WestSeed: Here are the organisations supporting decent work and saying no to poverty
The percentage of Australians that are unemployed is at the lowest rate in a decade. What have we got to worry about?
Let’s look at why the Sustainable Development Goals No Poverty (goal 1) and Decent Work and Economic Growth (goal 8) are so vital to building a more equitable society.
While low unemployment levels are undoubtedly a good thing, we need to look a little deeper to understand the challenges facing disadvantaged people in our communities and the essential role played by community organisations in Melbourne’s West.
While the unemployment rate has dropped, the underemployment remains an issue, with 33 million fewer hours worked as a result of recent lockdowns. Underemployment is connected to jobs that are lower-paid or for a limited number of hours. This means that many people are working fewer hours and earning less. There is less money for food, bills, clothes and other essential costs.
Poverty also remains a significant issue, as the following illustrates:
13% of Victorians live in poverty
Almost 18% of Australia children live in poverty according to the ACOSS and UNSW Poverty and Inequality 2020 Report
The Australian Bureau of Statistics found that Australian wages are growing slowly, but they are at their lowest in more than 20 years
Women and girls, people with a disability, and migrants born in non-English speaking countries and renting households have greater rates of poverty.
According to the Smith Family, this has severe consequences for children, with disadvantaged students on average 2-3 years behind in reading and maths. You can learn more about these issues through our blog posts focussing on different Sustainable Development Goals:
Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
Goal 4: Quality Education (forthcoming)
What can we do?
Companies play a big part in ensuring that we have sustainable economic growth. Focussing on youth employment and education, diversification and upgraded technologies and promoting safe working environments are just a few ways to increase decent work, and a no poverty future.
Community organisations in Melbourne’s West are doing a wide range of things to help support people to find decent work and meet the needs of people experiencing poverty. You can learn more about them here:
African Australian Network in Victoria Inc.
African Australian Network in Victoria, a member of the United Nations, aims to provide poverty relief and to help people achieve their goals, to improve their overall wellbeing. They have 60 volunteers working in the organisation, helping people fill out forms, find childcare, jobs and housing and assisting young people with homework. Their targets and goals are to make sure we are creating better living standards for our fellow humans.
Phone: 0431 465 498
Email: info@africanaustraliannetwork.org.au
Sunshine Youth Space offers a safe, apolitical and non-religious space for youths aged between 12 and 25 years of age, to participate in free sports and other activities. It opened its doors in 2018 to address the gaps in youth services after a series of consultations between Brimbank Youth Services and Sunshine Uniting Church.
It creates a relaxing environment where young people can explore new interests, learn new skills and make friends at the same time. They also have helped students with different school subjects during lockdowns and this free program is still continuing!
Sunshine Youth Space also provides The Youth Business Program, which supports youth led businesses by offering free marketing opportunities to increase their customer base and sales target. Sunshine Youth Space is also open to collaborating with individuals, schools or organisations on youth projects and events.
All programs are run by an enthusiastic group of volunteers and all levels of skills and expertise offered by volunteers are welcomed.
Opening Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3pm to 6pm
Phone: 0438 611 680
Email: coordinator@sunshineyouthspace.com
Voice of Christ Women Fellowship
VOC Women's Fellowship are a church group located in Sunshine. They aim to serve the most vulnerable people in their community by doing the work of God.
Voice Of Christ Full Gospel Church
Email: vaovais@gmail.com
Youth Now are a dynamic social change agency dedicated to co-designing effective training & employment services for youth in Melbourne's west.
Phone: (03) 8311 5800
Email: info@youthnow.org.au
Africause aims to support, facilitate and engage the African-Australian community in all areas of life – socio-cultural, economic, sport or political. They help build their resilience as active citizens where they are directly involved in identifying and managing solutions to impediments to their full participation as members of the broader Australian society.
Phone: 03 9042 1604
Email: harmony@africause.org.au
Oromo Refugee Service Association
Oromo refugee services Association (ORSA) is a not-for profit organisation with the main objective of supporting Oromo refugees in any field of resettlement process.
Phone: 0412563474
Email: oromoaus@gmail.com
The Yarraville Community Centre is a vibrant community hub that provides education, training and support to more than 2000 people each week.
As a community-managed adult education provider in western metropolitan Melbourne, they offer a wide range of courses. But there’s much more.
They provide community services such as free public access to computers, occasional childcare and service referrals. They can develop curriculum and manage projects. Their facilities are available for support groups that benefit the local community, and their multipurpose rooms can be hired for meetings and functions.
Phone: 9687 1560
Email: info@ycc.net.au
Somali Community Inc. Victoria
Somali Community Inc. (SCI) is a non-for-profit Community Organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. The community was established in 1990 to support and represent the Somali community in Victoria Australia. Somali community Inc. is one of the first African community established in Melbourne and has the largest community in Victoria, mostly living in inner city area and suburbs particularly Flemington, North Melbourne, Carlton, Kensington, Ascot Vale, Fitzroy and nearby areas. SCI work in the area where most of the African-Australian Communities in Victoria live and cater to all sorts of situations and needs.
Email: admin@somalicommunity.org.au
Centre for Migrant Workers of Concern
Centre for Migrant Workers Concern (CMWC) provides welfare services advocacy for people in Australia on temporary visas. They provide campaign for worker who was abused by employer.
Phone: 0411 406 700
Email: maykotsakis@gmail.com
Gabriela Australia (Association of Filipino Women)
Gabriela Australia provides education and information sessions on the rights and welfare of women and children, with a focus on the areas of health and family violence. The association also provides support to victims and/or survivors of family violence and sexual assault which include accompanying or representing to various groups and/or agencies, referral, counselling, community support and other support such document preparation.
Phone: 0411 406 700
Email: maykotsakis@gmail.com
Junubi Wyndham (JW) connects South Sudanese youth with education, employment and their community through sport and recreational activities, mentoring, family support and youth outreach. JW is funded by the Office of Youth, supported by Wyndham Community & Education Centre Inc (Wyndham CEC) and managed and staffed by people from South Sudanese backgrounds and has a focus on building the capacity of individuals and community through youth outreach, case management, and family financial support.
Phone: (03) 9742 4013
Email: csg@wyndhamcec.org.au
The Migrant Hub Inc - WynTREE Nursery Co-operative
WynTREE is a social enterprise and tree farm that will create employment opportunities to grow trees and plants to supply local councils, VicRoads and landscaping and housing businesses. It also aims to promotes active citizenship and social cohesion by providing opportunities for asylum seekers and migrants to participate in local community activities.
Phone: 0422452019
Email: wv@tpg.com.au
Migrante International Australia
Migrante International is an active defender & advocate of the rights and welfare of overseas Filipino workers by raising public awareness on their plight. They also and provide critical analysis of the Philippine government’s labour export policy program as the main factor responsible for the commodification of Filipino workers. Migrante Australia is a member of Migrante International. It has state chapters such as Migrante Melbourne here in Victoria. Migrante Australia organises advocacy campaigns and provides various welfare supports & services to Australia's Filipino migrant population.
Phone: 0425 796901
Email: rauldiche@gmail.com
The Oromo women’s Networking group (Wyndham)
The aim of this group is to bring the community together, to stay connected to the local community centre and get support, understand differences, mix with diverse people, learn about cultural barriers and understand more about the Australian lifestyle.
Email: rahima1987@yahoo.com.au
Prayas Inc organisation organise and hold events. They organise cultural functions (predominantly Indian) but also generic events such as women's luncheons and karaoke in the Manor Lakes area. They also fundraise and are involved in Emergency Relief and is supporting United Sikhs by raising money to buy oxygen cylinders and concentrators to fight the Covid-19 situation in India. Your contribution will make a significant impact in saving lives.
Email: prayas3024@gmail.com
Whitelion began in 1999 with the vision to ‘stop the revolving door’ for young people leaving the justice system. We are committed to highly vulnerable, high risk young people and the importance of reducing disengagement and increasing pathways to work.
Phone: 1300 669 600
Email: whitelion@whitelion.asn.au
The organisations listed above are part of WestSeed 1.0.
See all the WestSeed blogs to get inspired by the wonderful organisations in Melbourne’s west.