2012 – 2013
AIME Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience
Outreach Programs: One to one mentoring program involving indigenous high school students and volunteer university students to improve progression rates through school. Two outreach programs were part-funded, one at RMIT and one at Monash University. aimementoring.com
Asylum Seekers Resource Centre
ASRC Innovation Hub: The Asylum Seekers Resource Centre is Australia’s leading asylum seeker organisation. They are a multi-award winning, independent and non-federal government funded human rights organisation. They work at the coalface, assisting some of the most disadvantaged people in our community. The Innovation Hub is a unique cluster of social enterprises and social empowerment programs that provide asylum seekers with training, education, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities, all the while building their confidence and inclusion as future Australians.asrc.org.au/about-us
The Arthouse Tasmania
Animation/Comic Strip Workshop: Highly disengaged students from Jordan River Senior and Middle Schools in Hobart spent five weekly sessions with a professional animator in an attempt to re-engage them in education.
Best Chance/Cheshire School
Part Funding for a Parent 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. Second year of a three year grant providing part funding for 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/
Cottage by the Sea
Mittagundi Camps for Cottage by the Sea “Reef “ Children: As a way of increasing the number of participants being involved in Mittagundi outdoor camps, a relationship was formed between the Cottage and Mittagundi whereby the Foundation has provided funding for Cottage children to attend the outdoor education camps. The camps foster self-reliance, self-esteem and independence in a farm/bush environment. cottagebythesea.com.au mittagundi.org.au
Good Beginnings Australia
High Risk Teenage Mums: Good Beginnings builds better outcomes for children living in vulnerable communities through effective early intervention programs. This collaborative program between Good Beginnings and Hobart City Mission provides parenting programs (Play2Grow) to homeless or at risk teenage mums in a purpose built accommodation. It is a targeted program aimed at young families with complex issues and challenges with their parenting. goodbeginnings.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
Melbourne Youth Music
Chicken Run Kazoo Choir performance/Access to Performances for Disadvantaged Children/Scholarships for Mirabel Foundation children: Melbourne Youth Music (MYM) has been enriching young lives through the power of music for 45 years. They continue to grow a community on a reputation of excellence, developing the best in young people, unleashing creativity and empowering tomorrow’s leaders through dedication and teamwork. Funding for the Melbourne Youth Orchestra Kazoo choir free performance at the BMW Edge and tickets for children and young people from a variety of agencies and not for profit organisations to enable them to experience classical music performed by their peers. Scholarships provided to Mirabel children to attend the MYM summer school. mym.org.au
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Health Nuts Study: First year of a two-year grant to support the research project “Health Nuts Study”. This study is the world’s first population-based study of food allergy with objective measurement of true food allergy. Funds were for equipment needed to provide assessments of children taking part in the study. mcri.edu.au
National Trust
Capacity Building across Mornington Peninsula National Trust Sites: First year of a three-year annual grant to help fund a staff member to reside at the Mulberry Hill site, to work with existing staff at Endeavour Fern Gully and McCrae Homestead to develop the sustainable and continued use of the three sites in a way that benefits heritage, community and the environment. nationaltrust.org.au/vic/mulberry-hill nationaltrust.org.au/vic/EndeavourFernGully nationaltrust.org.au/vic/mccrae-homestead
NESAY (North East Support and Action for Youth Inc)
School Engagement Project: NESAY delivers quality youth welfare programs to vulnerable young people and their families in North East Victoria. The Foundation grant part-funded a caseworker to work with Wangaratta and Benalla secondary school students at risk of leaving school and their families, to address issues adversely affecting them and to support their re-engagement with school. nesay.org.au
Newstars Basketball Association
Basketball for Young Offenders: Newstars provides holistic support for young people at risk, most of whom are new arrivals with limited social and economic resources. This project involves Newstars players visiting Malmsbury Detention Centre to play basketball with young detainees who have been diverted from adult justice through the dual track system, which aims to keep young people at risk out of the adult prison system for as long as possible. newstars.net.au
Noble Park Primary School
Community Vegetable Garden and Nutrition Program: Project in partnership with and Hands On Learning to develop a vegetable garden and outdoor learning and recreational space at the school. Students from Grades 1, 2 and 4 focused on planting and growing vegetables while Grade 3 students were involved in an integrated program of vegetable growing, cooking and nutrition. nobleparkps.vic.edu.au http://handsonlearning.org.au/
One Disease at a Time
Healthy Skin Program: The organisation’s aim is to target and eliminate one disease at a time, starting with Scabies in indigenous communities in East Arnhem Land. Second year of a three-year annual grant. 1disease.org/scabies/our-healthy-skin-program.php
Outer Urban Projects
urBan chamber – Beyond: OUP is a performing arts organisation collaborating with young people in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. It provides long-term artistic activity, employment, social engagement and genuine mentoring opportunities. This is a collaborative project between three organisations: OUP, Melbourne Youth Music and MASSIVE Hip Hop Choir, culminating in performances as part of the 2013 Melbourne International Festival at the Recital Centre. outerurbanprojects.org
Phunktional
Office Income Generation: Phunktional is a vibrant, innovative and cutting edge arts company, creating art with and for communities across Australia. They creatively explore issues about conflict and social justice, promoting well-being and sustainability. phunktional.org.au
The Pyjama Foundation
Love of Learning Program: The Pyjama Foundation offers a free learning-based mentoring program to children in foster/statutory care in Sydney. The Foundation’s grant helped fund the recruitment of volunteers (100) to be Pyjama Angels. thepyjamafoundation.com
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons
The Peter F Williams AO International Surgery Grant Myanmar Primary Trauma Care Program: Funding for three volunteer surgeons to deliver and supervise a PTC Program. Program focuses on training a number of Myanmar health professionals as PTC providers/practitioners in order to establish a core of experienced PTC instructors. surgeons.org/media/308236/idp_building_skills_myanmar_apr_sn.pdf
Pacific Islands Fracture Management Course: The Pacific Islands Fracture Management Course in Fiji aims to build expertise in orthopaedic care mainly in the area of trauma (road and industrial). 20 medical and 15 nursing attended the course delivered by volunteer surgeons from Australia. surgeons.org
Royal District Nursing Service
Homeless Person’s Programme: Medical Consumables: This program helps the nurses of the HPP to alleviate the needless suffering of homeless people by providing them with best practice nursing care and the medical consumables needed for this to occur. rdns.com.au/what_we_do/services_we_provide/Pages/Homeless_Persons_Program.aspx
SecondBite
Food Angels Project: SecondBite rescues and redistributes surplus fresh food, builds community capacity in food skills and nutrition, and advocates for an end to food insecurity. The Food Angels project in Tasmania is a structured course of food skills, cooking, nutritional education and budget shopping for healthy fresh food for disadvantaged families with young children. secondbite.org
SHINE for Kids
Prison Invisits Program at Melbourne Remand Centre: Shine for Kids is a charity that supports children with a family member in the criminal justice system. The Invisits Program provides arts and crafts based recreational activities for children when they visit a parent in the visiting area of the Melbourne Remand Centre. The program aims to strengthen the child/parent relationship. shineforkids.org.au/what_we_do/invisits.htm
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/Core operational Support: 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. First year of a two year annual grant. smilingmind.com.au
Somebody’s Daughter Theatre Company Highwater Theatre Company
Employment of specialist teachers: 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/highwater.html
The Song Room
Tuned in for Life – Wyndham Creative Communities The Song Room provides enhanced learning opportunities for disadvantaged children through free arts programs that are proven to lift their academic performance, attendance and well being. This project delivered a 12 month music program at St Andrew’s Primary School in Werribee, a school that has a significant level of disadvantage and high number of students with ESL. songroom.org.au
SPELD Specific Learning Difficulties Victoria
Signposts Support Initiative: SPELD supports parents of children and young people with dyslexia and learning difficulties. This grant funds a program assisting parents of children who have development delay or disabilities, to prevent or manage difficult behaviour. speldvic.org.au
Spina Bifida Foundation
Adult Ski Camp: This Camp is designed to give individuals with Spina Bifida an opportunity to challenge themselves in a unique environment. This in turn increases confidence in their physical capabilities, helps in developing a sense of independence and creates opportunities to forge new friendships. sbfv.org.au
StreetSmart
Crowdfunding Change is Local Communities: StreetSmart actively raises awareness of and funding for small not for profit organisations working with people who are homeless or at risk. In order to grow their impact in the community they aim to increase their fundraising capacity by building a new website incorporating a crowdfunding platform. First year of a three-year annual grant. streetsmartaustralia.org
Tasdance
Dance Net 2013 – North East Tasmania: Tasdance is a well established arts organisation that delivers programs incorporating education, community outreach and contemporary performance. This project will target young people in four socially and economically disadvantaged schools in north east Tasmania with the aim of improving social and personal competence in the students through arts participation. tasdance.com.au
The Aurora Project and University of Canberra
The Aspiration Initiative Academic Enrichment Program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students: The Aurora Project runs projects aimed at improving educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians. TAI provides students with intensive and ongoing educational and related support during holiday periods (through residentials and camps) and throughout the year. The aim is to advance and strengthen the academic skills of participants, building their resilience and raising their aspirations. First year of a two-year annual grant. auroraproject.com.au/about_TAI
Tomorrow: Today Foundation
Education Benalla Program/Free Supported Playgroups: Tomorrow: Today Foundation is a philanthropic organisation, formed and run by local people to provide funds for local community projects. It is Benalla District’s Community Foundation, working to bring about positive change. 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. Program delivered via supported playgroups. tomorrowtoday.com.au/?file=current_projects
Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency
Sea Country Project: VACCA is an Aboriginal community controlled organisation working in the field of child and family welfare. The Sea Country Project was run at Thornbury High School and aims to increase school engagement and strengthen pride and value in Aboriginal culture. The project included an expedition via boat on Port Philip Bay, learning about marine ecology and the stories of Aboriginal heritage relating to the bay. Students created digital stories of the experience. vacca.org
Victorian Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders
Video Visits Program: VACRO adopts a through care approach, working with individuals, families and communities at the time of arrest, through court, in the prison system and as they transition safely back into community life. The Video Visit program aims to overcome the barriers to the maintenance of parental relationships where children are unwilling or unable to visit their parent in prison. First year of a three-year grant. vacro.org.au
Weenthunga Health Network
Connecting the “C’s” through to Health: Weenthunga Health Network facilitates networking amongst the health workforce to improve the uptake of health careers by First Australian school leavers. This project connects First Australian senior school girls with First Australian and Australian women working in health roles to encourage school leavers to choose careers in the health sector. weenthunga.com.au
Western Edge Youth Arts
Learning Through Deep Stories: Western Edge provides positive arts and education experiences for culturally diverse and disadvantaged young people. This project ran at Tate St Primary School in Geelong for 24 weeks with 50 disadvantaged young people investigating Shakespeare’s plays, a creative writing project and public performances. westernedge.org.au/about
