Recognising connection the key to social justice

Like all the celebrations of Australian identity this year, the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week falls under the light of the Referendum on the Voice.

Jesuit Social Services’ Centre for Just Places worked with a network of neighbourhood houses in Darebin to create a climate action and resilience plan in 2022. Inspired by this process, the Centre co-designed a framework with the Darebin network which can be used to guide strategic action planning and advocacy for networks of neighbourhood houses across the country. No similar framework currently exists for neighbourhood house networks. Below are some of our reflections from this work. 

Recently, Jesuit Social Services’ Centre for Just Places, our hub for place-based action, research and advocacy, was commissioned by the Victorian government to investigate what makes some place-based approaches so effective. Our team, alongside partners RMIT University, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and the University of Queensland, explored existing literature and practice, publishing a research report and case studies across the state, including the Latrobe Valley Authority. 

Read Andy Hamilton SJ's reflection on community led justice reinvestment to support our submission to the Justice Reinvestment Design Project.

Jesuit Social Services supports a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament. This page contains a list of relevant resources.