Our CEO, Julie Edwards, wrote to all staff this week to acknowledge it's Refugee Week. Refugee Week happens every year in June and aims to "inform the public about refugees and celebrate positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society". In her email, Julie notes that the theme of this year's Refugee Week is Unity and reminds us all that we have a role to play in helping to build a more cohesive community. Julie's email includes resources for staff to explore what's happening in recognition of Refugee Week, including details on a vigil that will be held in Melbourne tomorrow, 26 June. You can read Julie's full email here.  

Julie also emailed staff with an update on the work being done by the organisation to receive NDIS accreditation (National Disability Insurance Scheme). Jesuit Social Services has now met all accreditation standards, which means the organisation can begin delivering NDIS services in the second half of 2021. You can read Julie's full email here. 

Executive Director - Business Support, Phil Hodgson, wrote to staff reminding them that next week, the organisation's payroll systems will be transitioning to Preceda. Functionalities included in Preceda include leave balances, leave projection and leave applications, as well as Preceda generated payslips. Those wanting to access past payslips must download and save them to their files by 2 July 2021. To view user instructions for Preceda click here. You can read Phil's full email here.

Andy Hamilton SJ reflection for Refugee Week

In public debates, Governments will win more votes than they lose through the brutal treatment of refugees. If we care for refugees, then, we must be in for the long haul. When the national mood changes from suspicious of outsiders to a more hospitable outlook, we must be ready to encourage it, writes ANDY HAMILTON SJ during Refugee Week (June 20 to 26).

In the cruel world of the nineteenth century Industrial Revolution an English poet wrote an ironic version of the Ten Commandments as practiced in Great Britain. The Fifth Commandment was:

Thou shalt not kill, but needs not strive

Officiously to keep alive.

In Arthur Hugh Clough’s usage ‘officiously’ did not mean ‘bossily’ as it commonly does today, but as ‘one of the duties of your office’. The lines implied that governments and employers were not entitled to kill the people who depended on them, but had no responsibility to prevent them from dying of starvation.

As we mark Refugee Week (June 20 – 26th), Clough’s lines speak to our world, too. Throughout the world preoccupied with coronavirus and the difficulties of overcoming it, people are tempted to be focused on their own lives, their own families and their own nations. They may see people who are outside their own group or their own country sometimes as threats to their health to be expelled and excluded, sometimes as a burden, and always as people to whom they have no responsibility.

The show goes on

Despite a massive structural change and a second COVID lockdown, Jesuit Social Services’ Just Voices program has continued its long-time fruitful relationship with Catholic Boys College (CBC) in Windsor.

This year the College merged with the former Presentation Convent for Girls College and St. Marys Primary School to become the newly established St. Mary's College.

As part of its Refugee Week 2021 activities, St Mary's College recently hosted two Just Voices speakers: Agum Maluach (originally from Sudan) and Isaiah Lahai (originally from Sierra Leone).

Students were riveted by both presentations and about the difficulties facing refugees in their homelands, as well as their journeys to Australia.

Despite the many challenges they've faced, both Agum and Isaiah have uplifting and inspiring stories and have ultimately found peace and security in their new homes.

Agum told students her childhood memories of Sudan are of carefree days, hunting for small animals with her brothers and helping on the family farm. 

In 1997, however, her life was irrevocably turned upside down when civil war broke out in Sudan. “I remember the roar of the bomber jets coming from the North. Next, I remember running, screaming, terror and chaos.” 

Helping marginalised young jobseekers get back on track

As a young man, Rocky Dawson had contact with the prison system. Through his role as a Wellbeing Support Officer as part of Jesuit Social Services’ employment programs, he is now using his lived experience to help other young people in a similar position to get back on their feet and find meaningful work.

“There was none of this stuff back in my day, and I can tell you it is brilliant. There are people here to help and support young people who are facing challenges, as we want to see people thrive.”

Rocky provides direct support to young people, mainly those who have had contact with the justice system and who have faced challenging circumstances that mean they aren’t ready for work.

“It doesn’t do a person any good to be given an employment opportunity that they’re only going to lose because they are not ready for the job. Our support allows them the space and time to address the barriers they face prior to commencing employment,” explains Rob Auger – Manager Employment Services at Jesuit Social Services.

Pilot program preventing homelessness after prison

One of the key challenges experienced by people exiting the prison system is a lack of safe and secure housing. Nearly half of people who exit prison in Victoria do so into homelessness, and a 2019 snapshot of participants in Jesuit Social Services’ justice and crime prevention, and housing and complex needs programs found that 29 per cent of people were homeless.

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, Jesuit Social Services partnered with the Department of Justice and Community Safety to pilot an innovative temporary community residential facility in Melbourne, to prevent people from exiting prison into homelessness.

Initially established to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the community, the program – which provides wrap-around support as well as short-term housing – has made a big difference to the lives of vulnerable people.

Jesuit Social Services has joined an alliance of charities in opposition to proposed changes to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission’s (ACNC) governance standard 3, which could result in charities being deregistered if they or their supporters simply stand up for the rights of vulnerable people and communities. Read more here.

Aquinas College in Perth is using The Men’s Project’s Man Box research into the attitudes and behaviours of young Australian men to help inform its curriculum. Aquinas’ character education and leadership director Mark Weston says “if we can educate boys to recognise and understand the implications of the man box we can go a long way in improving their physical and mental health, plus their ability to build healthy relationships with females.” Read more here.

Queensland University of Technology has published a wrap-up of a recent webinar held by our Men’s Project. The webinar focused on fostering healthy masculinities among boys and young men, and was attended by almost 300 people. Read more here.

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