CLEAN SLATE

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

The hard work we do here today replicates the discipline and the routine we carry out through the days, the weeks, the months and the years.


"If this is the hardest thing we do today, you're gonna have a good day"

A clean slate for yesterday and a brighter future for tomorrow

A bald man with a beard is standing with his arms crossed and smiling.

Our Clean Slate Without Prejudice (CSWP) program is for Indigenous youth between the ages of 12 to 25. CSWP supports youth in our community and surrounding suburbs learn and practice culture, routine, discipline, and respect through dedicated one-on-one mentoring and group activities.


Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, our mentees join Tribal Warrior mentors and community members for boxing at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) from 6am to 7am instilling the programs principles of routine and discipline. 


You don’t need to be an experienced boxer, be super fit or have combos ready to go! We will teach you everything you need to know but you do need to bring a willingness to participate with us and keep going!


After boxing, mentees have breakfast and participate in cultural classes before being dropped off at school or work by our dedicated mentors.


On Thursdays, mentees are invited to participate in Culture Day where mentees experience, learn and participate in cultural activities. Our culture day program is facilitated alongside community elders, community leaders and cultural educators. In addition to group activities, Tribal Warrior mentors provide one-on-one support to mentees, encouraging them to make positive lifestyle choices based on culture, strength, self-worth, health and wellbeing.


The CSWP program takes a holistic approach to changing habits amongst community. Our mentors do this by placing our youth at the forefront of the program, whilst also engaging with our men, women and elders to create positive habits and routine as a whole community. 
A man and a little girl are boxing in a gym.

  • Our History

    A man wearing a black hoodie with the word cswp on it

    CSWP began in 2009 as a grassroots partnership between Tribal Warrior and South Sydney Police Area Command. Local Elder Uncle Shane Phillips, local men’s group Chairman Mark Spinks, and some mentors came together with Detective Superintendent Luke Freudenstein to create this youth outreach program for Redfern, the Inner West, and Eastern Suburbs.


    Right from the start, the program structure was designed by community for community.


    CSWP started small, with ten young men being mentored in the initial program. Some of those young men have gone on to become mentors themselves and continue to work with the program to this day. The program was broadened to include female youth and now has an even gender split in participants.


    When CSWP began, both the community leaders and the police saw the need to work together to reduce the cycle of crime among Aboriginal youth. Boxing was seen as the solution, as the regular training provides young people with discipline, routine, and the ability to use up their energy.


    Through regular training, CSWP has broken down barriers and fostered a more positive relationship between the local Aboriginal community and South Sydney Police Area Command. The program remains focused on tackling the drivers of crime by encouraging participants to make positive choices.


    Since the start of CSWP, Redfern has seen a drop in Aboriginal youth being arrested from 3,000 in 2009 to 1,800 in 2019. There is also more trust on both sides, with positive interactions on the street and channels for dialogue between police and community when issues arise.


    School attendance levels also increased on average among participants thanks in large part to the drop-off service following training.


    Having regular interactions at the gym has also opened opportunities to talk to young people about drug addiction and other challenges that deny young people self-respect and do a great deal of damage.


    If extra support is needed, the Tribal Warrior team act as a connection point between a mentee and culturally safe services, including for mental health. The approach taken is to walk alongside a mentee, helping to build trust with service providers and navigate their own healing journeys. This work happens as part of their participation in the overall program.

  • Areas We Service

    A man and a little girl are boxing in a gym.
    • Alexandria
    • Annandale
    • Banksmeadow
    • Beaconsfield
    • Botany
    • Camperdown
    • Chifley
    • Coogee
    • Daceyville
    • Darlington
    • Dulwich Hill
    • Eastlakes
    • Enmore
    • Erskinville
    • Eveleigh 
    • Forrest Lodge
    • Glebe
    • Hillsdale
    • Kensington
    • Kingsford
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  • Make a Referral

    A group of young men standing next to each other on a white background.

    Make a referral today to our CSWP Program Today! 


    Self Referals are welcome

    Refer Now
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