Traditional charity, or welfare, addresses immediate needs and crises but often fails to break cycles of abuse, dependency, poverty or unemployment.
Communities also face growing uncertainty due to significant global challenges, such as dwindling natural resources, climate change, and volatile economies.
We need all members of the human family to be active, creative, compassionate, skilled, valued and resilient to ensure these challenges can be addressed.
As such, our solutions focus on the most vulnerable members of our society and the people who work with them.
Defining the challenge
In order to frame the purpose of, and possibilities for, the solution/s that need to be developed, we work with communities, organisations and key stakeholders to define the specific challenge. A challenge is:
- human-centred (rather than technology, product or service centred)
- broad enough to allow the discovery of diverse or additional solutions
- narrow enough to ensure the project is manageable and the outcome is viable
Examples include:
- “How can we create new and viable skill and industry development opportunities for young people in rural communities?”
- “Enable a group of people to educate their peers about effective water resource management.”
- “Develop the appropriate mechanisms for seeding local commerce and economic development opportunities.”
- “Create opportunities for people to be cultural creators and producers rather than consumers.”
The numbers (Australia)
The over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait-Islander people in the following statistics is one of the greatest challenges faced by our nation.
poverty
1 in 2 children in a single parent family live with no ability to meet emergency expenses.1
1 in 5 children are living in poverty.2
violence
24,000 more incidences of violent crime occurred in 2006 than in 2001.3
1 in 7 women have been physically assaulted by a male previous partner.4
neglect
27,188 children are on care and protection orders.5
1 in 13 children are reported as victims of abuse and neglect.6
education
1 in 5 will not attain year 12 or an equivalent qualification.7
1 in 14 children have fewer than 11 books in their home.8
Sources
1 Australian Social Trends, Low income low wealth households, Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007
2 Profile of Young Australians: Facts, figures and issues, Foundation for Young Australians, 2004
3 9 Crime and Safety (Australia), Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006
4 Personal Safety Survey, Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2005
5 6 Child Protection Australia, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2006
7 How Young People are Faring, Dusseldorp Skills Forum, 2008
8 10 The Wellbeing of Young Australians, Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth, 2008
11 Voluntary Work Australia, Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2006