Our thinking Archives - Page 5 of 35 - Jesuit Social Services

Refugee Week - finding a home in Australia does not heal all the wounds of people’s past
- 16 June 2018
This Refugee Week (June 17 to 23), ANDY HAMILTON SJ writes that for vulnerable people who arrive in Australia as refugees, finding a new home does not heal all the wounds of people’s past. Refugee Week this year invites us to raise our eyes briefly from the barbarity of Manus Island and Nauru to take a…
Sharing stories to influence change
- 30 January 2018
When Rashid (not his real name), a participant of Jesuit Social Services’ settlement programs, was offered the opportunity to travel to Canberra to meet with a number of federal MPs late last year he took it with both hands. Representatives from Jesuit Social Services and the Refugee Council of Australia meeting Julian Hill MP in…
Why the AAIP means Rosi no longer sees boundaries and borders
- 6 November 2017
The single largest barrier to employment for migrants and refugees in Australia is the lack of opportunity and quality work experience. The African-Australian Inclusion Program (AAIP) breaks down this barrier by providing six months of paid work, mentoring and career coaching to qualified African-Australians. Run in partnership between Jesuit Social Services and National Australia Bank (NAB), AAIP…
Working together to create cohesive communities
- 20 October 2017
Supporting people from newly arrived communities to become positive, contributing members of society – rather than stigmatizing and further isolating them – is the best way to create the safe and cohesive communities we all want to live in, writes Jesuit Social Services Media Relations Manager KATHRYN KERNOHAN. The links between disadvantage and Victoria’s youth…
World Refugee Day a chance to share national compassion
- 19 June 2017
This World Refugee Day, ANDY HAMILTON SJ invites us to reflect on how we respond to people who are fleeing persecution. World Refugee Day is a chance to show public support for families forced to flee. World Refugee Day (June 20) is a time to look outside our own world and to notice people whom…
We stand with refugees
- 9 June 2017
The ultimate solution to the issue of refugees is to deal with the causes such as wars, persecution and poverty, writes Jesuit Social Services Board member LIBBY ROGERSON. Despite the protestations of some nations and the evasion of others there is really no escaping the fact that the care and protection of refugees is a…
Deporting child migrants who commit crimes will only increase social exclusion
- 10 April 2017
As Australian politicians talk tough on serious crimes committed by migrants, Jesuit Social Services volunteer JAMES ALLEN explores solutions that build trust, foster belonging and strengthen social cohesion for diverse communities. Recent media reporting on issues relating to migrants has highlighted politicians’ views in favour of supporting the deportation of migrants, including children, who commit…
PNG Supreme Court finding on Manus Island shaming for Australians to read
- 27 April 2016
In recent days the plight of the people whom Australia has despatched to Manus Island has twice been highlighted. The Four Corners program on the death of Mr Hamid Khazaei displayed in horrifying detail the negligence, indifference, lack of urgency and priority given to following bureaucratic procedures over the value of a human life. The…
Not just offshore processing that is inhumane
- 3 March 2016
In the past six months we have had a change in Prime Minister, but unfortunately the country’s punitive and inhumane policies surrounding people seeking asylum remain. The current system of offshore processing exposes vulnerable men, women and children to indefinite waiting times, violence and sexual assault and does not respect their fundamental right to human…