Inclusive Communities

Index by Content Type

Practical

• Aboriginal Environments Research Centre
  - The AERC is a multidisciplinary centre for research and teaching into the culture, environment and architecture of Australian Indigenous peoples.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Protocols
  - City of Sydney Council's guide to the history, customs and ceremonies of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• Accessible Arts - NSW peak arts and disability organisation
  - Accessible Arts aims to promote full inclusion, access and cultural opportunities in the arts for people with disabilities through advocacy, education and information.
• Accessing the Arts - A Disability Awareness Resource Kit
  - This kit provides information, checklists and guidelines to ensure equal access to the arts for people with disabilities in Australia.
• Action Without Borders - Kids & Teens
  - The idealist.org website is one of the tools that Action Without Borders uses to carry out its mission: To help build a world where all people can live free and dignified lives in a healthy environment.
• Advice on Aboriginal Education
• Australian Disability Websites
• Australian Government principles to guide social inclusion
  - The Australian Government Social Inclusion website explores the concept of social inclusion and outlines the principles of social inclusion endorsed by the Government.
• Barani, an Indigenous history of the city of Sydney
  - Barani is an interactive, searchable website about Sydney's Indigenous history from earliest pre-contact times to most recent events.
• Beginning a Life in Australia booklets
  - Beginning a Life in Australia booklets are a useful resource aimed at newly arrived migrants and refugees to assist them with access to services in Australia
• Broaden Your Horizons - career and transition information for young people with disabilities
  - Broaden Your Horizons is a centralised website that houses resources relating to young people with disabilities. This resource is dedicated to provide quality career and transition information and support services to young people with disabilities.
• Cadigal Wangal website
  - This website is a source of information covering the history of the Cadigal and Wangal people and the land that they inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of white people in Australia.
• Capacity Toolkit
  - A new toolkit has been released by the Attorney-General’s Department to help assess the capacity of people with decision-making difficulties.
• Chain Reaction Foundation
  - Chain Reaction is a creative Foundation working to implement a vision of a stronger more inclusive and sustainable civil society in Australia
• Closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage: the challenge for Australia
  - In February 2009 the Prime Minister the Hon. Kevin Rudd MP made his first annual statement to Parliament on the Australian Government's Closing the Gap strategy. A booklet outlining the whole of government approaches to Closing the Gap has been produced in support of this strategy.
• Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association of NSW
  - Combined Pensioners & Superannuants Association of NSW Inc (CPSA) has a broad mission to improve the living standards, community services and lifestyle choices of pensioners of all ages, superannuants and low income retirees, as well as promoting their rights and dignity.
• Communicating positively - A guide to appropriate Aboriginal terminology
  - A useful guide from NSW Health that explores the correct terminology to describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as well as terms associated with Aboriginal communities and community organisations.
• Consultation and Negotiation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
  - The Queensland Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy and Development has produced guides to help Non-Indigenous people understand protocols for consultation and negotiation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• Disability Action Plans
  - Examples and guidelines
• Ethnic Communities Council of NSW Resources
  - The Ethnic Communities' Council of NSW (ECC) is a non-government peak body representing many organisations and people from the multicultural community in NSW.
• European Network for Indigenous Australian Rights Website
  - This website aims to promote awareness on indigenous issues and to provide information for Indigenous Australians about Europe and international organisations.
• Family Friendly Pty Ltd
  - The Family Friendly objective is to take away doubt and uncertainty for families with nationally uniform window signage & website exposure symbolising; ‘this is a welcoming, appropriate, safe and enjoyable venue for you & your family’.
• Good Practice in Consumer Education for Indigenous People
  - This report, prepared for the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), identifies Indigenous-specific consumer education and discusses good practice principles for Indigenous consumer education.
• Guide to Implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth
  - This Guide from the UN Programme on Youth focuses on what Governments can do to fulfil the vision of the World Programme of Action for Youth (WPAY). It looks at mechanisms and specific policies that may enhance the political, cultural and socio-economic opportunities for youth. While some of the recommendations contained in this Guide may be considered “quick wins”, others can only be implemented effectively with long-term commitment and recognition by Governments.
• Guidelines for Integrating Indigenous Knowledge in Project Planning and Implementation
  - The ultimate aim of the guidelines, a joint publication of CIDA, ILO, KIVU Nature, and the World Bank, is to help develop a framework within which affected indigenous peoples can expect to receive information that will allow them to choose, on an appropriate collective basis through free and prior informed consent, whether a development project should go ahead.
• Guidelines for dealing with youth complaints
  - The NSW Obmudsman has developed a guide to dealing with youth complaints as part of Youth Week 2008.
• Health Translations Online Directory
  - This directory links up to over 10,000 multilingual resources in 62 languages on a range of health-related topics.
• Illawarra Aboriginal Community Based Working Group
  - The Illawarra Aboriginal Community Based Working Group (IACBWG) was established over four years ago as an initiative of local Aboriginal people in the Illawarra region.
• Indigenous Protocol Guides -Indigenous Australian Culture
  - A series of five Indigenous protocol guides published by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board which provide information and advice on respecting Indigenous cultural heritage.
• Learning Circles
  - For over 100 years Learning Circles have proven an effective and practical method of learning and social change. Community organisations, trade unions, churches and social justice groups have used them to empower their members to make choices and take action.
• Making Multicultural Australia website
  - This site was established to assist teachers find quality resources on multiculturalism and explore new strategies to promote cultural diversity and tolerance. It has information useful to community organisations and others interested in multiculturalism in Australia.
• Men’s Sheds
  - Men’s sheds are offering men the opportunity to meet others, work on practical projects and contribute to their community.
• Multicultural Health Communication Service (NSW)
  - Help sheets in community languages
• NSW Youth Participation Survey
  - In 2004 the NSW Youth Advisory Council conducted a survey of young people in NSW aged 12-25, asking them how they participate, or how they would like to participate, in shaping their own lives and the life of their community.
• New Reports on Multicultural Youth
  - The Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues has released two papers written for the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth on working with multicultural young people.
• Office for Women NSW
  - The Office for Women, a unit in the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet works on strategy, policy development, programs and projects to benefit the women of New South Wales.
• Project Australia
  - Project Australia is a nationwide network that connects Australians to new ideas, people, and projects. Our vision is for a progressive Australia where communities feel empowered to create the shared future they want to experience. Established in 2006, we are non-profit, independent and secular.
• Protecting Human Rights in Australia – a community education kit
  - The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) has produced a kit on human rights in Australia to contribute to community education and consultation.
• Racism No Way Education Resource
  - The Racism No Way Project aims to assist schools communities and education systems to recognise and address racism in the learning environment.
• Reconciliation Council NSW
  - The NSW Reconciliation Council is the peak Aboriginal Reconciliation body in NSW.
• Regional Young People and Youth Allowance: Access to Tertiary Education
  - New research has found that eligibility for Youth Allowance income support is one of the major barriers to regional access and participation in tertiary education
• Roads to Refuge : Refugees in Australia education kit
  - This education kit explains why refugees and asylum seekers flee their homes to seek safety in countries such as Australia.
• SEVA International Inc.
  - SEVA is a non profit, non religious, non political NGO, committed to addressing the growing social welfare needs of the rapidly expanding Australian South Asian community in Sydney . This includes people with Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangla Deshi, Nepali, Maldivian and Bhutanese ancestral background.
• Services for all: Promoting access and equity in local government
  - This publication is designed to assist Councils in taking a proactive approach to providing access to quality services and 'a fair go' for all residents.
• Social Inclusion of the Hard to Reach: resource for local councils
  - By Nicola Brackertz and Denise Meredyth
• Social capital: Family support services and neighbourhood and community centres in NSW
  - Prepared by Paul Bullen with Jenny Onyx for Family Support Services and Neighbourhood and Community Centres in NSW to encourage discussion and reflection on service delivery and community development.
• Southern Cross Cultural Exchange
  - Expand your family’s horizons and make a friend for life. Unlike a border, the student participates as one of the family, including helping with chores, following house rules, and joining in the fun. SCCE is a non-profit organisation with 24 years experience in exchange programs. Hosting is voluntary and students bring their own spending money as well as being covered for medical and educational expenses.
• Strengthening Communities Unit – Youth Partnership with Arabic Speaking Communities
  - The NSW Government established the Strengthening Communities Unit to work with communities to assist them to be stronger, healthier and more vibrant. It addresses social issues by listening to and working with people and community groups.
• Strengthening Families Resourcing Parents website
  - This great website allows pracitioners and organisations to list details about their parenting events and workshops in Sydney for parents to access, and find out about funding opportunities.
• The Active Living Program
  - The Active Living Program is designed to cater for the needs of people with an intellectual disability or acquired brain injury.
• Together for Humanity Foundation
  - The Together for Humanity Foundation Limited is a genuine interfaith partnership and a non-profit organisation set up to enable people - particularly children - of all faiths to work together to reduce prejudice and cultivate a more harmonious society.
• Towards an Inclusive Society - Address by Hon. Justice Michael Kirby, 16/10/02
  - This address traces the changes in Australian society from the days when many groups were excluded from full participation in society to a more inclusive Australia which still has a way to go.
• Voices - A Resource for Service Providers to the Deaf/Hearing-impaired community
  - Voices is a booklet providing resources for health and community service providers to better serve the deaf/hearing-impaired community.
• Yoorang Garang - Australian Indigenous websites
  - A link to Indigenous websites, health sites and online journals and resources
• Young people's participation - "Meeting together-deciding together"
  - A practical resource to help adults involve children and young people in meetings where decisions about their lives are made.
• Youth Advisory Council NSW
  - The New South Wales Youth Advisory Council was established in 1989, under the Youth Advisory Council Act 1989, to ensure that young people participate in the development of Government policies and programs that concern them.
• Youth Challenge - Teaching Human Rights & Responsibilities
  - Human rights education program developed by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission to educate students about human rights and responsibilities.
• Youth Resources for Empowerment and Participation
  - Step-by-step guides for young people who want to carry out action plans, fundraise or run events.
• Youth websites
  - Some websites for young people
• ruMAD?
  - ruMAD? (Are You Making a Difference?) is a values-focused, student-led, and inquiry-based curriculum framework that encourages students to make a difference! Through ruMAD? students are immersed in a unique program of social change and innovative learning, where activities and projects are based upon student identified values and interests which motivate them to enact change within their school and community.

Case Studies

• GR8 MATES Youth Mentoring Program
  - The GR8 MATES school-based youth mentoring program is a program that falls under the Schools Industry Partnership umbrella and operates in schools in the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury and Penrith. It is built on the Plan-It Youth concepts, though has added an ementoring component and has its own Student Manual and Mentor Training Program.
• Getting to Know the Locals: Researching the Impact of the Mentor Program for Tibetan Refugees
  - The aim of this study was to evaluate the short and long term impact of mentoring on participants of the program. We were interested in exploring whether this approach to helping refugee families settle in the local community has any advantages over traditional community settlement models.
• Homeless not alone at ‘Tony’s Place’
  - The Bridge Back to Life Foundation helps young homeless men get off the roundabout and back into the community with accommodation and living skills at 'Tony's Place'
• Marrickville's Accessible Pathways Program
  - A Marrickville Council project providing a continuous, non-interrupted accessible pedestrian pathway supported by infrastructure so that all members of the community can participate in all aspects of community life.
• Mental Health Legal Services Project
  - The Mental Health Legal Services [MHLS] Project, funded by Legal Aid NSW and auspiced by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), aims to better meet the unmet legal needs of people who are mentally unwell.
• Mentors Supporting Local Youth.
  - The NSW Active Retirees & Mentors Inc. has been running this program in NSW since 2001 and the South Western Sydney sub-committee has been running it in their local area since 2002.
• Merrima Indigenous Design Group
  - The Merrima Group provides consultation and architectural design services for Indigenous and other communities.
• Youth - The future of our Communities
  - Lani Houston's presentation at the concurrent sessions of the NSW Department of State and Regional Development Community Economic Development Conference describes how the community of Hay in the Riverina Region of NSW is addressing the drift of young people away from rural communities toward metropolitan centres.

Related Reading

• Australia's Settlement Services for Migrants and Refugees
  - This research paper provides an overview of settlement services provided by the federal government for migrants and humanitarian entrants.
• Barriers to Participation – Smith Family 2003 Report
  - This 82 page report launched in March 2003 contains both bad and good news for disadvantaged Australians and their ability to participate - socially and economically - in Australian society.
• Beyond Closing the Gap: Valuing Diversity in Indigenous Australia
  - This working paper examines the notion of Closing the Gap in socioeconomic disadvantage as the new over-arching framework in Indigenous affairs promulgated by the Rudd government in 2008.
• Bring It! Young Carers Forum 08 Final Report
  - The Bring It! Young Carers Forum was designed to discuss the needs and concerns of the 380,000 young carers under the age of 26 in Australia, and the future directions that can be taken to ensure their wellbeing.
• Creating Child Friendly Cities – symposium presentations
  - This symposium held in Brisbane in October 2004, aimed to assess whether Australian and New Zealand cities are ‘child friendly’, and to identify what can be done, and what is being done, to improve their liveability for children.
• Cultural and Linguistic Inclusion? Literature Review on Social Inclusion, Cohesion and Culture
  - This NEDA research paper explores the definitions and measures of social exclusion, social inclusion and social cohesion through an analysis of literature and indicators from Australia and the United Kingdom.
• Government inquiry into better support for carers
  - The Family, Community, Housing and Youth Committee has launched its report on the inquiry into better support for carers entitled Who Cares ...?
• Grandparents Raising Their Grandchildren
  - A report commissioned by the Federal Government in 2003 that examines how grandparents are coping with the difficult and often unpleasant prospect of having to raise their own grandchildren.
• How young people would like to be consulted
  - A Department of Local Government report on findings from interviews with young people.
• Indigenous Knowledge, New Times and Tomorrow's Archives - by Professor N.M. Nakata
  - The Inaugural Ben Haneman Memorial Lecture, held at the State Library of New South Wales on 10 September 2003, was delivered by Professor Martin Nakata, Director of Indigenous and Academic Programs, Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, University of Technology Sydney.
• Intergenerational Practice
  - Intergenerational practice aims to bring generations together in purposeful, mutually beneficial activities which promote greater understanding and respect between generations and help to build more cohesive communities.
• Intergenerational homelessness and the intergenerational use of homelessness services
  - This report aims to improve our understanding of intergenerational homelessness and the intergenerational use of homelessness services.
• NAIDOC Week
  - NAIDOC celebrates the survival of Indigenous culture and the Indigenous contribution to modern Australia. All Australians are encouraged to participate in NAIDOC Week activities.
• No home, no justice?: Report into the legal and access to justice needs of homeless people
  - The Law and Justice Foundation of NSW has released a research report, "No home, no justice?" into the legal needs of homeless people in NSW.
• Residents at risk: Stories of ‘last resort’ caravan park residency in NSW
  - For many socio-economically disadvantaged people, what was initially intended as a temporary or transitional housing option - just until they ‘get back on their feet’ - turns into a long-term cycle of deprivation and marginalisation, as the means to make choices and secure better housing options evaporates.
• Social Exclusion: The Sydney Experience
  - Anglicare has undertaken a longditudinal study revealing confronting evidence of poverty, deprviation and exclusion for many who live in Sydney.
• Social Inclusion in Rural Areas: Innovative Projects for Young People
  - Research undertaken to gather information on innovative community and policy responses to problems faced by young people living in Scotland's rural areas.
• The potential of migrant and refugee community organisations to influence policy
  - A report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on a partnership set up to test how migrant and refugee community organisations could change policies and practices that are crucial to the lives of their communities.
• Windows of Opportunity: creating pathways to education and employment for young women who are parents
  - An evaluation of the Young Women Who are Parents Program.
• Women in Immigration Detention: more questions than answers - Eva Cox and Terry Priest, University of Technology Sydney, August 2005
  - The following paper details some of the ways in which Immigration Detention Facilities are administered and how the system can cover up abuses of the basic rights and needs of detainees. Any closed system can be mismanaged, even where there is good will and no wrong intentions.