner and case worker working with our soon-to-be-defunded Back on Track program.

Back on Track (BOT) is a Northern Territory program designed to steer children and young people away from the justice system and help to understand the impacts of offending and anti-social behaviours on themselves, their family and their community. Jesuit Social Services is responsible for delivering Element Two of the program, which focused on restorative practice, group conferencing, and supporting children and young people to understand bail terms, attend court appointments, and navigate the consequences of breaching bail.

For Keely, the heart of the work wasn’t just about helping to navigate legal obligations—it was about giving young people a reason to believe in themselves again.

As part of the program’s restorative approach, Keely led a cooking activity with some of the participants in the program in order to build their confidence and engage them in positive activities. One participant in particular, Liam*, left a lasting impression on her.

“The cooking activity started out as just a small gesture that turned into so much more. By giving Liam* our time, energy and his space – he completely blossomed.”

Liam* was referred to the Back on Track program after facing a lot of public backlash both online and in person due his recent offending. Liam* expressed that he felt very disconnected from the community and had eroded the trust of his family members at home.

Over twelve, three-hour sessions, Keely guided Liam* through preparing nutritious, budget-friendly meals that he could cook for his family at home.

“At first, even a simple trip to Woolworths was overwhelming for him,” says Keely. “He was anxious around security guards and wary of the public—it took a lot of reassurance just to get him through the door.”

But over time, Liam’s* fear began to ease.

“With each session, we built trust. Eventually, he wasn’t just participating—he was enjoying the process.”

Though the sessions focused on cooking, Keely says the real impact came from the conversations that unfolded. “It became more than just making meals. The time we spent together created space for reflection, and those moments had a real therapeutic impact.”

“He started to reflect on his actions and how they affected the people closest to him—his Nana, his little sister. It was a major breakthrough,” Keely says.

Since their engagement began, Keely has witnessed Liam’s* ongoing commitment to repairing his relationships with family and the wider community. Liam’s* last offence was at the beginning of 2024 and his legal matters were all resolved within six months; he hasn’t been in any trouble since.

“It turns out it was the missing piece he never knew he needed. He just wanted to feel included, respected and loved…and now his family have that respect for him,” reflects Keely.

“We even heard from a police officer who saw him uptown, they stopped him just to say he was doing well.”

Due to a loss of funding, the Back on Track program is sadly ending on the 28^th of March 2025, with no plans to resume or indication of a replacement program.

“There’s no other program replacing the work we are doing in this space.  It’s a huge loss. These young people will be left without the support they need and deserve.”

Liam* found a way forward, but so many others still need that same support. Without programs like Back on Track, they’ll have fewer opportunities to heal from past harm, reconnect with their culture and community, and create positive pathways for the future.

Thank you to all of our dedicated Back on Track staff over the years who have helped change the lives of so many.