Annie Le Cavalier Blank Canvas: A Stage for Creative Expression Interview

On Thursday June 5th, Sir David Martin Foundation (SDMF) will hold an inaugural arts fundraising event, Blank Canvas: A Stage for Creative Expression. It will be an evening to celebrate the achievements of students who have turned their lives around through art and music therapy offered within SDMF funded programs.

Meet Sara. She was a bright and diligent student who excelled at school. She always did what was expected, and achieved set goals. What was hidden, was just how awful she felt on the inside.

'Everyone else seemed to be fine. I felt I was the only one who was struggling with everything. I thought I was a bad person or there was something wrong with me. No-one told me just how sick I was. Every single day was hard."

Sara had actually had acute depression and anxiety since childhood but it went undetected because she became so good at hiding it to try and fit in. Sara had learned to live a lie.

By the time she was ready for university, she couldn't handle the stress.

'Everything slowed down, and no matter how hard I worked, I was barely passing. It felt like things got dark in my head.

'All I could do was be alone in my room. I felt like I was going crazy. I just wanted to get out of my own body. I felt imprisoned. Paralysed by fear.

Sara doesn't remember much before she was admitted to hospital the first time, but she was apparently catatonic.

'I was just so relieved when I got there because I didn't have to look after myself anymore. It had been exhausting… always acting," she remembers.

Thankfully, before a deep involvement with drug or alcohol abuse to deal with her issues, Sara found out about Sir David Martin's programs and spent two semesters working through some of these issues with our specialist team in Surry Hills.

For Sara, it literally was a life-changing experience. She had found a place where she belonged. And there was no pressure to do things a certain way.

'One of the best things was that I felt safe to explore through art and music and not be judged."

For someone with anxiety or depression, our programs are a welcome relief. All care is given to understand the young person's situation and accept them for who they are. Sara's progress, while still dotted with 'dark times", continues to inspire others.

This modern cocktail event will showcase the artistic and musical talents of both past and present students, all of whom have produced stunning works and performances whilst attending SDMF youth programs. Student art will be exhibited and available for purchase, and live music performances will provide fantastic entertainment.

Guests coming along to Blank Canvas will enjoy live food stations from the creative team at Food Society and speciality wines and beer from Robert Oatley Vineyards.

Blank Canvas will be hosted by SDMF Ambassador, Ms Caroline Pemberton, with special guests including musician Wes Carr, 2DayFM presenter Maz Compton and health & fitness gurus, Luke and Scott from My Kitchen Rules. Artworks by professional artists Robyn Ross and Claire Nakazawa will also be up for grabs in our live auction, with Claire's piece being created live on the night.

Guests will have the chance to take home some great prizes, thanks to sponsors including Paperbark Camp Jervis Bay, Sydney Theatre Company, The Bridge Room, Sass & Bide, Pearson's School of Floristry and Rochefort Tailor. Generous sponsors Hennings Jewellers are even hand-crafting an exclusive South Sea Pearl necklace especially for this event

Funds raised from this event will go directly towards supporting the arts and music components within our youth programs, Creative Youth Initiative (CYI), Triple Care Farm (TCF) and South West Youth Services (SWYS). These programs help disadvantaged youth struggling from abuse, homelessness, addictions and mental health disorders get back on their feet.

The Sir David Martin Foundation is a non-profit organisation created in 1990 by the late Governor of NSW, Sir David Martin, who had a dream of "safety, hope and opportunity for all young Australians". The Foundation is run by a team of passionate staff and volunteers who raise money to fund programs that work to better the lives of youth in crisis.

Interview with Annie Le Cavalier

Question: What is the Blank Canvas: A Stage for Creative Expression?

Annie Le Cavalier: Blank Canvas: A Stage for Creative Expression is an event to support the youth programs Sir David Martin Foundation supports each year. It is about showcasing the musical and artistic talents of youth who use these youth programs to help them on a path to a positive future.


Question: What do you hope to achieve from the Blank Canvas: A Stage for Creative Expression exhibition?

Annie Le Cavalier: We are hoping to raise much needed funds to support young people and the youth programs we support each year. We also want to show firsthand what a difference funding specialised youth programs make in the lives of troubled or disadvantaged youth, and how music and art therapy is a critical part of a young person's care.


Question: What do funds raised at events such as this go towards?

Annie Le Cavalier: Funds raised through Blank Canvas: A Stage for Creative Expression and other events throughout the year will enable Sir David Martin Foundation to continue to provide funding for youth programs and ensure these programs are accessible and that they provide the best care and treatment for disadvantaged or troubled young people.

Question: Can you tell us what the aim of the Sir David Martin Foundation is?

Annie Le Cavalier: Sir David Martin Foundation was established by the former Governor of NSW in 1990. We work to get disadvantaged young Australians off the streets, away from unhealthy situations and into care and rehabilitation.


Question: Who does the Sir David Martin Foundation help?

Annie Le Cavalier: The young people we help are aged between 16 and 24 years. They have come to seek help from specialised youth programs because of problems such as substance abuse, homelessness, mental illness, disengagement from society, unemployment and family breakdown are widespread among those we help. We fund three service programs which help young people to address these issues in a variety of ways, with a focus on returning them to education and training to find pathways to employment.


Question: How does the organisation work with patients to work on their anxiety or depression?

Annie Le Cavalier: The Sir David Martin Foundation supports young people who experience anxiety and depression through a series of programs. These programs work with youth from across NSW and Australia by providing holistic approach to treatment, including pathways to further education and employment, so that they are able to work with their strengths, overcome obstacles and create a better life for themselves.

Triple Care Farm: Triple Care Farm is the Foundation's major funding project situated on 100 acres of land at Knights Hill, near Robertson. Every year the farm helps rehabilitate young Australians from problems such as substance abuse, mental illness and family breakdown.

Creative Youth Initiative: Creative Youth Initiative is a unique service for young people, aged 16-25 years who are facing many and varied challenges in their lives, including depression, anxiety, homelessness and substance abuse. The program uses creative expression as a tool to develop creativity and self-esteem.

South West Youth Services: Based in the Sydney area, South West Youth Services (SWYS) provides a preventative and early intervention service that aims to prevent young people from entering the -no home, no job' cycle.


Question: What is involved in these types of programs?

Annie Le Cavalier: A core and critical component of the youth programs Sir David Martin Foundation supports is art and music therapy. Young people who turn to these programs for help are taken through a 12 week care and treatment program specific to their needs. What we do find is that the art and or music therapy components are where these youth people can express their feelings, tell their story, not be judged and at the end gain a new sense of confidence and often a talent and passion that lay hidden.

Question: Can you talk us through the success these programs have had for patients?

Annie Le Cavalier: The main program funded by SDMF is Triple Care Farm. A snapshot of outcomes for the 98 Students welcomed at Triple Care Farm in 2013:

On entry,
100% had a substance abuse issue and 85% were regularly using more than one drug
48% of young people reported a history of recent homelessness
71% had experienced suicidal ideation or tried to take their own life
96% were unemployed
85% had Mental Health issues
65% had a criminal history
40% had been victims of physical abuse whilst 21% had experienced sexual abuse

On completion,
100% were in stable accommodation
73% were in employment and training.
52% gained accredited training qualifications whilst 100% received non-accredited training

Of course all young people also achieved amazing outcomes that cannot be expressed in aggregate numbers, as every Student's needs and situation are different. For some Students, reconnecting with family and friends is a key outcome, for others learning how to make better choices might be more important, or how to live healthily, to cook a meal, to keep the house clean, to be proud, to have hope.


Question: What does the Sir David Martin Foundation hope to achieve in 2014?

Annie Le Cavalier: 2014 – We will strive to improve these outcomes. A recent development is that Triple Care Farm has gone smoke free. In order to help young people live without addiction, the decision has been made to make the entire site smoke free, and help Students to say no, not only to drugs, but to all addictive and harmful substances. I'm pleased to say the early results of going smoke-free have been very encouraging, with average length of stay, and successful placement in jobs, education and stable accommodation increasing.

Also late 2014 will see SDMF prepare to establish a detox program in 2015 that will help young people break the cycle of addiction before their lives entirely unravel. It will be an earlier intervention program than Triple Care Farm and will help an additional 100 young people each year.


Interview by Brooke Hunter