The Australia Post Metro Small Grants Program
An Australia Post and Sydney Community Foundation Partnership
Australia Post has formed a partnership with the Sydney Community Foundation (SCF) to deliver a small grants program offering grants of up to $1000.00 each to organisations with a focus on children and/or young people. The grants are to fund projects and activities that offer a clear public benefit for communities and contribute to their development in social and community welfare, environmental, education or cultural areas, and are for a charitable purpose. Priority will be given to projects that address youth, education and arts and culture.
The Sydney Community Foundation congratulates the following organisations who were successful applicants in this program. As you will see, they are a diverse range of organisations who are working towards making Sydney a sustainable and inclusive community for all.
Cabramatta Community Centre is a community based organisation which has been providing a wide range of welfare services to the aged, young people, women, ethnic communities, newly arrived migrants and refugees and children since 1979.
The Healthy Lifestyles Xray'd project ran for six weeks. It had both a physical activity component and a nutritional focus as a means to promote healthy lifestyles among local young people. A fitness instructor and a nutritionist worked with the participants as they provided outdoor activities, opportunities to prepare simple and nutritious meals and provided information on nutrition with referrals to sporting activities in the Fairfield local government area.
www.cabracc.org.au
Canterbury City Community Centre operates as a community hub in which multiple services and activities are offered including computer classes, playgroups and garden care.
Its Read Together project supplied books and literacy aids for parents of pre-school aged children to read together. The project relied upon the support of Lakemba Library staff and initially helped 15 families. Upon completion, the project's books were donated to Lakemba Library enabling many more residents to be assisted.
www.4cs.org.au
Dance Oolites helps children and adolescents with varying disabilities such as Down Syndrome, autism and hearing impairment through dance-exercise therapy.
Pride, Performance & Peace of Mind enabled dance leotards to be purchased and worn when Dance Oolite members are performing in front of an audience. Properly fitted leotards enabled greater freedom of movement whilst maintaining dignity and discretion during performances. Ultimately, leotards will be handed down to younger members as they are outgrown.
www.danceoolites.com
Glebe Police and Community Youth Club (PCYC) focuses on diverting youth at risk and young offenders away from anti-social behaviour and the criminal justice system by providing opportunities for positive development and support.
PCYC's project Through the Gap - Supporting Youth Learning provided young people who were unable to attend mainstream schooling the opportunity to continue their education in an environment that facilitates learning opportunities. After completion of the project the young people involved have obtained their Year 10 School Certificate and case plans will be developed to look at future options including further study and job prospects.
www.pcycnsw.org/glebe
Learning Links works in partnership with families to assist children who have difficulty learning. It does this by offering specialist literacy and numeracy support for school aged children, family counselling and professional development.
Literacy and Numeracy Support for Children Struggling to Learn subsidised the cost of the organisation's intervention programs for children from low income families. These programs cater for small groups of up to five students in an engaging and interactive learning environment and are supported by individual education plans, speech and language pathologists and an occupational therapist.
www.learninglinks.org.au
Nepean Youth Accommodation Service provides accommodation and support services to young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with a view to transitioning young people to safe and independent living.
The Nepean Youth College project helped clients of the service who may have literacy issues. It paid for the TAFE fees of 20 young people and offered a Year 10 equivalent Certificate 1 TAFE OTEN course. Designed to give young people the opportunity to catch up on their education, it also developed their social skills and study habits.
www.nyas.org.au
South Sydney Community Aid Co-op Ltd provides activities for families in the local community that are socially inclusive and embrace cultural diversity.
The Co-op's project Playgroups in the Park is a joint initiative of local community members and workers and provided an outdoor, informal event with a range of activities and entertainment for children under school age. In addition, community and family support information for parents and carers were made available at the event.
www.ssca.org.au
Sutherland Police and Community Youth Club (PCYC) works with young people aged 1 to 18 years old to develop skills, character and leadership. It has developed a partnership with a local crisis accommodation service, Amelie House, which assists families escaping from domestic violence.
Their joint project - Amelie House and Sutherland PCYC Youth Partnership - provided free membership and class activities to referred young people from Amelie House. This project enabled Amelie House mothers to join PCYC's Kindergym classes and their 5 to 18 year olds to choose from various club classes and activities.
www.pcycnsw.org/sutherland
The Infants Home Rigby House provides childcare and integrated services for children who are at risk or living with a disability and their families. The Infants Home's belief is that every child has the opportunity from early childhood to develop the skills and abilities needed to meet life's challenges and opportunities.
Rigby's Library and Documentation Area helps up to 29 children a day as well as their parents, caregivers and families by purchasing books for their library. Staff document the children's engagement in literacy, social, cognitive and language-based activities.
www.theinfantshome.org.au
The Junction Works Ltd is a community based organisation providing services for people with special needs living in the south-west Sydney area. Its main activities include support and mentoring groups, individual counselling, family fun day and sibling retreats.
Brotha's & Sista's - the untold story of siblings project forms part of The Junction Works' support programs for siblings of children with disabilities. The aim of the program was to reduce isolation, increase social networks, enhance coping skills and improve self-esteem. The project invited young people to participate in a creative writing workshop with all of their stories combined to make a book. The book will be distributed and offers an insight for parents, service providers, teachers and peers on how these young people feel growing up with a sibling with a disability.
www.thejunctionworks.org