UnitingCare Wesley Bowden

1. & UnitingCare Wesley Bowden A case study of community engagement and collaboration

2. Overview of Services UCWB delivers 29 Government funded programs that support families and carers. The program areas involved in this project are: • Community Care Services • Family & Youth Services “We assist individuals and communities to build capacity and resilience by delivering integrated, holistic services that address the underlying causes of disadvantage”

3. Initial Concept • UCWB had worked previously with Cirkidz on some Young Carer activities • Cirkidz and UCWB were jointly invited to a meeting at Arts SA to discuss the application further.

4. Identifying Participants UCWB needed to identify 24 participants to participate. It was decided to break this into 2 groups, young people 12-17 and people 65+. Key considerations in inviting participants for this project included: • Identifying social isolation,including family members or individuals being born overseas • Financial disadvantage • Participants whose formative years have been impacted by their caring role - and who may not have had opportunity to participate in age appropriate activities

5. Partner Contributions UCWB is providing: • Administrative support • Promotional activities to generate participant momentum outside of ‘normal’ service delivery • Costs associated with providing any in home respite • Transport costs • Support worker staffing costs to facilitate supervision at the workshops and during transport travel • Staff attendance during the workshops in a pastoral care capacity

6. Design & Development The project was broken into two workshop groups-Young People’s Group and Multicultural Adult Group to better meet the requirements of each cohort.

7. Young People’s Group • 20 week program running over two school terms for young people aged 12-17 • Workshops held weekly after school at Cirkidz site • Culminating in a performance on the Main Stage at the Moon Lantern Festival OzAsia festival on 19th September 2013 with the Multicultural Adult Group

8. Multicultural Adult Group • 20 week program with workshops every Thursday afternoon at Morella Community Centre • Culminating in a Main Stage performance at Moon Lantern Festival as part of the OzAsia festival on September 19th with the young people’s group

9. Design & Development Promotion • Cirque De Soleil Event for young peopleDecember 2012 • Family BBQ Day Sat 13th April 2013 • Information session and Luncheon with our older CALD participants • Introduction at Spanish/Latino exercise group at Morella Community Centre

10. Mutual Outcomes • Develop skills and explore opportunities • Provide clients who are financially and socially disadvantaged an opportunity to share their own unique and individual stories. Support our carers to engage or re-engage with others and promote the exploration and development of new friendships By addressing these areas, our emerging evidence suggests there is a positive impact on mental health: “Sometimes my Mum feels bad that she cant take me places. With Cirkidz, she knows who is picking me up and it gives me something fun to do after school.” Participant aged 12,caring for her mother with a mental illness

11. Questions? • Feel free to ask me any questions now,or if you think of any question my contact details are: • Emma Gillett, Young Carers Program Coordinator, Uniting Care Wesley Bowden • Phone: 8346 8329 • Email: emma.gillett@ucwb.org.au