Mission Australia announces winners of our 'Celebrate Award' for outstanding Volunteers

As strong advocates for empowering vulnerable people in the community, and demonstrating amazing commitment, perseverance and passion, Mission Australia proudly awarded Carolina Soto and Iresha Siridwardana with the Volunteer Celebrate Award for June 2009.

Carolina and Iresha both belong to the association, NSW Young Lawyers. All members are under 25 and undertake voluntary work. Both Carolina and Iresha share a special interest in working with refugee clients, identified as one of the most vulnerable groups in our community.

Over the last year Carolina and Iresha organised three workshops for the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Scheme in Sydney and Newcastle. They provided essential legal information to newly arrived refugees, informing them of their rights and responsibilities in Australia. Although they are both full-time lawyers, they devoted their limited spare time to developing, coordinating and facilitating these workshops. Always maintaining great respect for the knowledge and expertise of our service staff, they shaped their presentations accordingly.

Carolina commented that the most rewarding aspect of volunteering with Mission Australia was ‘without a doubt, working alongside Mission Australia's energetic staff and meeting all of the participants who have been part of the workshops. They have taught me so much in return about their culture and their understanding of the Australian legal system’.

Iresha echoes this, saying ‘the wonderful thing about working with MA is that they adapt and embrace new ideas. We have found that when ever we come to MA with an idea the team make every effort to make that idea into a reality. So really anyone who wants to volunteer need only come with passion.’

The success of each workshop can be attributed to the time Carolina and Iresha invested in perfecting each topic area, with weeks of liaison with our staff. Feedback from the clients, mainly of refugee status, was positive and indicated that they had gained a greater knowledge and confidence about Australian law. They appreciated the compassion and respect that Carolina and Iresha displayed at all times.

In turn, Iresha shared how she was inspired by the clients. ‘Talking to the participants and understanding their individual needs and listening to their life experiences has been very rewarding...I always left the workshops filled with much admiration for the participants and I am eternally thankful that they shared their stories with us.’

Congratulations Carolina and Iresha on this award and we thank you for your contribution to the vision of seeing a fairer Australia! We are sure you have inspired staff across Mission Australia to seek new ways to engage volunteers and to encourage more people within the community can share their talents in unique ways.

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The Celebrate Awards are a national program throughout Mission Australia that congratulate, recognise and reward our hard working staff as well as our volunteers.

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Mission Australia launches Reconciliation Action Plan

Mission Australia has become the first major Australian welfare organisation to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) – a strategy for how it intends to contribute to reducing the gap in living standards between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians based on respect and partnership.

Mission Australia’s RAP was developed over many months of consultation with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff, Indigenous groups and with significant input from Reconciliation Australia.
As part of Mission Australia’s RAP the organisation is committed to (among other things):

• Establishing regular and ongoing contact with relevant Indigenous peak bodies at state/territory and national levels and forging links with traditional owners at every location around the country where it provides a service.
• All staff undertaking Indigenous cultural appreciation training as part of their induction.
• In services specific to Indigenous people – or with a high number of Indigenous clients – staff will receive specific and locally relevant cultural training.
• All Mission Australia services participating in at least two events of Indigenous culture or celebration each year.
• Mission Australia will increase its Indigenous employees by 50 in three years.
• Service managers will report each year on progress including: consultation with local Indigenous groups, initiatives to improve service-accessibility to Indigenous people; and targets for Indigenous trainees and employees.

Mission Australia’s CEO, Toby Hall, said the RAP was a crucial part of the organisation’s contribution to ‘closing the gap’ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

“Mission Australia developed a statement of principles for working with Indigenous Australians in 2007, but we needed a concrete way of giving life to the document and putting our principles into practice,” said Mr Hall.

“Our Reconciliation Action Plan puts Indigenous Australians and their needs at the heart of our organisation.

“We felt very strongly that we couldn’t just talk about reconciliation and closing the gap – we had to do something substantial that built on our already significant work in Indigenous communities.”
Reconciliation Australia's chief executive Paul O'Callaghan congratulated Mission Australia on being the first major Australian welfare group to develop a RAP.

“Mission Australia has approached the task as core business," said Mr O'Callaghan.

“As a result, the RAP represents a framework for understanding a client group better so programs can be delivered more effectively.

“It provides a valuable model for other organisations already working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people because it rejects complacency and embraces a process of ongoing learning.”

Media inquiries: Patrick Flynn (02) 9641 5031 or 0407 411 256

Mission Australia celebrates 150 years of running strong at the Gold Coast Marathon.

Earlier this month more than 50 staff, friends and family of Mission Australia competed in the Gold Coast Airport Marathon to celebrate our 150th anniversary.

Mission Australia is one of the nation's leading community service and employment organisations - last year alone we helped more than 330,000 people. Since 1859 Mission Australia has been helping disadvantaged Australians get back on their feet, and today we are as committed as ever in tackling unemployment, homelessness, poverty, and family breakdown.

The Gold Coast Marathon is one of the primary Queensland events to celebrate our 150th anniversary. It is also an opportunity to recognise and reward our staff for their ongoing efforts and dedication to their clients.

Our staff were joined by Mission Australia's CEO Toby Hall, Queensland Director Tony Stevenson, and Employment Services Executive Leader Leisa Hart, to compete in the Marathon's Corporate Teams Challenge. After the event the team was treated to a sausage sizzle lunch at the Mission Australia tent.

Mission Australia thanks all staff, family and friends for making this year's race another fantastic event.

Special thanks to those that arranged sponsorship for the run via the Everyday Hero fundraising page - for more information please visit www.everydayhero.com.au/event/goldcoastmarathon09.

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Photos from race day:

Go without…And be part of Mission Australia’s Winter Sleepout

Australians have been supporting the Mission Australia Winter Sleepout for years. In fact, ever since our very first Winter Sleepout back in 1988, thousands of people across the nation have shown their support of homeless people by giving up their own warm beds for a piece of pavement in the height of winter.

Traditionally Mission Australia organised Winter Sleepout as a single event in one location, held on one day of the year; such as in 1998 when our supporters slept on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. Recently though, we have moved toward a more flexible arrangement that allows our supporters to choose the day and location that suits them. This has allowed supporters to essentially run their very own Winter Sleepout on their terms.

Take up the challenge!
The Winter Sleepout has proven to be an easy and interactive way for you to raise money for Mission Australia homeless services. All that’s required is for you to get a group of your friends, colleagues or social team together and sleep-out in your school, auditorium, church, stadium or office for one night. Your efforts are rewarded with the sponsorship from your family and friends.

There are 105,000 homeless Australians who could do with your support, so order your Winter Sleepout kit today.

To do so email the community fundraising team at communityfundraising@missionaustralia.com.au or click here to visit our Community Fundraising page.

Thank-you Yohei!

Our intrepid supporter Yohei Takahashi has finished his epic 7000km cycle- with fundraising going to MA's Youth services: http://is.gd/1tdNc

ABC's 7.30 Report story on Mission Australia's Pasifika program

Earlier this week ABC TV's 7.30 Report ran a story on Mission Australia's Pasifika - a successful juvenile justice program our organisation ran in south west Sydney until recently.

Every day across Australia around 1,000 young people are held in detention. With state governments increasingly imposing tougher bail on young offenders detention numbers are at a four year high and costs are spiralling. Pasifika shows how the problem can be solved for a fraction of the price.

To view the full 7.30 Report story, please click here.

ABC News coverage of the Charcoal Lane service launch yesterday

Last night ABC News reported the opening of Mission Australia's social enterprise cafe, Charcoal Lane in Fitzroy, Melbourne.

• To view ABC News coverage, please click here
• To view the related news article on ABC's Indigenous News page, please click here