Welcome to another edition of Just News, and welcome to the National Week of Prayer and Action, where our CAPSA campaign calls on the community to take action and stand in solidarity with people seeking asylum. Read on for your invitation to tonight's CAPSA in Conversation webinar, plus a new video about our Community Connections Mentoring Program, and more. Enjoy the edition.

Thank you to the more than 80% of our staff who filled out our Staff Survey, which closed this morning! These contributions will be used by specialist research company, BPA Analytics, which will use our feedback to identify opportunities to improve both the quality of our services for participants and of working life for staff.

Speaking of our working lives, with the end of the year approaching quickly, our Business Support Services team has an overview of the types of leave available to us and how to apply – scroll down to their regular update for Preceda guidance.

CEO Julie Edwards has recorded a video message for all staff, and if you missed it in Just News 144, read our latest CEO Comms, where then-Acting CEO Sally Parnell updated us on key activities against our strategic pillars over the past month and shared our regular staff welcomes and farewells.

VIDEO | Watch our new short video about Community Connections Mentoring

This new video spotlights the work of our Community Connections Mentoring Program, which connects young people transitioning from out-of-home care with a mentor in the community.

Young people are strong and resilient, but face significant and at times overwhelming barriers in transitioning from out-of-home care. The Community Connections Mentoring program works together with young people and their mentors for a minimum of 12 months, to build their independence, increase opportunities for community connection, and build the skills and connections to exercise their agency and lead fulfilling, independent lives.

In this video, learn more about this important work, and meet a young man who connected with the program after ageing out of out-of-home care. And if you or someone you know are interested in volunteering as a mentor, good news! We're looking for mentors in communities around Melbourne's Mornington and Pakenham areas – learn more about what's required at the ads in those links.

UPDATE | The Homework Club is looking for volunteers!

Our long-running Homework Club is also looking for volunteers! Join our passionate group of volunteer tutors who support students living in the Flemington public housing estate with homework, encouragement, and community connection.

Jesuit Social Services staff are welcome and able to volunteer – our fundraising officer Mimmi Bjorkhagen (pictured above left with other Jesuit Social Services volunteers) tutors online on a Tuesday evening after finishing work at 5pm.

“Tutoring at Homework Club after work is so easy and convenient for me, and the kids need help to feel more confident and comfortable with their work, so it was an easy decision for me to join. Because we’re short on tutors I used to spend one hour with one kid but now I split my time between two, so if you’re considering volunteering, I would recommend!”

To learn more or express your interest in Homework Club tutoring, get in touch with our volunteer coordinator Branka Mladjen.

With the end of the year fast approaching, here's a reminder of the types of leave available to you, and how to enter them in Preceda:

You can amend any future leave requests in Preceda, under 'Active Requests' – but once a leave request has been processed (paid), you'll need to email Payroll with any changes.

Goodwill leave

As we did last year, all permanent Jesuit Social Services staff will receive three goodwill leave days this financial year. These can be taken on any three days from a list of nominated days. Those eligible goodwill days will be available in Preceda next week, from 3 October.

Purchased leave

No leave saved but big travel plans? An employee who has been continuously employed for 12 months or more is eligible to purchase additional annual leave – either:

• one week (five working days) or
• two weeks (ten working days)

in addition to their normal entitlement of four weeks, at a rate equivalent to one week’s pro-rata salary for each week of leave taken. 

Purchased leave falls under ‘Other Leave Types’, which require you to complete a specific leave form, not just a Preceda request. Find the (recently updated!) Purchased Leave Agreement Form that governs this arrangement on Gemba – it's form (8.5.1d).

Other leave types

We know purchased leave is an 'Other Leave Type', but do you know the eight other types of leave that require a completed Leave Form (8.5.1a)? They are:

• TIL
• Maternity Leave
• Parental Leave
• Study Leave
• Special Leave (with/without pay)
• Community Service Leave Jury Duty
• Blood Donor Leave
• Ceremonial Leave without pay
• Purchased Leave

Enjoy your holiday planning, and get your leave requests in as quickly as you can.

It's National Week of Prayer and Action – and it's not too late to register for tonight's CAPSA in Conversation webinar, which happens online at 6:30pm AEST. We'll hear from speakers with lived experience of seeking asylum about how we can take action in our own communities to support refugees and people seeking asylum.

National Week of Prayer and Action has also been in the media this week – read coverage at Catholic Outlook and CathNews, and our media release calling for a more compassionate response to people seeking asylum. Our school engagement work in Western Sydney was also featured in this Catholic Outlook piece.

And if you missed it in Just News 144, our Worth A Second Chance campaign is releasing fortnightly episodes of its eponymous podcast. Find new interviews with researcher Rob Bonnett and community development worker Dave Hammond here, or by searching Worth A Second Chance in your podcast app.

“The National Week of Prayer and Action is a chance for all Australians to hear the stories of people with lived experience of seeking asylum in Australia and those working tirelessly to support them, and learn more about how they can make a difference both in their local communities and in terms of advocating for systemic change."

— Julie Edwards, National Week of Prayer and Action media release, 5 September 2022

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