Our stories

Building a just society means elevating everyone by supporting all people to reach their full potential. Every success story is crucial because none of us can flourish, until we all do.

City trip builds confidence and connection for school-disengaged teens
- 10 March 2023
See how disengaged learners had a rare school excursion experience thanks to our Navigator program and its school holiday city trip.
New job a dream come true for Biruk
- 1 March 2023
How our employment programs helped job-seeker Biruk's dreams come true.
New job puts Behnaz’s analytical mind to good use
- 1 March 2023
Every job setback further eroded Behnaz’s confidence, until she had the help of our Jobs Victoria Employment Service.
Mature-aged student Natasha refreshes her numeracy skills in our pre-employment course
- 16 February 2023
At first, Natasha doubted she would learn much from Jesuit Community College’s general education program – a 25-day Certificate I course for adults looking for work or further study.
Café Operations Course puts on Andrés on an exciting new path
- 16 February 2023
A fascination with coffee and a desire to spend less time on the phone is what drew Andrés to Jesuit Community College’s Café Operations course.
Inaugural cohort of First Nations participants graduate police diversity program
- 7 February 2023
Seven students have braved lockdowns, floods, and fitness tests to graduate from the inaugural Victoria Police Aboriginal Diversity Recruitment Program.
Centre for Just Places collaborates with local council to strengthen disability inclusive emergency planning
- 5 December 2022
Under Australia’s new Disability Strategy 2021-31, all governments, as well as community organisations and businesses, are required to include people with disability in their emergency management and disaster response and recovery planning. The risk for people with disability is even higher for those experiencing intersecting issues limiting their capacity to respond during a disaster, such as financial…
Setting a better path for a teen in trouble
- 5 December 2022
When a 14-year-old boy named Luke broke into Dave Hammond’s house and stole his car, he could have faced a punitive response simply designed to punish a young person for their actions with little consideration of the circumstances that led to their behaviour. But on this occasion things were different. Dave – who was previously…
Police pathway program gives Zahra the opportunity to achieve her dream
- 5 December 2022
Zahra dreamed of becoming a police officer as a child in Pakistan, following in her father’s footsteps. Despite her father’s encouragement, patriarchal social expectations initially set her on a different path, towards a teaching career and motherhood — until, after moving to Australia, her husband Mohammad saw a post in their online community group for…
A unique relationship puts Corey on the path to reach his potential
- 5 December 2022
For young people who’ve spent time in out-of-home care, building trusting relationships with adults can take time. Jesuit Social Services’ Community Connections Mentoring program matches these young people with a volunteer mentor to help them transition into adulthood. Corey, a young person who received mentoring through the program, says his mentor Sean has supported him…