2011 – 2012
AIME Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience
Outreach Programs: One to one mentoring program between indigenous high school students and volunteer university students aiming to improve progression rates through school. Two outreach programs were part-funded, one at RMIT and one at Monash University. aimementoring.com
Banksia Gardens Community Centre
Employment of Youth Worker: The Centre is situated at the edge of the Broadmeadows Banksia Gardens housing estate in Broadmeadows and provides many services and support to the disadvantaged. The youth worker connects young people on the estate to mainstream services. banksiagardens.org.au
Berry Street
Counting the Beat – Heart Rate Monitors Pilot Research Project: This pilot program worked with children who are suffering trauma as a result of their experiences of chronic and severe forms of abuse and neglect. The project resulted in an increased knowledge on how heart rate monitors can be used as a simple and effective tool for gaining insight into a child’s current level of functioning. berrystreet.org.au
Best Chance/Cheshire School
Family Counsellor: The Cheshire School provides a specialised 12-month Intervention Program to support children from Prep through to Grade 6, who have demonstrated significant social, emotional and behavioural problems in their mainstream schools. In a supportive and caring environment, Cheshire helps children and families to identify the fundamental causes of a child’s issues and to overcome the disruptive behaviours that may have become part of everyday life. This is the first year of a three-year grant which is part funding a family counsellor to work with parents of children at the school to help them understand their child’s behaviour, their responses to the behaviour and to gain skills consistent with the school strategies. bestchance.org.au/Cheshire
The Fred Hollows Foundation
Anaemia Prevention Program – Sprinkles: Funds were used to support a program developed to combat the severe iron deficiencies in many indigenous infants in remote communities in the Northern Territory and Far North Queensland. The program involves providing dietary supplements and general health education as preventative strategies to reduce the incidence of anaemia. hollows.org.au
Good Beginnings Australia
Learn2Grow Program: Good Beginnings builds better outcomes for children living in vulnerable communities through effective early intervention programs. The Learn2Grow program ensures that vulnerable children are prepared to begin school with adequate language and literacy skills in the high-need community of Traralgon. goodbeginnings.org.au
Brotherhood of St Lawrence
Playground Development Project – Atherton Gardens Family and Children’s Hub: The Hub is next to the Atherton Gardens Housing Estate in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy and is a child-focused, community-driven response to the needs of this disadvantaged community. Funds went towards a playground for the children of residents at the estate and children attending preschool groups at the Hub. bsl.org.au
Lighthouse Foundation
Adult Community Transition Program: Lighthouse is an organisation dedicated to eliminating youth homelessness. They provide long-term neglected and abused children with a home and around the clock therapeutic care. Funds were used to support the Adult Community Transition Program from a home in Cheltenham, where young people leant independent living skills as they get ready to transition from Lighthouse back into the community. lighthousefoundation.org.au
The Mirabel Foundation
Breaking The Cycle Program, Therapeutic Children’s Groups: Mirabel is the only organization in Australia working with children orphaned or abandoned due to parental illicit drug use. This program provides therapeutic groups for children between 8 and 12 with the purpose of fostering family cohesion and developing relationships between children and kinship carers who are parenting these children, while trying to break the cycle of addiction. mirabelfoundation.org.au
Hands on Learning
Capacity Building: An alternative education program that addresses the problem of disengaged young people leaving school early. At risk Year 7-10 students spend one day a week taking part in creative building projects that benefit the school and the community. handsonlearning.org.au
Mittagundi
Building Works: Mittagundi is an outdoor education centre established with the belief that young people, mountains, purposeful work and challenges are natural partners. Mittagundi is situated on a 400-acre property near the old gold mining town of Glen Valley, Victoria. mittagundi.org.au
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Anesthetic Research Project Research Assistant: Funds went towards research on the use of Propofol in children. The aim is to devise an algorithm to guide doctors to know exactly how much Propofol anaesthetic to administer, which will lead to safer outcomes for young patients and a better quality recovery from surgical procedures. mcri.edu.au
National Trust
Employment of Education Officer and Management staff member: The Officer will be responsible for developing and leading public development and educational activities for the three National Trust Mornington Peninsula sites: Endeavour Fern Gully, MacCrae Homestead and Mulberry Hill. nationaltrust.org.au/vic/
One Disease at a Time
Healthy Skin Program: One Disease’s aim is to target and eliminate one disease at a time, starting with Scabies and Crusted Scabies. The three-year grant funds a Healthy Skin Program in East Arnhem Land. 1disease.org
Oxfam Australia
AMSANT (Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the NT) Youth Leadership Gathering: AMSANT is the peak body for Aboriginal community-controlled health services (ACCHSs) in the Northern Territory and has played a pivotal role in advocating for and supporting the development of community-controlled health. It provides a structured program incorporating practical leadership skills, cultural perspectives and career paths, to enable emerging leaders to develop to their full potential. Funding for the Youth Leadership Gathering held in May 2012. oxfam.org.au
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
The Peter F Williams AO International Surgery Grant Myanmar Primary Trauma Care Program: Funding was provided for three Australian volunteer surgeons to deliver and supervise a PTC Program in Myanmar. The program focuses on training a number of Myanmar health professionals as PTC providers/practitioners and establishing a core of experienced PTC instructors.
Pacific Islands Fracture Management Course: The grant helped fund the Pacific Islands Fracture Management Course in Fiji with the aim to build expertise in orthopaedic care, mainly in the area of trauma (road and industrial). Second of two basic trauma and fracture fixation courses attended by trainees from Fiji and other parts of the Pacific. Since the commencement of visits in 2008, six consultant orthopaedic surgeons are now visiting Fiji on a regular basis and nine orthopaedic nursing staff have helped run the courses or attended visitations with surgical teams. surgeons.org
Royal Children’s Hospital Education Institute
RCH Reads-Patients Publish: This program involved a series of weekly workshops engaging children in reading, writing, art-making and storytelling that supported their learning. The final products were professionally published books made by the children for children, based upon their chosen theme and using their own artwork. Funding was used for two book publishing workshops. rch.org.au/education/
Royal Flying Doctors Service
Mobile Dental Care Program: This pilot program involved volunteer dentists from Melbourne delivering clinical care and education programs to those most at risk in the Mildura region. flyingdoctor.org.au
Royal District Nursing Service
Homeless Persons Program: Medical Consumables:The RDNS Homeless Persons Program is a dedicated service where specialist community nurses provide healthcare and support to people experiencing, or at risk of homelessness, throughout Melbourne. Providing direct clinical interventions for acute and chronic conditions, medical consumables to support health recovery, and supported referral to other services, the program aims to ensure that people experiencing homelessness have the same access to healthcare as the broader community. rdns.com.au
The Smith Family
Girls at the Centre Program: G@C aims to counteract the high absenteeism and school drop-out rates of teenage indigenous and non-indigenous girls and to support them to build constructive, mature relationships with each other, their schools, families and the broader community. It operates from the Centralian Middle School in Alice Springs and involves 50 Year 9 girls. thesmithfamily.com.au
Smiling Mind
Mindfulness Meditation program, Capacity Building: Smiling Mind is modern mindfulness meditation for young people to be delivered via a website, a free App and an in-schools program. It has been developed by specialist psychologists with expertise in youth and adolescent therapy. It aims to bring balance to young lives. smilingmind.com.au
Somebody’s Daughter Theatre Company
Highwater Theatre Company, Employment of specialist Maths teacher and trainee indigenous artist: SDTC works with disengaged, high-risk youth who have dropped out of school in the Albury-Wodonga area. They use drama as a vehicle to re engage the students to study, but also provide other health, welfare and educational support. somebodysdaughtertheatre.com
Spina Bifida Foundation
Adult Independence Camp: The Camp is designed to provide practical support to adults with Spina Bifida focusing on developing the skills of self-management and self-determination.sbfv.org.au
Tomorrow: Today Foundation
Education Benalla Program: The project’s aim is to ensure all Benalla’s children are socially ready to learn and have basic literacy and numeracy skills before they start school. This program is delivered via supported playgroups. tomorrowtoday.com.au
Western Edge Youth Arts
Livings Stories Program: Western Edge provides positive arts and education experiences for culturally diverse young people living in the western suburbs of Melbourne and other disadvantaged schools in Victoria. The project is a 20-week artist residency for twenty Year 5/6 students at Debney Meadows Primary School. The school serves an economically disadvantaged community from the Flemington flats, mostly from refugee backgrounds. westernedge.org.au/about
