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Community Projects
FNQ Volunteers Inc. manages a number of community projects all aimed at increasing community involvement and participation in volunteering and increasing individual and community capacity. To find out more about any of the projects listed below please contact the office on 4041 7400 between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday.
Current Community Projects
Climate Smart Communities
Media Release: Desley Boyle MP Member for Cairns
05 August 2009
N eighbourhood R enewable G reening
The NRG Low Carbon Diet project is funded through the Queensland Government Low Carbon Diet Community Funding Program. NRG is designed to raise community awareness within the not for profit sector (NGO) in the FNQ Region. The project will focus on increasing public awareness of climate change and ways the not for profit sector can adapt to introduce and implement energy saving methods within the organisation and facilitate broader community education and awareness activities to encourage household carbon emissions reductions through the involvement of community members as volunteers. The project will be implemented as a community education programme, in the following 3 Far North Queensland communities, Gordonvale - Cairns Region, Atherton - Tablelands Region and Innisfail - Cassowary Coast Region.
Further information about the Low Carbon Diet programme is available at: www.climatesmart.qld.gov.au
Valuing Community Volunteering
Valuing Community Volunteering is a 6 month project (July 6 2009 to January 6 2010) funded by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs through the Volunteer Management Programme VMP.
The primary objective of the project is to engage with culturally and linguistivly diverse (CALD) including Indigenous Australians to
identify how formal and informal volunteering occurs within grass roots CALD and Indigenous Australians communities within the Cairns area by connecting with target groups to understand their community/group structures, traditional and new that supports volunteering and community participation and, identify appropriate inclusive model/s for community organisations to engage the target groups in volunteering.
Blueprint for the Bush
Connected Communities is a 12 month project funded by the Queensland Government, Department of Communities, Department of Local Government, Sport and Recreation through the Our Place, Our Future Initiative 2008 - 09, Blueprint for the Bush Strategy.
The objective of the Connected Communities project is the development of an innovative volunteer service delivery model that facilitates community participation which builds social and economic capacity within rural and remote communities and is strongly linked to the Toward Q2: Tomorrows Queensland (Parliament, 2008) document produced by the Qld Government Premier Anna Bligh's vision is to increase Queenslanders participation in volunteerism by 50% by 2012.
This project builds on the strengths of a similar volunteer model that has been successfully implemented by FNQ Volunteers Inc. to engage with families and children 0-5yrs within the Cairns South region. The Connected Communities project will develop a partnership service delivery model that identifies and utilises existing community strengths to facilitate access to FNQ Volunteers Inc. services and resource local community activities focusing on communities across the Atherton Tablelands region. |
The "GET BACK" project for Over 45's
Volunteering as a Pathway to Employment...
Recognising the value of life experience mature aged people bring to the workplace
FNQ Volunteers Inc. supports and encourages employers to recognise the value of life experience that mature-age people bring to the workplace. The 'Get Back' project aims to provide eligible participants the chance to skill or re-skill for careers through supported volunteer placements to gain practical work experience and develop employability and industry skills. Experience has shown that the majority of volunteers move on to employment.
The 'GET BACK' project, provides:
Volunteer placements
Job preparation
Linking into appropriate community training programmes
FNQ Volunteers Inc. will follow up and support the progress of volunteers for up to six months once placed with a member organisation to ensure the best possible volunteer/employment outcomes. If you are over 45 and would like to know more about the 'Get Back' project, please contact the Community Project Worker Evonne at FNQ Volunteers Inc. on 40 417400.
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Work Experience Activities
FNQ Volunteers Inc. works in partnership with a number of Job Network Providers through the Australian Governments new Job Services Australia initiative to host various Work Experience Activities for jobseekers.
FNQ Volunteers Inc. offers a diverse range of assistance options across all sectors of the community for job seekers eg, volunteer placement, training, advice, mentoring and advocacy. Our thorough and individualised supervision and activities are designed to provide project participants with employability training, work experience and work readiness. Work Experience Activities hosted by FNQ Volunteers Inc. aims to provide jobseekers with the opportunity over a 6 month period to participate in a workplace and to develop and strengthen core employability skillls such as communication, technology, organisational and team work skills. By completing project related and training activites participants gain work experience, confidence and skills to enhance their future employability prospects.
Employers look for people who are able to plan, solve problems, work with others and adapt to different situations. They also want experience, computer literacy, a commitment to customer service and good communication skills. Project activities are aimed at promoting the values and rewards which volunteering brings to individuals. You will also gain experience and skills that can be transferred to other industries and positions as well as personal and work related skills to enhance your employment goals and opportunities
These extra skills should be mentioned in your resume to give you an edge over others competing for the same position. Did you know that! 33% of volunteers leave their position because they found paid employment!
Current WEA Projects
Culture Connections: ITEC Employment 11 January 2010 - 9th July 2010
Develop your skills in community cultural development. Are you interested in understanding other cultures? Are you interested in researching local languages and traditions? This activity is perfect for participants to develop an understanding of other cultures and traditions and for those looking to gain new or refresh old skills in office administration. Participants will receive formal training followed by practical work experience and placement at FNQ Volunteers Inc. office and have opportunities to attend multicultural events, meetings, workshops and community art space. Participants will be involved in developing 2 resource booklets based on their own cultural (stories) and community engagement protocols for community organisations. Project tasks involve:
Research the internet and local library for information on local & regional community cultural groups, events, celebrations, traditions
Attend community meetings, arts spaces and events
Using a digital camera to capture stories and events
Potential Job Pathways: Office Administration and Community Work.
Previous WEA Projects
Community Event Planning - ITEC Employment
This project involved researching, developing and creating an event planning training and resource book to share with the community.
Project participants were involved in: Planning, developing and organising activities and resources for various community events (e.g National Volunteers Week and International Volunteers Day) eg; Writing media releases; developing suitable promotional materials and budget planning for community events.
Potential Job Pathways: Office Administration and Community Work.
Cooking in Harmony: A Family Friendly Cookbook for Children aged 0 - 10 - ITEC Employment
This project involved researching and putting together a family friendly cookbook for children, Cooking in Harmony. To download a copy of the booklet click here for the cover and, here for the Cookbook. Scroll down for the pages.
Participants were involved in researching the internet and other resources to find information on the following:
recipes
nutrition needs of young children
food groups
traditional foods and recipes of the different cultural groups living in FNQ
you can include your own or family favourite recipe and a short story
This project provided opportunities for project participants to develop skills and knowledge in:
using a range of computer software programmes
basic administration skills
operating a computer
data entry
Potential Job Pathways: Office Administration and Child Care Services |
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Communities for Children
'An Australian Government Initiative' Champions for Children (CfC)
The Communities for Children Initiative was part of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy (SFCS) which took a collaborative approach in seeking to achieve better outcomes for young children from birth to 5-years and their families. The initiative aimed to achieve this by building the capacity of the community to enhance and develop existing services and strategies to meet the needs of children and their families in the 0 to 5 year age group.
The early childhood focus of Communities for Children was guided by research and consultation undertaken for the development of the Australian Government's National Agenda for Early Childhood. FNQ Volunteers Inc. worked in partnership with the Cairns South Communities for Children Committee (CSCfCC), The factilitating partner for the CSCfCC, Mission Australia and a range of community partners to improve outcomes for young children.
The Children's Champions Activity focused on engaging with communities within the CfC sites to promote the Communities for Children Initiative to parents, families, carers and the wider community in Cairns South, from Woree to Babinda and Yarrabah through the involvment of volunteer childrens champions.
The final report for the Communities for Children initiative is avaliable here. |
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FNQ Volunteers Inc. Q150 Project: Volunteers...past, present and future
An historical snapshot of volunteering in the FNQ region through the stories of volunteers. Funded by the Queensland Government through Q150 funding the aim of the project was to record volunteer stories and produce a booklet that highlighted the contribution volunteers and community organisations have made in the development of Far North Queensland. Successfully launched by the Member for Barron River Mr Steve Wettenhall MP along with invited guests, volunteers and community organisation representatives during National Volunteers Week 2009 celebrations at the Tanks. This was an opportunity to acknowledge and recognise the role of volunteers and the vast number of "voluntary hours" invested in the Far North Queensland region over the past 150 years.
Please click here to download our snapshot of volunteering through the stories of volunteers past, present and future. |
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