Annual Grants
2010 GRANTS
 
 
United Way WA's focus for 2010 is:
Disadvantaged Children and Young People Supporting Transition Times:  Education, Training and Employment
 
This focus aims at supporting children and young people to create a future in which they are adequately equipped to access employment and post secondary training. The primary focus is programs addressing the remediation of literacy and numeracy deficits. Skill development in other areas that would support a young person’s ability to participate in employment and training were also supported. Proficiency in these areas provides young people with the basics for acceptance in the workplace and creates a foundation for young people to maintain employment and housing.
 
Funding is being provided to the following Community Partners:
 
Wanslea Family Services
Save the Children
Patricia Giles Centre
Dyslexia Speld Foundation
 
 

Wanslea Family Services received funding for their Learning and Living Program

‘Learning and Living’ will assess the needs of children and young people in foster care and prepare and implement an individual learning plan for them. This may include tutoring, remedial assistance, emotional and social training or other counselling to address blocks to learning. For young people preparing for independence, it may include career guidance, training preparation and assistance with practical things such as driver training or pre- apprenticeship courses. The focus will be on allowing each child and young person to actively participate in planning for their own future by highlighting life learning and academic needs

Save the Children Australia “It Takes a Village” Homework Support Program

This program will provide after-school tutoring support for young refugees and newly arrived migrants girls, to assist them in successfully completing their education. The program will enable students to seek advice and support from volunteer and paid teachers, including student ESL teachers, during the school term. The program principally offers participants intensive small group support in completing areas of study with which they are having difficulty and are unable to gain parental assistance due to limited or no language and literacy proficiency. Participants accessing the program are enrolled at the Intensive English Language Centres of the primary schools in the South East district of Perth.

Patricia Giles Centre  - Learn Now – Earn Later

This program provides tutoring for children who have witnessed and/or experienced domestic Violence which has negatively impacted on their educational progress. Research shows that these experiences impact on a child’s ability to learn effectively. The children will be past the crisis period and living in a safe and secure environment.

Dyslexia Speld Foundation (DSF) Literacy Services

Boost – Educating parents to assist their children

The Boost program is aimed at educating parents about how children learn to read and write. Low-income families are targeted.

Many parents come to DSF Literacy Services seeking information about how best to assist their child who is struggling to read and write. Low-income earning parents are restricted in the support they can provide to their child due to the cost of private tutoring, computer programs etc. Boost provides parents with user-friendly information and low-cost, practical strategies and activities to build their literacy skills and prevent literacy failure. The program is based on current research evidence which indicates that weaknesses in phonological and phonemic awareness are strongly related to reading difficulty (Stanovich, 1992).

Dyslexia Speld Foundation (DSF) Literacy Services

Word Science – Improving the literacy skills of upper secondary students

Statistics reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2006 indicated that 52% of 15 to 19 year olds in Australia are unable to read and write at the necessary level to function adequately in today’s society. The Word Science program aims to improve the literacy skills of upper secondary students who are experiencing disadvantage and to therefore increase their chances of successfully transitioning to the workplace or further study.

The Word Science program is based on multi-sensory and explicit teaching approaches which are appropriate to students of varied levels of cognitive ability. Teaching will be provided by a trained and experienced specialist teacher with support from a consultant Psychologist. Students will receive clear and accurate feedback regarding their progress to enable them to identify and work on their areas of strength and difficulty.

The Word Science program will be available to 16 students aged 15 to 17 in each term such that 64 students would access the program in 2010. Eligible students will display measured weaknesses in reading and spelling. Following the 8-week program, all students are expected to show significant improvements in their reading and spelling achievement.

 
 
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2008/2009 GRANTS

United Way WA Grant Focus for 2008/09 is structured around Crisis Support, Basic Needs, Community Support and Mental Health.

Funding for specific programs was provided to the following recipients:

Balga Detached Youth

Alzheimer’s Australia WA

Lifeline WA

Lupus Group of WA

Richmond Fellowship WA

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Balga Detached Youth

 
A community based organisation which provides support for high risk young people through access to services and support, and in consultation with their families.

The Workskills Training Program

The focus of this funding submission is to deliver an improved one year pilot ‘Workskills Training Program’ whilst developing it into an effective long term program. It is hoped that formalising the process will highlight the merit of the program and thus contribute towards its future sustainability. More collaborative relationships will be explored to form partnerships which will provide more local options for young people entering the program.

Workskills is an intensive life skills and work readiness program which focuses on engaging ‘at risk’ young people into productive day activities to improve their pathways towards further education and/ or workplace training to improve their employability. Staff also offers case management services to the young people and their families.

 
Alzheimer’s Australia WA

To provide representation and support while advancing the interests of individuals with dementia and their carers.

Using GPS Technology to Support the Independence of People with Dementia

This project will target people living with dementia at home who are at risk of getting lost. The development of GPS location technology has improved significantly in the last two years. Alzheimer’s Australia WA has been at the forefront of the development and use of this type of technology for people with dementia. A previous study conducted by Alzheimer’s Australia WA showed that many people would benefit from having access to this type of equipment. This project will build on that study to pilot a service model for people to access GPS equipment.

The project will use 10 GPS location devices and a specially designed web portal for carers to search for lost loved ones.

Traditionally if a person with dementia gets lost whilst out walking the family/ carer may spend many hours looking for the person. The police may be called and spend a large amount of man hours and resources searching for the person. For the person with dementia the trauma of being lost can be severe.

 
Lifeline WA

Lifeline WA provide crisis intervention services throughout the state primarily in the form of 24 hour a day telephone counselling for the cost of a local call from anywhere in the state.

Building a Suicide Safe South West

The South West has been identified as “high risk” in relation to the incidents of suicide. This project aims to build the capacity of the community to recognise and respond to people at risk of suicide through the delivery of suicide prevention education strategies to key community stakeholders in South West townships. GPs, school students and staff, church groups, counselling services, health services, social and welfare services, emergency relief, crisis accommodation, youth and drug and alcohol services, Centrelink, migrant services and locally specific services and interested community members will be offered the training. The project will also consider the development of local bereavement services for families who have lost a family member due suicide Communities encompassed will be Bunbury, Busselton, Collie, Bridgetown, Greenbushes, Manjimup and Margaret River. Central head office for the project will be in Bunbury.

 
Lupus Group of WA

Provide education and support to sufferers of Lupus and their families. Lupus is an incurable disease affecting mainly women, presenting often during pregnancy. Increasingly men and young people are being diagnosed as GPs are becoming more familiar with the disease which causes acute pain in the joints, extreme tiredness and can affect major organs.

Needs and Resources into 2009 and beyond

People suffering with Lupus do not qualify for other forms of government support. The Lupus Group has identified a need to explore the best ways of supporting the increasing numbers of patients and their families. To date the group has not had the expertise or resources to undertake such a study. The grant will allow the group to employ a consultant (4-6 hours per week) to explore strategies which will best support members into the future. This will include the purchase of an updated telephone/ fax answering system. Some patients end up with mental health needs that are not properly treated and this study will also focus on how best to support this group.

Patients, family members and health care practitioners will be included in the survey, ensuring the different needs of these groups are considered. Results will be used to design a crisis support response package for volunteers to ensure the most effective support is offered at critical times. A clear pathway for referral and access to services will also be made available to all interested parties. New resources will be developed.

 
Richmond Fellowship WA

The Richmond Fellowship WA is a non-government organisation whose purpose is to enable recovery for people with a mental illness through innovative services, education and advocacy.

Working with Voice Hearers

This project would target young people 15-25 years of age who hear voices. Their carers, family, friends and service providers would also benefit. A Hearing Voices Group will be established allowing young people to talk about their experiences and share ways of managing the distress associated with the condition. Richmond Fellowship runs several adult Hearing Voices Groups which have been very successful in reducing distress, anti-social behaviour and substance abuse in participants.

There are many myths about mental illness, some which revolve around a belief that people do not recover, particularly people who hear voices. By bringing all parties together, barriers to recovery can be broken down and young people and their supports are empowered to challenge stereotypes that can prevent their recovery.

As the age of onset of psychosis falls in this target group the early intervention approach of this group will be beneficial to their long term recovery.

 
Level 1, 179 Main Street, Osborne Park, WA 6017    |    Phone (08) 9440 4800    |    Email united@unitedwaywa.com.au