Our thinking Archives - Page 17 of 32 - Jesuit Social Services

How to help people be happy: respect, constancy and connection
- 19 March 2017
The International Day of Happiness is a quirky celebration. Most international days celebrate groups of people – women, children, journalists, refugees etc. Or they point to quite specific qualities that we need in order to flourish: mental and physical health, peace, or asylum. They encourage us to be attentive to particular groups of people who…
International Women's Day: How global reflection can lead to local understanding
- 8 March 2017
International Women’s Day, like all such days, is an occasion for celebration. It celebrates the achievements of women both at home and around the globe. It also celebrates the freedom from oppressive and discriminatory conditions that women have won in so many societies: the right to vote, to choose a partner, and to have recourse…
International Women's Day: we must reverse the trajectory of female incarceration rates
- 7 March 2017
As we celebrate International Women’s Day this year, let us pause to remember the women at the margins of society, those who remain out of sight and out of mind. Like those in prison. As of February this year, there were just over 500 females in Victorian prisons. The Victorian female imprisonment rate increased 44.7 per cent…
Every human being matters: celebrating World Day of Social Justice
- 19 February 2017
This year, the World Day of Social Justice is being celebrated in the wake of public anxiety about the justice system. In Melbourne, a man on bail killed and injured many people by driving at them on a city footpath. This followed a series of violent crimes, including carjackings, store robberies and bashings in which…
Values series part 1: Andy Hamilton on being welcoming
- 14 February 2017
This year we celebrate our fortieth anniversary at Jesuit Social Services. We have been reflecting on the key words that sum up our mission: welcoming, courageous, discerning. Like most words that name ideals, they are attractive. But, of course, when we ask whether they describe how we are living, the words are also very challenging.…
Forty years: a chance to reflect – message from CEO, Julie Edwards
- 1 February 2017
This year marks 40 years since Jesuit Social Services helped its first young people in 1977. Since then, we have grown to support over 5,000 people through more than 20 different programs nationally, including in Melbourne, Western Sydney, central Australia and Darwin. Jesuit Social Services’ 40th anniversary is an exciting milestone in our history and…
10 Things You Didn't Know About Jesuit Social Services
- 1 February 2017
As Jesuit Social Services celebrates its 40th anniversary, share in these 10 facts about our organisation. Some might surprise you! 1. We’re social enterprise pioneers. While social enterprise has been a popular model in recent years, Jesuit Social Services started working in the training and employment space in 1984 when we provided direct employment opportunities…
Dehumanising human services
- 9 November 2016
Across Australian jurisdictions the trend towards marketisation continues apace. Examples of this can be seen many areas of government from ports to poles and wires. So perhaps unsurprisingly we’ve now reached a point in which the one area where you might reasonably least expect the market to go – human services – it is now…
Year of mercy
- 3 November 2016
To conclude the year of mercy Pope Francis will celebrate two special Masses: one for prisoners and the other for the homeless. Just as the year of mercy took us into the Pope’s vision of the church and the world, so these two Masses show what is dearest to him. Prisoners turn up everywhere in…
'Naming and shaming' young offenders would only further marginalise
- 28 October 2016
There has been growing attention given to issues of youth crime, with talk of ‘thugs’ and youth gangs widespread in the media. As a tough on crime response to these issues, the Victorian Opposition recently proposed the introduction of reforms which relate to the naming and shaming of young offenders. These proposed reforms would include…

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