Change the Story

We bring different people, perspectives and voices together and amplify positive narratives for change.

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Date
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Festival of Change 2019

In May 2017 Dusseldorp Forum began a collaborative, three-year process called the ‘Festival of Change’. It started with four community-based initiatives coming together to distil what works and why, share evidence and resources.

Australian Philanthropy Awards

In July we were honoured to receive the Philanthropy Australia Award for the Best Large Grant 2019 alongside Maranguka Justice Reinvestment and Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation for Maranguka’s Justice Reinvestment Strategy.

Worldskills -sharing skills across the world

It was 1997 and Tjerk Dusseldorp was standing on the station in St Gallen Switzerland when he noticed a young man dressed in his Australian uniform, a medal around his neck. He was 22-year-old Grant Stewart, a plumber from Wollongong NSW and the day before he’d competed in the WorldSkills International competition.

Connecting our past and future

This year Dusseldorp Forum welcomed a new Board Member Charlee-Sue Frail. Charlee-Sue came to know the Forum through her mentor Cath Brokenborough, Executive Lead Indigenous Engagement at Lendlease and their work together on Lendlease’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

A response from the heart

Dusseldorp Forum is proud to endorse the Uluru Statement from the Heart which asserts the sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples that was never ceded, and we join the calls for voice, truth-telling and agreement-making.

Building stronger relationships

Once a much-maligned township, suffering from one of NSW’s highest Aboriginal youth conviction and incarceration rates, Bourke and its 2,500-strong population are now considered trailblazers, forging a new path towards community strength through a radical approach driven by the community itself.

Major breakthrough for Bourke

For the past five years Bourke NSW has been modelling First Nations self-governance, empowering the community to coordinate the right mix and timing of services through an Aboriginal owned and led community hub.

Sustainable school, sustainable planet

Last year ended with the fantastic news from our partners at Warddeken Land Management that their school Nawarddeken Academy had received independent registration ensuring that the school, located in the remote community of Kabulwarnamyo in Arnhem Land is sustainably funded into the future.

School’s in at Nawarddeken Academy

Our partners at Warddeken Land Management have had amazing news this month. The school that sustains the Kabulwarnamyo community, Nawarddeken Academy, has been registered as an Independent School.

Bourke – A beacon of hope

Maranguka Justice Reinvestment recently launched a report by KPMG that shows community led changes in Bourke generated $3 million of savings in 2017 by reducing violence, increasing school retention and reducing offences.

ChangeFest18

In November, ChangeFest18 brought together over 500 change-makers from across Australia.

Bangarra Rekindling Program

Dusseldorp Forum is supporting Bangarra’s Rekindling Program that inspires pride, kinship and a sense of strength in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary school aged students through a series of dance residencies.

#WorthASecondChance

Dusseldorp Forum is supporting Jesuit Social Services in their campaign to improve youth justice in Victoria.

TRAC: Training Retail and Commerce

Australia was a harsh place for early school leavers in the late 1980s. Many young people were dropping out of high school – only 60% completed year 12 – and jobs were hard to find. Of all males aged 15 -19 years, a massive 19% per cent were unemployed.

History: Youth Transitions

The success of TRAC paved the way for the Forum’s focus on “Youth Transitions” for the following 10 years – as it highlighted critical school-to-work transition challenges in Australia. In 1997, the Forum’s senior researcher Richard Sweet approached seven leading researchers with an invite to join a collaborative study on young Australians.

History: Learning Choices

It was through the Forum’s work in “youth transitions” that the Learning Choices arena became increasingly apparent. Also known as alternative education or flexible learning, it was called “Learning Choices” by the Forum to emphasise that young people should have a say in deciding how they best learn, regardless of their interests, abilities, backgrounds and personal circumstances.

History: WorldSkills

WorldSkills Australia celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2012, after three decades of championing the development of thousands of Australia’s young skilled tradespeople through regional, national and international skill competitions.

GJ(Dick) Dusseldorp

In an industry plagued by frequent industrial conflict, Dick built his company around the value of recognising the community of interest between shareholders, workers, management, clients and community. This philosophy of finding or creating a common interest also found expression in his contributions to issues of community concern and public policy over the years.

The Australian Philanthropic Benchmark

A recent study of the Melbourne Business School outlined five key pillars of good practice in philanthropy. One of these core elements is the strength of the relationships.

Festival of Change 2018

Four lighthouse initiatives from Bourke NSW, Doveton VIC, Logan QLD and Kabulwarnamyo NT have joined forces as part of a collaborative, three-year process called the ‘Festival of Change’.

Gold Logie for Little J and Big Cuz

A huge congratulations to our partners at Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) with their school readiness TV initiative winning the 2018 Gold Logie for ‘Most outstanding children’s program’.