We begin our COVID-19 update with a video update from our CEO Julie Edwards. Julie discusses upcoming meetings between our Executive team and staff from our program areas, our upcoming All Staff Day, an update on our advocacy work, as well as the impact of the return to lockdown in Melbourne and Mitchell Shire.

Acting CEO Sally Parnell recently emailed all staff with updates and guidance on safe practices and enabling flexible arrangements that best suit teams depending on their local context and role. Garry Roach, GM Practice Development & Innovation, built on Sally's instruction in a follow-up email that included links to visual aids on the correct use of face masks.

As of Wednesday 22 July at 11:59pm, face coverings have been made mandatory for people living in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire. Face coverings must be worn when leaving home for one of the four permitted reasons. A detailed overview on newly enforced measure can be found on the DHHS site here.

Unpacking the Man Box is based on a survey of 1,000 young Australian men aged 18 to 30. The report builds on the findings of The Men’s Project’s 2018 report The Man Box.

The new study finds young Australian men’s belief in rigid masculine stereotypes has a stronger impact on whether they will use violence, sexually harass women, or experience mental ill-health themselves, than other factors including their education levels, where they live or their cultural heritage.

The report includes a range of recommendations to support young men to break free of the man box, live healthy lives and be their best selves.

Finding a Place in Australia

When Aman Genna came to Australia in 2013, he did so with the hope of finding “a better life”. As a degree qualified engineering surveyor with six years experience in road construction, road management and project management in Ethiopia, he was unprepared for difficulties he would encounter gaining employment in his chosen field.

Like many skilled arrivals to Australia, Aman found his lack of local knowledge to be one of the biggest obstacles to finding work. "The first couple of years were hard because I didn’t have local experience of Australia and I don’t have professional connections. Most of the companies were looking for professionally qualified people with local experience, which I didn’t have.”

#WorthASecondChance webinar

Join Jess Sanders and Andrew Yule from our #WorthASecondChance campaign on Monday 17 August at 4pm as they host a panel of knowledgeable guests working within trauma and education. 

Gaya Jambuligam, Program Coordinator at Jesuit Social Services’ Navigator program will provide an overview of the resources that Navigator can offer schools and will share some key insights that could prevent a young person from needing intensive support. 

Nick Grainger, an experienced trauma consultant will help you to identify the early warning signs of trauma in a young person and share best practice in responding to that trauma. 

Louise Mapeslton will speak about the referral process and give an overview of legal obligations when working directly with young people including mandatory reporting, failure to disclose and failure to protect obligations.  

There will be a focus on the schooling environment, however professionals working directly with young people in other contextswill also benefit from the learnings. 

This may be particularly useful for new staff who have not completed the internal two-day training offered on the LPDU training calendar, or for those who would like a brief refresher.

Visit https://events.humanitix.com/webinar-trauma-informed-practice-for-educators for more information and to reserve your place.

Volunteer Profile - Thomas Ponissi

In this series, we are profiling some of our amazing volunteers from across the organisation to learn more about what they do and what drives them. This week, we hear from Thomas Ponissi, a volunteer with our Settlement Program.

I am currently in university majoring in Human Rights but I’ve taken a year off to work and volunteer. A former teacher put me in touch with someone who works in human rights law; he suggested I look into Jesuit Social Services. Less than a month later, I was tutoring in Flemington and Sunshine! Volunteering is always the highlight of my week.

I volunteer with Homework Club at the Flemington towers (now over Zoom) two nights a week. I have also been involved with other Jesuit Social Services programs as a volunteer – the Language for Life adult education classes in Sunshine, as well as a pilot program for adult tutoring in conjunction with Victoria University and Victoria Police. 

Volunteering means that I can put my values into action and contribute to building a more equitable, sustainable Australia. Because I have met people of all ages and backgrounds, I have gained insight into countless different lifestyles. I have also come to understand issues of trauma — particularly, generational trauma and triggers — more sensitively. The effect a person’s past has on them in the present cannot be discounted or undervalued. 

I am incredibly fortunate to have met so many incredible volunteers and participants through Jesuit Social Services. I have been particularly impressed by the organisation’s inclusive and openly LGBTIQ+ friendly messaging; I have never felt uncomfortable or afraid to be who I am here. Jesuit Social is a genuine organisation that walks the walk. I am incredibly proud to be a volunteer with this forward-thinking, empathetic organisation. If more of Australia were like Jesuit Social Services, it would be a better, kinder country.

#WorthASecondChance Community Check-in: what do young people need in order to thrive?

In the latest #WorthASecondChance Community Check-in, Campaign Manager Jess Sanders talks to Ron Zarth, a support worker at Jesuit Social Services' Individual Support Program, about the challenges faced by young people in the justice system. Ron has been an important role model for the young men with which he's worked, many of whom do not have many positive male role models in their lives otherwise. In conversation with Jess, Ron reflects on the need for a different approach to youth justice and the importance of understanding the whole person. 

The Individual Support Program is a Housing and Complex Needs service that provides holistic support to people who present with multiple and complex needs. The Program's support workers mentor participants in a range of ways to improve their connection to community and develop independent living skills. 

The Victorian Government must act swiftly to release low-level prisoners and other vulnerable groups from the state’s prison system, following the news that six Victorian prisons are in lockdown after a staff member tested positive to COVID-19, says Jesuit Social Services. Read more here.

Following the release of the Unpacking the Man Box report, an article by co-author Dr. Michael Flood detailing the key findings of the report was featured in The Conversation. Read more here.

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