Serving Youth in Australia: Alumnus Tatch Bollard
A 2018 graduate of TCJ’s Christian Counseling program, Tatch Bullard serves disadvantaged youth in Australia. Through various private organizations, he has helped to provide mentorship, housing, skills training, and counseling to dozens of young people.
From Australia to Florida.
Tatch grew up playing soccer in Australia before moving to Jacksonville in 2014 to attend Trinity, where he played on the men’s soccer team. In fact, he was part of TCJ’s historic 2015 Championship team! He also helped lead local community youth sports camps in his spare time.
Despite culture shock challenges, Tatch’s outgoing, positive personality helped him to integrate quickly into the student body. By his sophomore year, Tatch was voted in as Student Body President.
“It was a lot, but I loved it – it was a really cool experience! I am very much a behind the scenes kind of guy, so I learned a lot.”
Tatch has served underprivileged youth since his college days.
In addition to his responsibilities as a college student, Tatch found time to serve at Rodehaver Boy’s Ranch. He started as a summer intern, which led to him filling various other positions such as activities director and “cottage dad” for a time. This introduced Tatch to the kind of work he has been passionate about ever since: serving underprivileged youth.
Serving youth in Australia.
After graduating in 2018, Tatch moved home to Australia. He first took a job in childcare, but it wasn’t long before he found the opportunity to support troubled youth again. Since then, he has served with several organizations such as Caretakers Cottage, Launchpad, and Youth off the Streets.
Each organization has a specialized approach to meeting the needs of disadvantaged youth, and each role has been a unique experience. In one, Tatch was part of a support team managing a community living space for homeless youth. In another, he worked on the administrative side of the organization, maintaining documents and organizing operations. He has also worked in an organization that focuses on offering asylum to youth who are fleeing unsafe circumstances.
Regardless of the role he plays, Tatch is passionate about helping young people find the support they need to thrive. Some cases are easier than others, and each one takes wisdom and discernment. He has done a little bit of everything along the way, from teaching life skills and organizing enrichment opportunities to providing basic necessities and safe housing… and pretty much everything in between. He’s been a listening ear, offered counsel, and helped young people enroll in school or find employment. And if you know him personally at all, you can imagine the joy and contagious laughter he has carried with him everywhere!
In addition to social work, Tatch is very involved with the youth in his home church.
At his home church, Tatch helps run the hospitality team and student ministry. The church hosts a monthly dinner for the young people, and Tatch cooks for the entire group. (Perhaps he can add “chef” to his resume?) He is especially excited to share that in the past year they have seen the congregation grow to almost 3 times its size.
Why Tatch cares so deeply about troubled youth.
Tatch says that he has the benefit of an insider’s perspective when it comes to serving disadvantaged youth. He can identify with and understand their lives because he has been in their shoes. Tatch was adopted by supportive parents who care deeply about education and humanitarian efforts. Because of them, he had good examples to follow despite the very difficult circumstances of his own early childhood prior to adoption. Even with his parents’ support, his teen years were challenging. He says it took meeting Jesus to find freedom from his past and peace – and that is what he hopes to instill into every young person he meets: the understanding that they need Jesus.
“Our life on earth is so fleeting… I want to support them {the youth} but also help them find Jesus before it’s too late… the only way life has purpose is through Jesus!”
Tatch believes it is incredibly important for young people to understand that they are valuable. Not only to God, but to the world around them, and to him.
“I hope one day they can look back and see that I really cared.”
How TCJ helped him prepare for the future.
Even though he didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do after graduation, Tatch says that he kept quite a lot of his class notes because he knew instinctively that he would need them later.
Not only did his Counseling program prepare him for his work with troubled teens, but he also deeply appreciates the Bible courses he took, saying they have helped him be a strong youth leader at his church. Most recently, a class he took with Dr. Thompson on the topic of prayer has been on his mind, and he is reading and studying more on the topic now in his own time. Tatch is particularly thankful for the faculty and staff who made an impact on his life:
“Shout out to the people who have loved, cared, and supported me over the years being in America: the Buckners, Dr. Christmas, Mrs. Elkins, Mrs. Parson, and Dr. Stanley!”
What is next
Tatch is excited about the future. Several doors of opportunity are available to him. He is considering his options, which include continuing his education in Theology, or possibly taking on a bigger role in serving the youth of his area. While he is unsure which direction he will go at present, he is confident that God will guide his steps.
More about Tatch Bollard
Tatch currently lives in Sydney, Australia. Since his college days, has learned a lot about people, but he has also learned a lot about himself. Most importantly, he says he has learned about the power of forgiveness and how God is in control of each life.
He enjoys traveling and spending time in nature. In his spare time, Tatch really loves to play Pokémon Go®. In fact, he recently travelled back to the US to participate in the world championship in L.A. this August!
