Stronger communities
Supporting place-based approaches that emphasise community strengths, resilience and self determination.
Volunteers at Jesuit Social Services' Ecological Justice Hub in Brunswick
Place-based work
Supporting place-based initiatives across Australia and building on Jesuit Social Services’ long-term place-based work
The Centre is working with a range of cross-sectoral stakeholders to support and enable place-based approaches to social and ecological justice, and building on Jesuit Social Services’ long term place-based work in Western Sydney and the Northern Territory.
Amplifying lived experience
People who come into contact with the social, health and justice services have important knowledge about the system’s ability to meet their needs. Embedding the voices of lived experience in service design, integration and delivery can improve outcomes for people accessing these services.
Understanding disadvantage, equity, and wellbeing
We’re leading action and advocacy on Jesuit Social Services’ Dropping off the Edge research findings, which build an unparalleled picture of persistent and multilayered disadvantage across Australia. The Centre will also lead future iterations of this research, building in a stronger emphasis on strength-based indicators.
Working in place
Providing flexible responses to local community needs.
Western Sydney Program
Since 2008, Jesuit Social Services has been building on the strengths of Western Sydney communities to support them to break out of the cycle of disadvantage.
We work in partnership with Mount Druitt’s Holy Family Parish, community leaders and local organisations. Mount Druitt has the largest urban Aboriginal population in Australia. Jesuit Social Services partners with Aboriginal organisations and Elders to deliver a series of culturally safe initiatives.
Learn more
Volunteers at out Willmot Community Hub in Western Sydney
Northern Territory Program
Jesuit Social Services has had a presence in the Northern Territory since 2010, and delivers a range of programs across Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs.
Ecological Justice Hub
Jesuit Social Services’ Ecological Justice Hub is a permaculture garden dedicated to both social and environmental justice.
The Hub uses ecological action to address disadvantage through education and training, demonstration projects, and community engagement.
Enabling climate justice
Climate change is a social justice issue. Increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves, bushfires, floods, storms and drought are disproportionally impacting communities with existing experiences of social, economic and health inequity. For example, people with access to leafy green suburbs, air-conditioning and well-insulated housing have vastly different experiences of extreme heatwaves than people who don’t.
Community service and health organisations have an essential role to play in strengthening local resilience, yet the sector itself is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, risking service continuity and support for the communities they work with.
Our climate justice approach brings attention to the root causes of these intersecting inequities, and the actions required to shift them – including the critical work of community service and health organisations. The projects below aim to build resilience for people most at-risk to the localised impacts of climate change, through place-based, collaborative, and community-led responses.