Just News
Welcome back to Just News! In this edition: an important email from Julie Edwards about 26 January, our staff training calendar is published (and packed with six months' worth of exciting and useful up-skilling opportunities!), and in Melbourne, we're joining Midsumma Festival, in solidarity and celebration with this city's vibrant LGBTIQA+ community. Stay safe and cool, and enjoy the edition.
An important message about 26 January
CEO Julie Edwards has emailed all staff to articulate Jesuit Social Services' position about celebrating Australia Day on 26 January, express our solidarity with First Nations people, and give staff the opportunity to work 26 January and substitute another day of leave.
Catch us at Melbourne's Midsumma Festival!
As part of Jesuit Social Services’ commitment to diversity and to connecting with the communities we both serve and are part of, we're proud to have a presence at the LGBTIQA+ summer festival, Midsumma Carnival, on 22 January. All are welcome to attend.
Staff training calendar for January-June is here!
Our training calendar for January to June 2023 is out (and is now published online). View the calendar, bookmark the weblink, and request to enrol in training like harm minimisation, LGBTIQA+ inclusive practice, exploring culture, supervising students, using JeSS, plus more.
Rainbow Training deadline extended to 27 January
Thank you to the approximately 280 staff members who have completed the Rainbow Training: Enhancing Cultural Safety module as part of our Rainbow Tick accreditation! Learn more about next steps in this process, and finish the training by 27 January if you haven't already.
Business Support Services
Important updates from our operations teams.
No need to manually update Gemba!
We know when you start working at Jesuit Social Services there are an abundance of systems to log on to, update, and familiarise ourselves with. Recently we’ve noticed that some people are updating their Gemba profile to include personal information such as contact numbers, emergency contacts, and home details. There’s no need to do this: HR has this information stored securely in their systems. There’s no danger in having it in Gemba – only people with admin rights can see it – but there’s no need and no benefit. If you’ve updated this information in your profile please feel free to delete it.
Media, news and events
Dates to add to your diary and Jesuit Social Services in the news.
Media
Our Worth A Second Chance podcast was in The Age over Christmas – listen to the episode mentioned, with Arrernte and Amjatere elder Pat Ansell Dodds, here.
And if you missed it over the break, we've published a list of 12 positive steps in youth justice in 2022 at Worth A Second Chance's blog. Another great list featuring our work is health website Croakey's 10 Things We Learnt in 2022 piece, which quotes Jesuit Social Services arguing that addressing the social determinants of health is critical to just and equitable responses to climate change.
Events
If you missed our December Lunchtime Learning session navigating us through our new website, fear not: it'll run again on Thursday, 16 February, 12pm-12:30pm AEDT. The calendar invite and Zoom link came from Cath Neville on 12 December.
Ecological justice
How we're enacting our commitment to ecological justice across the organisation – acknowledging the intersection of social and environmental justice in everything we do.
Engaging with nature to enrich your work with participants
Increasing evidence in mental health practice is highlighting the positive impact time in nature has on people's mental wellbeing. In May, the Centre for Just Places will facilitate Practice Ecology, an introductory workshop on the principles and practical applications of engaging with nature as part of our work. Open Jesuit Social Services’ staff training calendar for more information.
What role do local councils play in building climate-resilient communities?
More frequent and intense extreme weather events, such as the recent floods across Australia’s east and in northern Western Australia, highlight the importance of coordinated and effective climate change responses by all levels of government. Alongside system-wide action, local adaptation plans are crucial to preventing, preparing for, and minimising climate impacts, and should go beyond emergency management to building climate-resilient communities. In a recently published piece for Council magazine, the Centre for Just Places explores the important role local governments play in understanding who in their communities will be most impacted and how best to reduce those vulnerabilities.
Like what you've read?
Share your thoughts
Send your feedback, updates, questions and tips to Just News.
