AUGUST 2010

ELECTION MATTERS
'Tough on crime' policies are not the answer
Julie Edwards, Chief Executive Officer
So we're in election mode. Victorians are feeling the strain as we are also heading towards a state election.The old favourites are being trotted out – law and order at the state level, refugees at the federal level. Not much imagination there, and very little dignity, as politicians appeal to the less attractive traits in us – fear, prejudice, selfishness. Read full article...

A place to land for boat people caught in turbulent election waters
Fr Frank Brennan SJ
Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott have gone toe-to-toe sending a strong message. They say the message is aimed at intending boat people – deterring them from risking the dangerous trip from Indonesia. But it is aimed squarely at the swinging voters in the marginals. What are the issues? Read full article...


The track to change
TOE (The Outdoor Experience) program recently completed an innovative program of bushwalking and rafting on the Mitchell River in Gippsland with a group of young men who have problems with alcohol and/or substance use. Read full article...


Tales from the kingdom of force
(Ben Coleridge)
Flicking the frisbee with a well practised arm, Jimmy told me about his former home in Sri Lanka. 'Last time I was there, I was carrying bodies to their graves in my arms, even the bodies of friends.' Homer's Iliad is a poem of force in which, at all times, the human spirit is shown modified by its relations with force. Read more | Listen (links to Eureka Street)

Article written by Jesuit Social Services volunteer, Ben Coleridge, pictured here at the African Program Homework Tutoring Club (photo: second from right).


KICK BACK CD launch - Saturday 14th August 2010 @ Signal
The Artful Dodgers Studios and Living Music in conjunction with Signal and Freeza present: The KICK BACK CD Launch.

Straight outta Gateway Studios! Kick Back @ SIGNAL on Saturday night and enjoy the sounds of some fresh new artists from the Hip-Hop Thursdays program.

With turntable champion DJ Wasabi, YouTube superstar Bangs, and a whole lot of up and upcoming talent including Paulfactor, Aziak, and Trixide.

The KICK BACK CD is the result of the Hip Hop Thursdays Project - six months of workshops at the Artful Dodgers Studios with Living Music artists DJ Wasabi, Tom Tom and Romy.
http://www.livingmusic.com.au/


JULY 2010

Achievements in Western Sydney

Pictured are students and Jesuit Social Services Western Sydney Staff all dressed for the Fashion Show.



Feast of St. Ignatius
Jesuit Social Services staff, supporters and friends joined together at the Brosnan Centre to celebrate the Feast of St. Ignatius which falls on 31st July 2010. Provincial Steve Curtin SJ led a themed mass which brought forward many symbols connecting the celebration to the Indigenous peoples of Australia and the work of Jesuit Social Services. 
Pictured is Steve Curtin SJ, Amanda Watkinson, Director of Brosnan Youth Services and students from Loyola College, Watsonia.

JUNE 2010

Jesuit Social Services congratulates Mr. Bernard Geary
On 7th June the Australian Catholic University conferred the degree Doctor of the University honoris causa on Mr Bernard Geary. His citation refers to his commitment over many years to the issues surrounding young people's rights and system change, focusing on their best interests and aspirations. Read more

MAY 2010

National Sorry Day - 26th May
Jesuit Social Services acknowledges National Sorry Day which is held each year to express regret over the mistreatment of Aboriginal people.
The day was chosen in commemoration of the Bringing Them Home Report being handed to the federal government on 26th May 1997 and was instituted one year later. The Report revealed the devastating effects of the forced removal policies in terms of spiritual, emotional and physical trauma, as a direct result of the broken connection to traditional land, culture and language, the separation of families and the effect of these on parenting skills. It also revealed the trans-generational impact and damaging effects that these forced child removals continue to have on the Indigenous families and communities today.


APRIL 2010

Just Cycle Yarra Valley - 11th April 2010
Thanks to all who participated in Just Cycle Yarra Valley - cyclists, supporters and volunteers. Despite shocking weather, the event was a great success with cyclists returning exhausted but victorious. Congratulations to all cyclists! Thank you to all those who came to Rochford Wines to support the event. Please visit the event website - www.justcycle.com.au for updates, photos and results from the Mount Donna Buang climb.


MARCH 2010

Annual Fundraising Dinner - thank you for your support
Thank you to everyone who attended the Annual Fundraising Dinner on Saturday 20th March. It was a wonderful evening enjoyed by over 450 guests at the Sofitel Hotel. Guest speaker the Hon Julia Gillard MP delivered the inaugural Frank Costigan QC Address and officially launched Doing Justice: Reflections from thirty years, Jesuit Social Services 1977-2007. Thank you to sponsors and generous prize donors who contributed to the evening.

The inaugural Frank Costigan QC Address delivered by The Hon Julia Gillard MP at the Jesuit Social Services Annual Fundraising Dinner, Saturday 20th March 2010.

Julie Edwards, CEO speech


The Outdoor Experience
A unique opportunity exists for 16 - 25 year olds males who have or had issues with alcohol and other drugs. TOE programs offers alternative means of tackling difficult life issues and provides opportunities for making sustainable positive changes through a supportive and challenging Bush Adventure experience. Please click here to find out more about the program and how to get involved. Visits to TOE at the Bush Hut and interviews for young people can be arranged at any time by contacting the program on (03) 9855 2633.


FEBRUARY 2010

Respect the workers
Jesuit Social Services supported The Australian Services Union (ASU) Respect The Workers Campaign rally on Tuesday 10th November at 11am. The ASU is seeking better pay for our work so the community sector is sustainable into the future, and the people we work with receive the support they deserve. Jesuit Social Services encouraged staff to attend.

ARTFUL DODGERS EXHIBITION
'Out of my head'
The critical battle of the growing individual to manage issues like mental illness, societal prejudices, family hardships and the misuse of drugs and alcohol inspires the work. The centrepiece installation is an outsize ganglia/neuron station representing the thunderstorms and lightning-struck inspirations of the brain. The second group-devised installation features footwear: shoes, boots and sneakers layered with the vivid and maddening detritus of life. The venue will be filled with sounds created in the Artful Dodgers music studios under the Living Music program.
More...

NOVEMBER 2009
Julie Edwards, CEO, spoke at Caritas in Veritate - Reflections on Pope Benedict's encyclical on Human Development on 19th November 2009.

Photo: Julie Edwards with Archbishop Philip Freier, Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne and Rufus Black, Master of Ormond College

OCTOBER 2009

Just Leadership Series

Just Leadership Breakfast 4
8th October 2009
The fourth Just Leadership breakfast held on October 8, 2009, filled the main room of Chapter House for a discussion with three insightful social reformers. The theme for the morning, “Just Markets: Harnessing capitalism for the greater good,” fit perfectly with the recent work of Andy Kuper, Lillian Masebenza and Cheryl Kernot. Their stories of social enterprises around the world generated excited discussions at the tables, and some impressive commitments from a crowd that seemed genuinely empowered. More...















Previous Breakfasts:
Just Leadership Breakfast 3, 12th August 2009
Just Leadership Breakfast 2, 4th June 2009
Just Leadership Breakfast 1, 2nd April 2009 

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ANTI-POVERTY WEEK, 11th - 17th October 2009
"More and more people are being forced to live on the margins, relying on the support of organisations such as Jesuit Social Services to get by.” Julie Edwards, Chief Executive Officer
Jesuit Social Services and Melbourne Citymission are Victorian co-chairs of
Anti-Poverty Week 2009. For a full program of events, see www.antipovertyweek.org.au

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Stairway to  international student security
Although a tad shabby, this stairwell is one of Melbourne's best academies of learning, a place where real insights can be gained. More

Young Somalis are Australians too
Here is a challenge for all of us. A stronger sense of communal responsibility needs to be rediscovered, a recognition that if there is a problem, then we all own it, not just the figures of authority and the bureaucrats who devise 'policy solutions'. More

Articles written by Jesuit Social Services volunteer, Ben Coleridge, pictured here at the African Program Homework Tutoring Club (photo: second from right).




SEPTEMBER 2009

Innovative Jesuit Social Services program set to help even more job seekers
Abbotsford Biscuits is a Jesuit Social Services Program that has been providing work placement and training opportunities for severely marginalised people since 2005. The Kitchen produces a range of bakery products and enjoys strong community support. Following a rigorous consultant review and market analysis in early 2009, Jesuit Social Services has made the decision to grow The Kitchen to become a sustainable social enterprise and has recently learnt that its application for funding to the Federal Government's Innovation Fund has been successful. The Kitchen will now move to realise this dream over the coming years and welcomes the opportunity to provide training and employment to even more young people in our community.

Jesuit Social Services thanks the patrons of Abbotsford Biscuits for your support since 2005 and looks forward to providing you with more delicious products in the future.

Read the full media release.
Purchase Abbotsford Biscuits online now.


AUGUST 2009

Loyola College walks to support Jesuit Social Services
A big thank you to the students from Mannix House, Loyola College for their recent fundraising effort; raising $3445 for Brosnan Youth Services. The Mannix House students along with their classmates took part in the annual St Ignatius Day Walkathon to raise money for their chosen House charity.

The human faces of Christmas Island
The Director of Jesuit Refugee Services Australia, Fr Sacha Bermudez-Goldman SJ, has urged the Australian public to place itself in the shoes off asylum seekers and try to imagine and understand their plight.


JULY 2009

Artful Dodgers publication - 'This is what i do' launch
On the 30th July 2009, Artful Dodgers and Living Music launched their most recent publication, 'This is what i do' in spectacular style with an event at The Crom in Collingood. 

'This is what i do' launch - pictures and words

Copies of 'This is what i do' are avaialbe from the Artful Dodgers Studio at 1 Landridge Street, Collingwood. Work by the Artful Dodgers can be viewed and purchased from www.artfuldodgers.tv


JUNE 2009

Jesuit Social Services and NAB team up for Run Melbourne
On Sunday 28th June, staff from Jesuit Social Services and NAB came together to participate in Run Melbourne and raise money for Jesuit Social Services. With over 100 staff, NAB entered the largest corporate team and won an extra $1,000 for Jesuit Social Services!

Thank you to everyone who braved the chilly Melbourne morning and to those who sponsored them. Together, we exceeded our fundraising target of $10,000!


APRIL 2009

Frank Costigan
The Jesuit Social Services community is very saddened by the news of Frank Costigan’s death. Frank had been involved with Jesuit Social Services since 1987 when he joined the Management Committee of the Brosnan Centre. He was appointed by the Jesuit Provincial as an inaugural member of the Board when Jesuit Social Services was formed in 1995. He resigned in October 2008 due to ill health. With grace and humour he shared generously his insight, intellect and wise counsel. Read more.  Read the eulogy by Frank Brennan SJ.

MARCH 2009

Annual Fundraising Dinner 2009
In his speech at the Annual Fundraising Dinner, young Muslim community leader, Waleed Aly, challenged us to rethink what participation means in our society, particularly for refugees.


FEBRUARY 2009

Apology, one year on - 13th February 2009
Jesuit Social Services joins many across the nation in commemorating the first anniversary of the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s apology to members of the Stolen Generations. One year on, the speech remains a watershed in relations between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians. The anniversary is a time to reflect on what we have done over the past year towards eliminating the major disadvantages that continue to face Indigenous people in health, housing, education and employment, and a reminder of the challenges ahead. The apology will not have meaning outside concrete improvements in the lives of Indigenous people, families and communities. Our involvement in supporting young Indigenous people involved with the justice system is a constant reminder of how far we still have to go to create a just society for all Australians.

For further information and resources:
Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation
http://www.antar.org.au/

Reconciliation Australia
http://www.reconciliation.org.au/i-cms.isp

The National Close the Gap campaign, including details of the National Close the Gap Day
http://www.closethegap.com.au/

A copy of the Prime Minister’s Sorry Day speech
http://www.pm.gov.au/media/speech/2008/speech_0073.cfm

Patrick Dodson’s Sorry Day address at the National Press Club
http://www.abc.net.au/news/opinion/speeches/files/20080213_dodson.pdf

DECEMBER 2008

Frank Brennan SJ to lead Human Rights Consultation
Jesuit Social Services Board member Father Frank Brennan SJ AO was this week announced to lead a public consultation into Australia’s opinion on human rights. The consultation will ultimately decide if Australia will have its own Bill of Rights. The announcement, made by Attorney-General Robert McClelland, came with high praise from many circles, including the legal profession and across the media. Fr. Brennan is highly regarded for his work for social justice and human rights and in his position as eminent professor of law at the Australian Catholic University. He was awarded an Australian Order in 1995 for his services to Aboriginal Australians.
Julie Edwards, CEO of Jesuit Social Services, commented that “Frank Brennan is a leader in human rights and a great choice for this significant investigation into what Australians value and how we should protect those who may be socially excluded.”
Frank Brennan has been a Board member with Jesuit Social Services since April 2007. http://www.humanrightsconsultation.gov.au/


OCTOBER 2008

Australian Catholic Bishops Social Justice Statement 2008
Jesuit Social Services is passionately committed to ensuring that those in our community who are most affected by poverty in our affluent country are given an opportunity to find their rightful place in society. Our mission of building a just society is embedded in all we do and in the way we do our work day to day. We strongly support and endorse the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference statement: A Rich Young Nation: The challenge of poverty in Australia. A copy of the report can be downloaded here. Julie Edwards, Chief Executive Officer.

SEPTEMBER 2008

Support After Suicide website launch
The new Support After Suicide website www.supportaftersuicide.org.au was launched on 10th September 2008, World Suicide Prevention Day.
The website provides support and information for those bereaved by suicide.

AUGUST 2008

Artful Dodgers Studios Mural wall at Austin Hospital Artful Dodgers
Studios participants were invited to design and paint a mural on a yard wall at the Austin Hospital
Read more and view photos


JUNE 2008

Jesuit Social Services Annual Fundraising Dinner
The Annual Fundraising Dinner was held on 24th May 2008 and was attended by nearly 500 people.
Julie Edwards, CEO spoke about planting the seed in faith followed by guest speaker The Hon. Jenny Macklin MP.

Taxi Driver Theatre of Transformation
The African Program presented the Theatre of Transformation production, Only a Taxi Driver, on Thursday 10th June 2008.

APRIL 2008

Reflection on participation in the 2020 Summit – Julie Edwards CEO
“By 2020 Australia should be known throughout the world for its diverse, fair, compassionate and respectful society…. and ….Australia should be an inclusive society with an economy, not the other way around.”
This key statement from the ‘Strengthening Communities, Supporting Families and Social Inclusion’ stream of the 2020 Summit resonates with the vision and values of Jesuit Social Services. I was a member of this working group which was co-chaired by The Hon. Tanya Plibersek, Federal Minister for Housing and Rev. Tim Costello. The group had a real commitment to affirm the importance of inclusion for everyone and to define how social inclusion can be realised particularly for the marginalised and disadvantaged. Read more...

Julie Edwards, CEO to represent Jesuit Social Services at the 2020 Summit
Jesuit Social Services represented at 2020 Summit Jesuit Social Services CEO Julie Edwards has been included in the Strengthening Communities, Supporting Families and Social Inclusion group of the Australian Government's 2020 Summit at Parliament House on 19 and 20 April to help shape a long term strategy for the nation's future. "This is a terrific opportunity for us to talk about the very people we work with - those who need strengthening, supporting and including in our society," says Julie Edwards. Also chosen for inclusion at the 2020 Summit are two of Jesuit Social Services' Board members, Fr Frank Brennan SJ and Ms Patricia Faulkner for their outstanding contributions in their own fields.