Former tutor supports Homework Club in new ways - Jesuit Social Services

After wrapping up his volunteering, former Homework Club tutor Jonathan continues to support the program through fundraising.

Jonathan works at QMV – an advisory, consulting, and technology firm – which runs an annual trivia night to raise funds for Jesuit Social Services’ Homework Club. For 17 years, Homework Club has provided free homework help at the Flemington public housing estate.

“It’s something I wanted to continue to support after volunteering as a tutor a long time back,” Jonathan says.

Many Homework Club students are from newly-arrived migrant and refugee backgrounds and face additional barriers to education. Parents may speak English as an additional language and find it difficult helping their children with homework, and private tutoring is often out of reach.

Former Homework Club tutor Jonathan continues to support the program through an annual fundraising trivia night.

“Families sometimes struggle to find the time to help their kids to work through their homework, so having [other channels] is really important and it’s something that’s also really rewarding for the tutors, which is my experience as well,” Jonathan says.,

“Over the years we’ve certainly seen the program develop and become a lot more organised…we’ve seen the tutors having a lot more one-on-one time with kids, and started to see some really good outcomes.”

In 2018, Homework Club was the winner of the Outstanding Community-run Out-of-School-Hours Learning Support Program at the Centre for Multicultural Youth MY Education awards.

It's something I wanted to continue to support... Families sometimes struggle to find the time to help their kids to work through their homework, so having [other channels] is really important, and it’s something that’s also really rewarding for the tutors.

Jonathan

Homework Club supporter

When QMV was developing its corporate social responsibility plan Jonathan put Homework Club forward. QMV has now been providing support to the Homework Club for ten years.

Homework Club receives no government funding and relies on grants and donations to support the children and their families.

More information

Support Homework Club with a donation

Donate

“When I do art, I am free.” Thuc’s story

Thuc Tran, a participant in Jesuit Social Services’ Western Metro Mental Health and Wellbeing Connect program (MHWC), which supports the family members and carers of people with mental illness and substance use issues, is a true testament to the power of community support. Born in Vietnam, Thuc immigrated to Australia as a refugee with her family 1995. Thuc entered our MHWC program after feeling overwhelmed by her caring responsibilities for her 14-year-old son.

Homework Club’s annual Iftar event continues to bring the community closer

At Kensington Town Hall in inner-city Melbourne, children as young as three gathered round a large table spilling over the edges in glitter pens, Ramadan themed colouring pages and games. Amidst the buzz of artistic chaos, Tatil, a participant of Jesuit Social Services’ Homework Club program since grade one, now in grade nine, mentioned, “the worst part about Homework Club is the homework! I love everything else. I get to hang out and play with my friends…I also think the people who help us are really kind.”

Alliance key to climate justice in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is on the frontline of intensifying heat, extreme weather events, and rising sea levels. Remote communities and homelands across the Territory are particularly at risk of these impacts with many Aboriginal communities already facing food insecurity, a lack of safe drinking water and access to reliable, affordable electricity. The Climate Justice Alliance, established in the Territory in 2021, strives towards a just transition - one that focuses on adapting to the impacts of climate change, and on the alternative economic futures needed to ensure justice for people and planet.

Neighbourhood houses building climate resilience and community connections

In the city of Darebin, nestled in the inner north of Melbourne, there are many community members who experience multiple forms of disadvantage and are vulnerable to the impacts of heat. As extreme weather events become more frequent, the Centre for Just Places is working closely with communities like Darebin, to build climate resilience. The Centre empowers them to cope with the impacts of climate change and to continue thriving as connected, vibrant communities.

School canteens feed curiosity

The Currawong Kitchen school canteen was established in 2020 to provide healthy school snacks, catering, and food hampers to families in the historically disadvantaged and under-serviced area of Mount Druitt. Two school canteens now sit alongside Jesuit Social Services’ affordable grocery stores, Ignite Food Store and Open Pantry, where the parents of school children can shop in a supportive, educational, low-cost setting. As Chandelle, who oversees Jesuit Social Services' food security programs in Western Sydney, explains "We’re different from a typical school canteen. We’re passionate about inspiring children to be curious about what they eat and encourage them to try a variety of healthy foods. We want them to develop their palates and trust their taste."

Sharing our vision with Jesuit leaders

In January, Jesuit Social Services was honoured to host special visitors from the global Jesuit community. Fr Arturo Sosa SJ is the Father-General of the Society of Jesus, the global leader of the Jesuit Order. When he visited Australia for the first time, we were delighted that he made time to visit our Richmond office. This is the first time a Father-General has visited Jesuit Social Services.

Annual Dinner 2024

More than 200 people gathered at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 1st for Jesuit Social Services’ Annual Dinner. The event has traditionally sought to deliver a thought-providing keynote on important social justice issues, give attendees a chance to network and mingle, while raising funds for the organisation’s work. But this year, fundraising took a back seat in favour of more time to connect and build relationships.