Who we Are

The Beginning - Australia

"The most hideous war in human history…the Drug War… is being fought throughout the world at this moment. Its devastation reaches Australia. It is a war without honour. No monuments list the dead, the wounded, and the innocent victims. Daily the number of casualties, daily the number of deaths, increases more rapidly." - Reverend Ted Noffs, 1985 *

Ted Noffs was a great Australian with a vision that captured the world - from his apocalypse speech in the House of Commons in 1985, his teachings have exploded internationally through Life Education. In 1964 Rev. Ted Noffs commenced work at the Kings Cross Methodist Church Parish Mission, in Sydney, Australia.  Within the first months he renamed it "The Wayside Chapel".  Ted encountered his first overdose victim and was shocked at the lack of services and expertise in drug and alcohol treatment.  In 1967 Ted established "The Drug Referral Centre" at Rushcutters Bay.  Ted and Margaret (his wife) saw the enormous potential for demand reduction and preventative strategies and in 1974 set up "The Life Education Centre" (LEC) in Australia.

Trevor Grice (Friend and Life Education Trust NZ Founder) writes this of Ted Noffs and the philosophy of Life Education:

"If we forget the fundamental roots of how LEC was born, we will surely have difficulty with where we are heading. So many times it has been repeated: if you don't know the beginnings, you don't know where you are heading".

Ted had fought his church and other institutions to help addicts in his crisis centre, which became famous worldwide. After many years with addicted people he realised equal emphasis had to be put into prevention, through education, and the seeds of Life Education were born. Original backing came from Dick Smith and Ted co-opted many young people including educators, nurses, and doctors, to formulate the philosophy.

The importance of unity within a structure became obviously essential to the survival of LEC. Ted contantly encouraged all his fraternity to remember the three dynamics of Life Education.

1. To teach every child how special and unique they are, to make every child comfortable with their identity. In the whole world there will never be another you. Nearly every segment of the entire original programme emphasised this point time and again. Ted would repeatedly demonstrate that it is OK to have freckles, be tall or short, have big ears, nose, different coloured skin, hair. Just keep reinforcing to little children "you are very special".

Ted used Pablo Cassals beautiful words to drive home this dynamic message.

"Sometimes I look about me with a feeling of complete dismay. In the confusion that conflicts the world today, I see disrespect for the very values of life. Beauty is all around us, but how many are blind to it! They look at the wonder of this earth and seem to see nothing.

Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four and that Paris is the capital of France.

When will we also teach them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. And look at your body - what a wonder it is! Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, and the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must cherish one another. You must work - we all must work - to make this world worthy of its children."

2.  To show children the magnificence of the human body, and all its systems - digestive, circulatory, sensory - using technology to demonstrate how mysterious these functions are, and stressing the body's needs for food, oxygen, water. He would then ask where do these things come from? Mother Earth was the answer and so he encapsulated a beautiful picture of our planet and all its ingredients and how we must look after the environment.

3.  The third message of Life Education derives from the first two. If I am unique then so is the person sitting next to me. If I am so special so are my school mates. If my body systems are miraculous then so are theirs and therefore if I learn to respect myself, I have to respect others, and he concluded that our happy existence on this planet depended on our respect for each other.

The genius of this message is in its fundamental simplicity, and every segment of our programs, old and new follows this vision.

Every addict Ted had tried to help brought home to him the need to dramatise the fact that "there is no such thing as a nothing". Most youngsters in trouble had fused into their brain the belief that they were worth nothing. Low self esteem, caused by all the ravages of prostitution, destitution, and corruption, had most times seeded in early life, and Ted concluded we must get to children from their very first lessons. Ted used the quote from the poet Horace, who died a year before the birth of Christ, when speaking to educators outside a roman emporium - "new vessels will for long retain the taste of what is first poured into them".

Ted Noffs worked on every health issue and succeeded in getting his programs into health curricula with the assistance of his doctor and nurse friends.

He realised that the delivery of his programs would hinge on educators, who had charisma, commitment, and competence, and would need an ability to create mystery and drama in the classroom, now commonly known as the x factor. Equally as important were committed hard working trustees, who would support their educator and help raise the funds to support the entire project. Many times he stated the essential requirement of unity, and everyone working together in a national structure, with a common philosophy. While he kept the ground fertile and ready for suggestions, he had a deep insight into human nature, and stated many times that unless we all go forward...

* The Wayside Foundation Life Education Centres 1985

Mission

To empower the young to make the best choices for a safe life, through our leading drug and health education programs.

Vision

All Australians enjoying life free from the effects of drug misuse.

Strategic Intent

To lead the field in drug and health education programs for schools.