Working in place

Our work in Western Sydney

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 use a place-based, community development approach to support community members to develop local solutions to local problems and currently support the Western Sydney Community in two key ways:

Community building

• Willmot Community Hub – a thriving community centre which offers a range of programs including Early Childhood Nurse Clinic, Paediatric Clinic, Afterschool programs, school holiday programs, parent support groups and a range of social recreational and cultural groups and activities.
• Parenting support – we deliver therapeutic groups for Aboriginal women experiencing vulnerability during pregnancy and in their children’s early years. This program is delivered in close partnership with Baabayn Aboriginal Corporation.
• Pathways to Participation – Jesuit Social Services employs local people and engages a team of local volunteers to provide pathways to enhanced community participation, skill building and employment.
• Schools and community engagement – we support high school students to become more aware and active in social justice through volunteering. The program helps students and staff from Sydney to deepen their understanding of the experiences and struggles that many community members in Western Sydney grapple with every day.

Food security and ecological justice – social enterprises

• Ignite Food Store – this initiative enhances food security by rescuing food waste and bringing low-cost food to the Mount Druitt Community. We also sell good quality used toys, clothes, books and household goods at an affordable price through the Ignite Op Shop.
• Currawong Kitchen – a social enterprise with a focus on training and employing local people, that supplies healthy and affordable food to the canteens at Willmot Public School, Lethbridge Park Public School and catering to the general community.
• The Open Pantry – which has supplemented Jesuit Social Services’ food security projects in Western Sydney since 2022 by offering rescued and donated food at a low cost to the local community in Blackett.

Contact us

westernsydney@jss.org.au

Our work in the Northern Territory

We commenced our engagement in the Northern Territory in 2007 and now have offices in Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs. Our work began when we were invited to collaborate with the Eastern and Central Arrente people to establish a sustainable governance process for people residing in the remote community of Ltyente Apurte (Santa Teresa).

This led to people from other remote communities approaching our organisation seeking assistance, including the Harts Range and Kintore communities in the Northern Territory and the Bourke Aboriginal Community in New South Wales. In addition to communities seeking assistance, Jesuit Social Services was also approached by Aboriginal controlled community organisations.

During over 15 years of operations in the Northern Territory we have also: provided community capacity building support through the Stronger Communities for Children program in the remote communities of Atitere, Bonya, Engawala and Ltyente Apurte; provided capacity building support in a number of other locations, including Wadeye; commenced restorative practice programs in youth justice; and supported workforce development through delivery of training in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and Darwin.

Our programs

We deliver Youth Justice Group Conferencing in Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine, and remote communities as required. We also deliver the Back on Track program in Katherine and in 2024 received funding to collaborate with the K-Town Justice Group, Savanna Solutions and Flinders University to deliver Justice Reinvestment in Katherine.

We are also partnering with local organisations and communities working towards climate justice in the Northern Territory.

Our capacity building

Our approach encompasses four key outcome areas:

1. Governance – Jesuit Social Services has worked alongside the Eastern and Central Arrernte in Central Australia since 2008 to assess local need, identify priorities and implement community development plans. The effectiveness of our work in this community is best demonstrated by the establishment of the Atyenhenge Atherre Aboriginal Corporation (AAAC) in Ltyente Apurte which today works to support the Community to build a positive future for their families. Jesuit Social Services remains strongly connected to Ltyente Apurte.

2. Partnering in service delivery – Jesuit Social Services partners in service delivery with Tangentyere Council in Alice Springs and with Grassroots Youth Engagement in Palmerston. In addition, over the past 12 months, we have been providing secretariat support for the K Town Justice Group to help determine what a justice reinvestment model could look like in the Katherine Community. In April 2024, the K Town Justice Group were successful in receiving funding to deliver this project through a consortium made up of Savanna Solutions (a local Aboriginal organisation), Jesuit Social Services and Flinders University. In establishing and developing these partnerships Jesuit Social Services maintains its capacity building focus by accompanying organisations and strengthening their capacity to deliver programs independently and without our involvement.

3. Strengthening service delivery – Jesuit Social Services’ Learning and Practice Development Unit has been travelling to Alice Springs for over ten years to deliver training in foundational practice areas such as Case Notes and File Record Keeping, Supervision, Case Management and Self Care. We have found that due to a high turnover of front-line service delivery staff in the Northern Territory, demand for training is high, and our sessions are well attended and well received.

Delivery of training to the community sector in Alice Springs has led to requests from key service providers for training programs tailored to specific programs and teams.  Over the past decade, tailored training programs have been designed and delivered to Tangentyere Council, the Mental Health Association of Central Australia, the Alice Springs Women’s Shelter, the Alice Springs Prison, Waltja Tjutangku Playapayi Aboriginal Corporation, the Purple House and Anyinginyi Health in Tennant Creek.

In 2023, the training offering was strengthened by funding from the NT Government’s Department of Health to deliver training to youth workers in Trauma Informed Care and Supporting Young People to Make Healthy Choices in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Darwin and Katherine.

4. Specific projects – Jesuit Social Services undertakes specific projects at the request of indigenous communities and organisations. One example is the photo archiving project we undertook at the request of the Eastern and Central Arrernte people, another is the process evaluation of the Marra’ka Mbarintja: Men’s Family Violence Prevention Program in partnership with Tangentyere Council and the Alice Springs’ Women’s Shelter.

Contact us

northernterritory@jss.org.au