Doing Justice - Reflections from 30 years of Jesuit Social Services 1977 - 2007.

I can't give life to the dead, but I can give them voice. I can't give justice to the victims, but I can shake the living from their moral lethargy to change the things in the present that are the consequences of the past.
Greg Denning, Historian.

Download chapters from Doing Justice: Reflections from 30 years of Jesuit Social Services 1977-2007

Preface and timeline
Greg suggested that our conversations be an exchange of the gifts of our experiences. Through that exchange we might all be enriched.

George's Story
George came to Four Flats in 1977, just months after it opened. In 2007 George returned to say thank you for what had been done for him all those years ago. This is his story.

Thirty Years at a Glance
The story of Jesuit Social Services is the sum of all the individual stories of those who have been supported. Stories of pain, loss, unfulfilled hopes. And stories of new beginnings...

Motivations: Jesuit and Secular
In the 1970's... Amongst those hoping for changes in the structures of society, especially those working with the most marginalised, there was an optimism about how society could be more just.

4 Flats (Brosnan Centre)
The story of how a house in Hawthorn became Victoria's largest Youth Justice Service provider...

Perry House
"Hello Mr Perry!" they called out. As he walked the corridors of Pentridge Prison, Brian Perry's name would echo round the building. Many of the intellectually disabled young men he had watched over at Turana had graduated to Pentridge, but they had not forgotten him.

The Garden
For many who worked in The Garden over those years it was an oasis from which they could move forward into a life they had never experienced before. For others it was a glimmer of what life could be like if only they could break away from old ways of being.

Connexions
Seeking out those who needed it most, some of the most isolated, depressed and distressed young people in our community. It was a humbling experience to see how resilient they often were.

The Outdoor Experience
Many of these young people had never been on a holiday of any kind. Never had a chance to enjoy the novelty of camping, lighting a fire and cooking in the open. In these short breaks from the city, everyone could be closely connected.

Vietnamese
No longer safe in their own country ravaged by war, they fled, only to experience unspeakable horrors at sea when they were intercepted by pirates.

Artful Dodgers Studio
Creating a space where vulnerable young people feel able to explore the arts might seem simple. Give them a room, some equipment and let them have a go. But it takes a lot more than this to make a place that will give welcome.

Parenting
When young people engage in self-destructive and antisocial behaviour, this often points to what was going on in their families...

Communities
Being short of the basic essentials of life, including food and shelter, has long been the recognised face of poverty and disadvantage. Communities Together supports people to express their different cultures in ways which connect them to others.

Support After Suicide
Some come to talk just once or twice. Some come for many months and some come and go. Those who come choose their own way of accepting the support offered.

Gateway
Where do you begin when there is nowhere to star t learning about managing life? What do you do when there is nowhere to find support to step into a learning environment where you won't be judged or rejected if you can't keep up?

Afterword
Our values - welcoming, discerning, courageous - have shaped our first thirty years.
It is these values that we step off from as we go forward into the future.