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It’s been another year of making an impact for our local people, organisations and communities.

And in the face of the continuing global pandemic, this impact has never been more important. Through these challenges we’ve really seen why what we do matters, and how a strong, resilient and connected community is crucial – especially in tough times.

Our commitment to opening up opportunities to participate remained stronger than ever, as we explored new directions and built on existing initiatives in our key focus areas: community support, volunteering, learning and partnerships.

In response to changing needs, our on-the-ground work with and for our community shifted. Many volunteers in programs put on hold due to COVID restrictions were keen to assist however they could, with several coming on board to deliver meals to vulnerable people through our Laneway – Cafe without Borders community meal program, transporting people to non-emergency medical appointments, and helping out with essential shopping.

With the impact of volunteering more clear than ever, we continued our work strengthening other volunteer-involving organisations, and promoting the act of volunteering itself. A significant achievement included launching the Think Impact report Volunteering, Participatory Action and Social Cohesion, which examined broadening the scope of the volunteer support sector to build social cohesion. The report sets out how the current national volunteer support infrastructure can transition to better contribute to all dimensions of social cohesion, and will underpin our position as a place-based organisation working to strengthen and mobilise individuals, community groups and organisations to build on our community assets.

‘We’ve really seen why what we do matters, and how a strong, resilient and connected community is crucial.’

Like many organisations, the global disruption of this year also gave us the chance to review all parts of our business with our long-term direction in mind. While any disruption can be difficult to manage, it gave us the opportunity to rethink what we do and finesse our vision for future development and stabilisation, so we can continue to deliver sustainable programs for our community in the years to come.

This review resulted in taking early action across a range of financial measures to offset the effects of losses in the previous financial year, combined with the impact of continuing COVID restrictions.

Measures included ceasing non-financially viable programs, selling non-essential assets, changing the business model for Laneway Cafe, and reviewing expenditure and staffing structures.

Through these steps and the tremendous work ethic of our team, we’ve been able to reduce our liabilities and set the Centre for Participation up to continue to meet the needs of our community in the long-term.

This year also saw the Board and management team further develop our vision for the future through the completion of our 2021–24 strategic plan. It brings together the insights uncovered during strategic planning workshops held in late 2020, exploring where we are now, where we’re going and how we’ll get there.

As we reflect on the year that was and the impact we’ve made, we’re incredibly grateful to our Board, team, volunteers, partners and wider community for their part in making it happen. By building on the impact we’ve made and the stability we’ve achieved, we know we have a strong platform to help us continue to grow and support our community – well into the future.

– Robbie Millar, Acting CEO and Ray Kingston, Chair

To read more about our impact throughout the past year, check out our latest annual report.

2020-21 Annual Report.

Tender Opportunity to evaluate the youth crime prevention program “Connecting the Service Puzzle”

Through the governments Community Crime prevention Program, the Centre for Participation was awarded a further $100 000.00 for the ‘Connecting the Service Puzzle for Youth at Risk – Outreach to Mentoring’   project to continue to provide case management and support for highly vulnerable young people through the projects framework for identifying, engaging and providing linked services through a collective partnership during the 2021-2022 year.  

The Youth Crime Prevention grants program aims to address offending behaviours and recidivism among young people aged 10-24 years who have had contact with or have demonstrated risk of being involved with the criminal justice system by building strong community involvement, address service gaps and improve service accessibility. The ‘Connecting the Service Puzzle for Youth at Risk – Outreach to Mentoring’ project is a multi-agency approach to supporting our most vulnerable and at-risk young people in the Horsham area.

The project was designed to focus on young people exhibiting risk factors that are classified by the Department of Justice and Community Safety as demonstrating offending and recidivist behaviours and considered “highly vulnerable” of becoming involved with the justice system.

Risk factors for “highly vulnerable” young people include behaviours such as criminal activity, drug and alcohol consumption, disengagement from family and/or family violence, left home or homelessness, not engaged with the education system and/or truancy, frequent unprotected sex and mental health issues affecting their personal and social functioning, and contact with Victoria Police.

The Project Governance Group has allocated $15,000 to undertake the scope of work. Conforming tenders would need to be within this monetary amount.

Click here for tender

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Want to support local small businesses during this tough time?

Big thanks to Uniting Wimmera Disability participants for their special cards that will be sent with each pack.

The Centre for Participation works to strengthen individuals, organisations and communities.

We do this by connecting people and organisations with community, learning, volunteering and partnership opportunities that help them flourish and build an active, vibrant region.

As a volunteer-involving organisation, volunteers are vital in supporting us to deliver our mission. And just as importantly, the volunteering opportunities we create also help volunteers themselves to be involved and connected with the local community.

All of this work makes a difference to someone’s life and contributes to a stronger and more resilient region.

Along with our opportunities for internal volunteering, the Centre for Participation is a critical piece of infrastructure that supports other volunteer-involving organisations, clubs and groups. In our region – like all regions – frameworks that support volunteering, enable people to actively participate in community life, and build social cohesion are essential. This support needs to be grounded in local understanding, so it is place-based and community-led – and that is why localised support organisations like ours are so important.

The impacts of this work are numerous and wide-reaching. Benefits include reduced welfare through social enterprise development and job creation, greater employability by boosting confidence and work skills, improved emotional and mental health, and greater community cohesion through reduced isolation. All of these outcomes can reduce the need for health services and contacts with the justice system by providing outreach and opportunities to meaningfully participate and belong.

We are just one of many organisations that rely on volunteering – an act that is crucial to the long-term viability of rural communities. The incredible efforts of volunteers were celebrated in May during National Volunteer Week, where we recognised all the things volunteers do to make our community a better place to live, work, study and raise a family. We thank these amazing people and encourage everyone in our community to put up their hand next time you see an opportunity to participate.

For more information on some of the amazing work our team is doing, check out our latest Participate newsletter here.

Robbie Millar
Acting CEO, Centre for Participation

Our News4Me April edition has landed. Click the image below to read some of the amazing things we are doing at the Centre for Participation.