A group of young participants at the Street University Southport have given a powerful insight into why they started chroming in a confronting video. They have given honest accounts of what led them to sniffing solvents and chemicals.

“I was like ‘ew, I would never chrome, that’s disgusting’,” one said. “Two months later, catch me in the middle of Southport with a can in my hand.” 
Another spoke about how chroming made him feel.
 “When you are chroming you have no fear, I just do what comes to mind,” he said.

The Street University is a drop-in style centre with programs for at-risk teens, including those convicted of crimes, battling substance abuse, struggling with homelessness or dealing with a bad home-life. The video just one of many projects the drop-in centre has for kids. 
A group of teens, helped by graffiti artist Mystery, recently finished the largest mural in Southport.

CEO, Matt Noffs explained, ‘Why? Because they feel like they are being listened to. The program is also about more than art. It’s engaging young people in things they want to do like sports, music, art and then we bring them into treatment. There’s no use having counsellors behind a desk just waiting for kids to turn up.’ Gold Coast Police help fund the programs as well as referring some at-risk teens.
 Gold Coast Police Child Protection and Investigation Unit Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Aubort said children were often escaping or bored when they turned to substance abuse.


“Let’s face it, if you could replace some negative behaviour with a positive behaviour that ticks those human conditions in a positive way then you are on the winner,” he said. 
He said with the mural it allowed the teens a chance to get a new skill.’

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Photo credit: The Herald Sun