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February 7, 2020
Children’s Commissioner hosts public discussion on Bellambi community initiative
It’s Our Place aims to break the cycle of disadvantage and create happier, healthier, more sustainable communities
Australia’s National Children’s Commissioner, Ms Megan Mitchell (pictured above), will chair a free public discussion about the work of the “It’s Our Place” community initiative at Early Start at the University of Wollongong on Thursday 13 February.
It’s Our Place – A Collective Impact Session is hosted by the Faculty of Social Sciences, and led by Australian Social Investment Trust (ASIT) founder Natasha Scully.
It’s Our Place is a whole-of-community initiative that works alongside communities experiencing intergenerational disadvantage to break the cycle of disadvantage and create happier, healthier, more sustainable communities.
Supported and facilitated by ASIT, It’s Our Place tackles complex social issues collectively by bringing together multiple government, non-government, businesses, philanthropists, individuals and community to deliver social and collective impact initiatives and projects. Its work is place-based (within a local community), whole-of-community (all issues, all members) and uses a Collective Impact approach.
It's Our Place initiatives are active across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven, including in the Bellambi community. The suburb of Bellambi has a population of approximately 4,000 and 78 per cent of the suburb is social housing, making it one of the highest concentrations of social housing in any suburb in NSW.
Discussion panellists include Bellambi community members Jean Barham, Donna Stewart and Wynette Sheather, UOW PhD student Catherine Moyle (Wollongong Northern District Aboriginal Community, and Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council) along with ASIT’s Natasha Scully and Helen Freeland.
Ms Mitchell was appointed Australia’s first National Children’s Commissioner in February 2013. As National Children’s Commissioner, she focuses on the rights and interests of children, and the laws, policies and programs that impact on them.
When: 4:30pm – 6pm, Thursday 13 February
Where: Room G08, Early Start (Building 21), UOW main campus