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July 30, 2010
What are the issues of identity for young people from migrant families and how this might inform their faith & well being?
Presenters: Minh Tran & Long Pham
Thursday 5th August 2010, 7.30pm
The Cave, Ascot Vale Church of Christ, 78 St Leonards Rd, Ascot Vale
Cost: $10
RSVP by emailing Talitha Fraser or phoning 9650 4023.
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July 28, 2010
It was raining Saturday morning so I was a little unsure whether people would show up. I rang people on my train trip into the city to check that they were still keen: everyone was on their way and not perturbed by the weather at all. On reflection I shouldn't have been surprised. Typically if there is something happening then our friends from the Credo Community are happy to be part of it, and the weather doesn't seem to affect them nearly as much as it does other people who have the option of staying home in a nice cosy and warm, comfortable lounge room reading a book or watching a DVD (as I myself was tempted to do).
We ended up using almost all the tickets. Rachel, her dad, two of her uncles and two of her cousins came along. Apparently Rach's uncles typically have seats in "the box" when they attend the footy, but were happy enough to come along and join our mob for something a bit different. So our "Credo mob" was made up of Doug, Raymond, Damo, Pete, Patrick, Adam, Boony and four of his mates (some who occasionally come to Credo) as well as myself and Rach.
Two people weren’t able to make it, so before the game we discussed what to do with their tickets. There were suggestions to "hock" the tickets, but upon discussion we decided that seeing we had been given the tickets ourselves, perhaps it'd be nice to continue this act of generosity and give the spare tickets to someone who was in need of them. Raymond suggested we go to the gate where people were lining up to purchase tickets and find someone there to give them to. Damo scanned the queue. The fella who received them was pretty stoked (and I think a bit surprised by the generosity of Damo and Raymond) particularly because the seats were really good ones!
We had a pretty even mix of supporters for both Richmond and Collingwood. Doug (a Collingwood fan) chose to leave at 3/4 time, satisfied that the magpies were heading for a win. He said he had really enjoyed "the break from work" (he sells The Big Issue) and is a candidate for "doing this more often"! It was great to see Doug getting into the game and to watch his banter and discussion with Boony, Damo and Rach's dad and uncles too. Rach's dad is a Richmond supporter, so he and Doug quickly established an amicable rivalry.
I spent most of the match sitting between Raymond and Damo. Raymond, not being a huge AFL fan, was pretty content to just be there with us and seemed satisfied with the opportunities to engage in banter with the other fellas. Damo, another Collingwood fan, was stoked by their performance and mentioned that it had been "ages" since he had been to a game.
The match ended up being one of my more memorable Saturday afternoons in a long while. On reflection this is because it was diverse people just "hanging out'' together...on an even standing. The individuals attending typically spend their days pretty differently: spruiking to sell the Big Issue magazine, sorting rubbish at a recycling depot, hanging out at drop-in centres and sleeping rough; pastoring a church in the Eastern Suburbs, attending high school, volunteering at Credo Cafe, managing a company and working for Urban Seed. People of very different walks of life....brought together by having a free Saturday afternoon to go to the footy!
Thanks Westpac and the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation for the free tickets
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July 21, 2010
Sunday's Run Melbourne event was an inspiration, with over 17,600 participants representing a wide range of charities and causes. Urban Seed had a team of runners and walkers that included staff, friends, corporate and community partners. We finished by sharing pancakes together in Credo Cafe. A special mention to Bruce Everett, our board chair, who achieved his personal best in the half marathon!
Over $9,000 was raised - a fantastic effort - which will be directed towards our projects supporting homeless and marginalised people in our four locations. A huge thanks to everyone who donated time and money through running, walking or sponsoring. We couldn't have done it without you!
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July 08, 2010
iHobo: Trivialising Homelessness or Conscientising a Generation? (by Simon Moyle)
It’s been billed as a “Tamagotchi with a social conscience,” but the latest iPhone app has generated some controversy as a fundraising strategy for Depaul UK. iHobo gives users the chance to look after a homeless person for three days, keeping him fed and warm as well as providing company. Critics say it’s a “tasteless” trivialisation of homelessness, but after 200,000 Britons have downloaded the app is it conscientising a generation to First World poverty?
Users are able to interact with their iHobo, receiving round-the-clock notifications on their phone of his progress. If they fail in their task of looking after the virtual homeless person (and some say that no matter what they do, they fail), he is highly likely to overdose and die. The application is an attempt to connect younger donors with Depaul’s work, as currently the average donor is more than 65 years old.
“Once you’ve tried to help a virtual [homeless person] you’ll feel more inclined to help a real one,” says the promotional video. But is this true? The Twitter feed on the #iHobo hash tag seems to have generated three broad reactions:
1. Feeling “guilty” (particularly, but not only, if the iHobo dies).
2. Delight that they kept the iHobo alive. This is particularly the case when people have taken several tries to be “successful”.
3. Gleeful amusement that the iHobo died. This may be false bravado, but at least reveals that it is socially acceptable to react in such a way towards homeless people.
The value of the app in the case of those having reactions 1 and 3 is dubious insofar as it merely entrenches current attitudes towards and stereotypes about those experiencing homelessness.
Obviously it would be difficult to create an iPhone app which genuinely encompasses the complex range of structural and personal factors that contribute to homelessness, but Depaul UK certainly seems to want to make such claims. “iHobo shows how complex the homeless problem is and that giving a few pennies to someone on the street is not the answer.” The irony in this claim is that Depaul UK does not offer any real life follow-up option to iHobo users other than giving money to their organisation. Even within the app itself your options are limited – you can only give the iHobo food, money, or a sleeping bag.
If donations are anything to go by, it’s not been a roaring success: as of May 19, just 2000 pounds has been raised. While that’s not an insignificant number in and of itself, it amounts to just 1p per download.
The jury is still out on whether this method of connecting people with homelessness will have long term benefits.
Have your say on our Facebook page.
You can read more about iHobo here and download the app here.
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July 06, 2010
Mental Health is a crucial risk factor in and result of homelessness and
social dislocation. Urban Seed has been working at a grassroots level
with those affected by homelessness and mental illness.
Click here to act now!
National Mental
Health Summit 6-Point Plan
On 24-25 June
2010, leading mental health experts, researchers, consumers, carers,
practitioners and concerned community members gathered at the National
Mental Health Summit to create a blueprint to address this neglected
sector.
The Summit
called for $600m in immediate investments to made annually, in addition
to already committed funds.
Click
here to read the Summit's communique.
Where will the
money go?
*
$250m for nationally distributed early intervention and preventative
programs;
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$100m for major mental health research;
*
$20m for online mental health information and therapy;
*
$30m for anti-stigma campaigns;
*
$100m for suicide prevention through education, training and “hotspot”
programs; and
*
$100m for social housing and support for homeless people with
persistent mental illness.
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June 30, 2010
The other night I went to the 10th Annual Homeless Memorial. Once a year this motley community gathers to remember those 'streeties' or 'parkies' who have passed away. You can get hot soup, a hot dog, and warm clothes are available to take away. But it is about more than that. We are offered an opportunity to reflect on those people with whom we create connections, those with whom we feel ‘at home’, regardless of any material shelter. We remember those who now or have in the past offered light or warmth to our lives. Voice is given to the pain of separation from parents, siblings, children, society. Voice is given to the pain of decisions that cannot be unmade, things which cannot be unsaid and knowledge that we cannot go back – only forward. A humble gratitude is offered to ‘the people from the organisations represented here’, supported with warm applause from the crowd in and around the marquee.
We sing: songs we all know the words to. We don’t need song sheets. We cradle our lit candles and sprigs of rosemary.
Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you don't let show
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
--
They say we stand for nothing and
There's no way we ever could
Now we see everything that's going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don't have the means
To rise above and beat it
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
It's hard to beat the system
When we're standing at a distance
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
--
We hold a minute's silence, and it is deep and rich and full. There are names unspoken...tears unshed...and hope unlooked for. We only need to look around to know we are not alone in this grief. We only need to look around to have more than our hunger fed, our coldness clothed... instead we know the truth. We are not strangers to one another as we thought. And a last a cappella chorus rings out...
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind but now I see
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June 28, 2010
Long term Credo Community member Emma Groves is participating in Run Melbourne.
Visit her fundraising page to read her story and sponsor her - Emma is donating proceeds to Urban Seed.
"Doing Run Melbourne can make me focus on something for me again. It also helps me reduce my smoking. Please support us because Urban Seed’s an excellent organisation and the continual support that I get from them helps me. Doing this run and having others run with me is so good!”
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June 25, 2010
The Credo Indian Tigers had a fantastic premiership victory on Wednesday night in the Grand Final of the Action Indoor Cricket Competition in Footscray.
The team was established, in part, as a response to the increase in violence against overseas students and highly publicised murder of Indian student Nitin Garg in the Footscray locality. Such events have served to highlight the broader problems within the booming but under-regulated overseas tertiary education sector and the vulnerabilities it creates for students.
Throughout the season over 15 different Indian students participated in the team in the 6-a-side competition. The team was managed by David Boon, a Praxis Victoria Community Work student, and mixed overseas students with participants in Urban Seed's Credo Cricket program to encourage local connections.
At the invitation of Premier John Brumby, some team members got to meet with Shane Warne the day before he flew out to participate in this years Indian Premier League. The meeting, enabled through participants in Cricket Victoria's Harmony Forum including Primus Telecom, was held on the lawns at Parliament House and included a round table discussion about the issues faced by students.
Another highlight of the season was having 15 people attend "The Long Walk" and "Dreamtime at the G" AFL Football Match as part of the Essendon Football Club and Cricket Victoria's GLoBALL social inclusion initiative. It was a huge thrill for Indian students to be at the sacred home of cricket in our city but also to share something of the cultural experience that comes from 40,000 years of history and being surrounded by a bay full of First Australians barracking loudly forthe Bombers!
Indian student Ashish Narula was named for Man of the Match taking 2 for 7 and scoring 28 in the 10 run Grand Final victory. His post on his Facebook page after the game captured the reason why we started the team:
"Thank you very much sir. I have become a great fan... Australia is a great place to be, rather, I should say, Melbourne and Footscray are great places to be :) go Melbourneeeee."
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June 23, 2010
In response to a re-emergence in the media of debate about drug policy and supervised injecting facilities (see Robert Power's piece in yesterday's Age) Brent Lyons Lee has written offering his own perspectives.
Download Brent's article.
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June 22, 2010
Hear, speak, question and dissect.
Join us for conversations with Ron Sider (Ph.D., Yale), the author of Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. Ron is Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry and Public Policy and President of Evangelicals for Social Action. Ron not only calls others to heed the poor but also demonstrates a lifestyle of commitment to the poor. Here’s your chance to tackle those tricky questions about faith, poverty, action and truth with Ron and others and hang around afterwards for more ‘analysis’ over some nibbles and drink.
WHEN: 7:30pm, Friday July 16, 2010
WHERE: St Martins, 215 Wellington St, Collingwood VIC 3066 (Melways Ref: 44 C4) and afterwards at Suede in Smith St for a coffee.
EMAIL: enquiries@surrender.org.au
COST: Donation
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