Over the next three weeks, thousands of school leavers will find themselves stranded on dark streets and beaches, in clubs and hotel rooms around Australia, drunk and/or high, and extremely vulnerable. Schoolies is synonymous with wild parties, experimental drug taking, sex and irresponsible behaviour. But it’s also synonymous with red frog lollies, Christians and pancakes.

Started in 1997, ‘Red Frogs’ is the name of the 1700 or so Christians who will stand side by side with Schoolies revellers to offer them support and protection and the odd red frog.

This year, the Red Frogs crew will be in 12 locations around Australia, including the heart of Schoolies—Surfer’s Paradise—along with other coastal areas around the country, such as the Great Ocean Road in Victoria and Victor Harbour in South Australia. Others will be located in Bali, Fiji and South Africa—popular overseas destinations for school leavers.

Starting this weekend, Red Frog volunteers will offer a non-judgmental support by handing out 10 tonnes of red frog lollies, doing pancake cook-ups, offering a walk-home/bus service and an emergency hotline for people struggling with mental health, sexual assault and other crises.

The Victorian State Director of Red Frogs, Mark Gellie, who’s a full-time pastor the rest of the year, says with most volunteers under 25, they develop a good rapport with the Schoolies kids.

“We’re not security, we’re not Mum and Dad, but we’re there to provide a positive, safe presence.”

Red Frogs has a hotline, a 1300 number which the organisation promotes in schools throughout the year as a kind of lifeline for Schoolies in need of a bit of support. Through the hotline, they can request pancakes to be cooked in their hotel room (as a hangover remedy or way of getting some food into revellers who’ve had too much to drink), a walk-home or help with other emergencies. They can also use a newly developed Red Frogs app to put in a request.

“Part of our role with frogs is being fun guys at the party and in hotel rooms, to create a bit of a vibe and atmosphere away from the booze, and drinking games.

“So not only safeguarding, walking people home and putting them in ambulances, but deterrence as well and helping young people make better choices and slow down a little bit.”

The Red Frogs hotline received 10,000 phone calls last year, which reveals how the reputation of the group has grown since it began 16 years ago.

Mark says for the 1700 Red Frog volunteers, Schoolies is a physically and emotionally demanding experience, but equally, a unique opportunity for them to show the love of Christ to teenagers.

“[Froggers] go hard. A day in the life of a frogger is usually up early for a few pancake cook-ups, then a bit of lunch between 2 and 4. Then they might have a bit of downtime, then we start up again, briefings, meetings, getting everything ready for the night, planning and praying.

“We get out about 8pm, buses start and the guys can be on till midnight, and then they might do a shift change, until about 4 or 6AM. The Red Frog guys are incredible. Our volunteers give 100 per cent and they’re absolutely stuffed by the end of the week, but it’s just awesome.”

Part of what keeps the Red Frogs crew coming back are the beautiful moments when Froggers are asked why they do what they do, and when a Schoolies group develops a strong rapport with a Red Frog crew.

“Last year, a bunch of Schoolies dedicated a night to creating a three course meal for a Red Frog team,” says Mark. “So with their own money they went to Coles and bought heaps of groceries and served the volunteers on their schoolies week. They sacrificed a night to party because they loved this Red Frog team.”

“A lot of our froggers end up catching up locally with people from their home towns, having coffees and inviting them along to church. Those relationships that we build through our service, we’re able to take to the next level and integrate them in our life back home. That’s what it’s all about.”

And the local communities love the Red Frog teams too. For the police and local councils, Froggers work to protect the community as well as the Schoolies, and offer another set of hands and a listening ear, without the intimidating uniform or title of other community organisations.

“It’s been a great opportunity for local churches to really serve their communities in coastal towns,” says Mark. “Local communities can get pretty worried about these young people hitting their town. So for us to be able to partner with the local council to ensure we’re there to serve the community to keep it safe by minimising violence and other things that can go on—the community and accommodation providers really value us.”

Other Christian Schoolies outreach organisations and events will be joining the school leavers in the next three weeks, including Encounter Youth at Victor Harbour, while Schoolies Revolution will take a number of students to developing countries as an alternative to the traditional Schoolies experience.

For more information about Red Frogs, visit the website or download the app. The Red Frog hotline is 1300 557 123.