marymedia
May 2021 2020 November
A MESSAGE FROM
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Redeveloped our site at Narrabundah in the ACT to provide Marymead new service facilities, care houses and the Azure Retirement Village.
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Established a strong regional presence in rural NSW including Goulburn, Wagga Wagga and the South Coast.
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Strengthened our practice with a clinical governance framework and leadership, and established advisory committees inclusive of parents/carers, experts and people with lived experience.
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Committed to reconciliation with the development of Reconciliation Action Plans which have enabled us to establish firm relationships with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and we recognise that there is a lifetime of work to be undertaken moving forwards.
Camilla Rowland DEPARTING CEO By the time this prints Tracey Hall will be acting CEO until a replacement CEO is found, but I wanted to take the moment to farewell our loyal supporters. Following almost six years as Marymead’s CEO, I am leaving to take on a national leadership role. It has been a very rewarding time at Marymead, navigating our organisation through some challenging and exciting periods, and embedding a collaborative client-focused culture. Marymead has emerged over these six years as a more sustainable organisation staying true to our purpose of empowering children, young people and families to thrive. Looking back over the time and particularly considering changes brought about through the drought, bushfires and COVID-19, our team has: •
Developed the Marymead team capability and capacity to increase our community client base by more than 100% since 2015 to over 17,000 children, young people and families.
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Established major services to meet community need including: Preservation work with families and a new model of foster care, The Autism Centre and the Autism Connect Service, 'IMPACT' an in-school early intervention mental health support for children and young people in NSW and ACT schools, short-term respite services for children and young people with disabilities and for young people at risk of homelessness, family relationship counselling, 'Boundless Buddies' an all-abilities playgroup, and the Family Connect & Support Service in our surrounding NSW area.
I believe that the roots of Marymead are strong in our communities, and overwhelming support during COVID-19 by businesses and individuals are a testament to this. For example the Marymead Auxiliary had their highest fundraising achievement in many years during 2020! I have many people to thank but know that it is the great work of the staff team, the volunteers, the Auxiliary and NEXGEN, the Board, and our supporters which have made Marymead services what they are today – you are all inspirational! Kind regards, MARYMEAD AU XILIARY FAREWELL CAMI LLA.
FINISH DATE: 27TH APRIL 2021
A MESSAGE FROM
Tracey Hall ACTING CEO I think I speak for all at Marymead when I say how truly grateful we are for Camilla's genuine commitment to the children, young people and families we work with, and her clear and authentic leadership of Marymead over the past six years. The work we do every day is complex, challenging, at times tiring, but always rewarding, and Camilla has been a constant over this time. Camilla Rowland finished with us in April and I am excited for the opportunity to take over where Camilla has left off.
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Innovation in client services to meet changing needs Grow our foundations to build our team capacity Develop our sustainability though diversifying our business model
Having worked as Director for Client Services and reporting to Camilla for over four years, I am confident in my ability to support the staff team and nurture the existing momentum and opportunities for growth for as long as required. Kind regards,
Our vision and goals are clear for 2021–2022 with three focus areas embedded within the goals: MARYMEAD CANBERRA / COOMA / GOULBURN / MORUYA / QUEANBEYAN / WAGGA WAGGA / YASS / YOUNG
Inside
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FROM THE CEO
2-3
NEWS
4-5
PROGRAM NEWS
6
EVENTS AND VOLUNTEERING
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FROM OUR SUPPORTERS
8
SPONSORS
MARYMEDIA | MAY 2021
News
OFFICIAL OPENING OF MARYMEAD'S REDEVELOPED NARRABUNDAH SITE After postponing the Marymead Official Opening in March 2020, we were thrilled to officially open our redeveloped, Narrabundah site on Saturday the 13th of March 2021. The investment into purposebuilt facilities will ensure Marymead continues to empower children, young people and families to thrive in the ACT and surrounding NSW region well beyond its already 54 years of service. Included in the Opening was the acknowledgement of three integral figures to Marymead and the Canberra community. Thank you, Lady Helen Deane, Robert Kennedy and Coral Henderson. We are delighted to continue honouring your contributions with the naming of buildings across the Marymead site.
CHRISTMAS APPEAL
COS-P RESEARCH
Despite our Christmas Appeal officially closing in January (totalling a wonderful $44,066), we have continued to receive weekly donations from members of the community wanting to contribute to the funding of free mental health, counselling sessions for children and young people.
Results have been published!
Thanks to this, as of the end of February, we made it to our $50,000 GOAL! This is such an incredible accomplishment from those within our Marymead community. We are now able to provide ALL 640 of the FREE counselling sessions for children and young people. Your donation has meant that these children and young people can get the help that they so desperately need. Thank you!
Special thanks to all involved in helping bring this significant event to life. You can read more about it at: catholicvoice.org.au/ 50m-marymead-facilities-opened/
Marymead has a proud tradition of helping to build the evidence base for parenting programs by participating in research. In this vein, Marymead’s Centre for Early Life Matters recently took part in a controlled multi-site evaluation of the popular Circle of Security Parenting Program (COS-P), coordinated by researchers from Sydney’s Macquarie University. Results have just been published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies, and the news is good! COS-P appears to help parents: a. feel more effective expressing empathy and affection in their parenting, b. feel less helpless and less hostile, c. attend more to their child’s mental states, and d. experience reduced depression symptoms. The full journal paper can be accessed online via the following link: https://rdcu.be/cgIFK
Marymead is urgently seeking carers Marymead is in urgent need of people who are willing to provide a safe and nurturing home for children and young people aged eight to 15. We are looking for people who can care for children, young people and families by supporting restoration, adoption, guardianship or long-term foster care. Marymead provides carers with the support they need including ongoing PAGE 2
training, 24/7 on-call support, an experienced and dedicated caseworker, direct carer support and a tax-free carer allowance. You can change a child’s life… and there is no better time than now! For more information on Marymead’s Permanency (Foster Care) Program please call 02 6162 5800 or email fcinfo@marymead.org.au
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TRADITIONAL OWNERSHIP Marymead acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to the elders past, present and emerging.
MARYMEDIA | MAY 2021
News
VOLUNTEERS OF 2020 IMPACT PROGRAM Marymead has recently developed an exciting new program, as an outcome of our expertise from two existing programs. The program, named IMPACT, provides inschool early intervention mental health support. This is aimed at assisting children and young people in addressing and managing the challenges they face in the context of the family unit. As opposed to the traditional model of a school counsellor, IMPACT also provides holistic family support and contributes to broader student wellbeing initiatives. The flexible program model includes the following components; • Individual short-term counselling (both alone with children and with parents present) • Parental support and interventions • Family support • Supported referral to external services • Therapeutic group sessions – DRUMBEAT, RAGE, Seasons for Growth • Teacher in-service and support • Participation in case meetings and pastoral care reviews. The particular approach is developed in consultation with each school, to meet the needs of the school community. This currently includes a 12 month pilot at primary schools within the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, with hopes of continuation of the program into the future.
Archiving Volunteers Sometimes a group of volunteers will come along who are really special. In late 2019, a number of skilled, kind hearted, detail-oriented volunteers joined Marymead to take on the huge task of fact checking, updating and filing Marymead paper records in preparation for archiving. This group of volunteers have been working tirelessly each week over the last 18 months and have already worked their way through hundreds of archiving boxes. They have navigated their way through the COVID-19 emergency alongside our staff team, have volunteered for other Marymead events and programs and now some of these amazing volunteers are also part of the Marymead staff team. A huge thank you to Louise, Julie, Himani, Jenny and Jane for your contribution to Marymead. Your volunteer work is valued highly and is much appreciated.
HMAS CANBERRA VOLUNTEERS At the end of November 2020 the wonderful HMAS Canberra team came out to the Narrabundah and Azure site to volunteer their time. The team assisted with installing irrigation, altering drains and mulching the garden. The team did an incredible job, and their time and efforts on the day are hugely appreciated. They also made a generous donation which assisted in our fundraising efforts to provide 640 free counselling sessions for children and young people with the 2020 Christmas Appeal. PAGE 3
MARYMEDIA | MAY 2021
Program News
Kids’ Companions
mulch
Day Program
The Kids’ Companions Program provides social and recreational group activities for children and young people who experience social isolation because of the impact of mental health or disability in their families. Participants have the opportunity to experience new activities, develop friendships and independence away from home.
Marymead’s Urban Land Community Harvest
Marymead’s Day Program (previously Amaze) provides young school-leaver adults identifying with a disability a safe environment and activities to develop their skills and independence. This currently operates from Coral’s Cottage, which is one of soon to be two care cottages at Marymead’s Narrabundah location. The individuals who attend the program may not have current goals of employment. However, the Day Program works towards enabling day to day life skills, within a home setting as well as the community, to work towards increased capabilities and communication.
The program continues to benefit from the ongoing commitment of volunteers as well as the valued support of students and staff from St Edmund’s College and the Canberra Grammar School. These contributions enrich the program and experiences of participants. The January school holiday swimming activities are always popular for many children, with achievements like jumping off the diving board and learning to swim in the deep pool being proudly reported. Feedback from participants also includes that they like having fun, having time away from home, meeting new people, making friends, feeling accepted, learning new games, eating watermelon and being listened to. Helen Gardner Unit Manager of Skills Development and Community Engagement
mulch continues to be a vibrant, thriving horticultural social enterprise, providing skills development and community engagement opportunities to young adults with disability. The 32 participants take great pride in the produce they grow and sell. A highlight of the past year was the annual Seedling Sale and Open Day held in late 2020 at which a record number of seedlings were sold in a COVID-compliant context. mulch participants proudly welcomed visitors, escorted them in the garden, demonstrated composting processes, assisted the cashiers with sales and carried purchases to cars. It was a busy afternoon that celebrated the beautiful productive garden and all the hard work of participants and staff. Another stand out was the resilience demonstrated by mulch participants, families and staff throughout the COVID-19 restrictions and lockdown. Staff worked incredibly hard to modify activities to be safe and compliant throughout this time and to be in regular contact with participants and families/ carers to accommodate individual preferences while being as equitable as possible.
The COVID-19 experience truly highlights that the ‘heart’ of mulch is the teamwork and sense of belonging that all team members feel, both participants and staff alike. Congratulations and thanks to everyone.
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After reducing the capacity of the program throughout 2020 due to COVID-19, it is now back to full capacity and operating as usual. This includes operation hours of 7.45am to 7pm every Monday to Friday. Presently, Coral’s Cottage supports nine young people throughout any given week. This can include up to eight individuals in attendance at one time. The soon to be built 'Pete’s Place' will be the second of the care cottages at Marymead’s Narrabundah site. With this second location, the program will see expansion of intake capabilities. This will then allow for Marymead to offer more opportunities to provide this care to the community.
MARYMEDIA | MAY 2021
Program News
Autism Centre
Support Coordination
The Autism Centre supports people on the autism spectrum and their families in the ACT and surrounding NSW region. The Autism Centre continues to be the ACT community partner of Amaze, delivering Autism Connect, the first national autism helpline. Free, evidence-based, independent information, advice and referral is provided via phone, email and webchat to autistic people, their supporters and professionals.
Within the last 12 months, NDIS Support Coordination has been expanding to meet the need across the ACT and NSW.
The Autism Centre’s social and support groups are thriving. LEGO groups and Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) groups continue to be popular with additional LEGO groups during school holidays and plans for expansion with D&D. In addition, we are excited to have joined the Lab Network and started hosting sessions in late April. The Lab Network provides mentored technology clubs for people on the spectrum aged 10-18 who are interested in computers. The Labs are mentored by technology professionals who support participants to develop their skills and interests in programing, gaming and more. Another exciting development for the Autism Centre is the partnership with Employ for Ability, neurodiversity recruitment specialists, to deliver autism-specific School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES). NDIS participants are supported by Employ for Ability to develop pathways to employment that build on their unique skills and abilities. The Autism Centre also continues its inclusion and community development work through customised training and workshops for corporate and community organisations. Currently the Autism Centre is working with after school care centres to upskill staff to better support the needs of children on the autism spectrum.
This includes growing from two staff in the Canberra office, to now three in Canberra and one staff member located at the South Coast (Moruya). This growth has been the result of dedicated collaboration with the new Community Development Officer in Moruya, and is expected to see continued growth moving forward. The program is currently exploring the future need for NDIS Support Coordination in other locations across NSW including Wagga Wagga and Goulburn.
The Autism Centre continues to thrive in terms of team size and outcomes achieved.
Boundless Buddies Boundless Buddies is a popular all-abilities supported playgroup that is held each Monday at Boundless Playground in Parkes, just off King’s Avenue Bridge. Marymead facilitates this program in partnership with ACT Playgroup Association and organises visits from allied health professionals to enable parents to access child development information. The program is back in full swing after the disruption caused by the bushfires and smoke in early 2020, followed by COVID-19 restrictions. It’s great to be back and for families to enjoy the outdoors again.
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MARYMEDIA | MAY 2021
Events & Volunteering
26 June
SATURDAY
18 Sept
SATURDAY
MONSTER 6 Nov
SATURDAY
255 Goyder Street Narrabundah
August DATE TO BE CONFIRMED
Royal Canberra Golf Club
TUESDAY
Marymead
9.00am–1.00pm
Garage & Plant Sale
Card & Games DAY
12 October Government House Spring
Morning TEA
26, 27, 28 November Keep an eye out for our upcoming raffles!
Auxiliary The Auxiliary volunteers have celebrated a monumental achievement. Over the past year, they have managed to raise an incredible $90,000 for Marymead, as an accumulation of raffles and events. This is one of the highest amounts ever raised, attained through the innovative thinking of the Auxiliary, which then allowed for the delivery of many of our events through COVID-19. This final figure could also not have been achieved without the help provided to the Auxiliary by Trek and Hands Across Canberra. Trek have contributed both financially and physically with their assistance in Garage and Plant Sale event set up. The $90k raised will allow Marymead as an organisation to continue to provide essential services to the ACT and NSW. A huge thank you to those who donated items for the Garage and Plant Sales. These donations are not only crucial to the fundraising success of the sales, but also contribute toward our sustainability mission.
Government House Gardens
Marymead
Art Show
NEXGEN Call for Volunteers Our NEXGEN volunteers are always looking for new and enthusiastic faces to join in the effort to help raise funds for Marymead. This group of eager young people is committed to contributing to the community and to Marymead. If you’d like to join to make your contribution to Marymead, reach out to volunteering@marymead.org.au for more information. PAGE 6
MARYMEDIA | MAY 2021
From our Supporters CRUX Media CRUX has been proud to work with Marymead. From Marymead’s call-for-carers TVC (in partnership with Cre8tive) through to pro-bono edit work for the Christmas Appeal in 2019 and 2020, a small COVID-related TVC campaign in 2020 and production of the Azure campaign. CRUX believe in the work that Marymead is doing so when they are not in a position to offer full pro-bono work, they always offer to discount where possible. Thank you CRUX!
Giving Trees – Christmas 2020
We have our bus! Thanks to your support across our Race Day and Tax Appeal in 2020, Marymead are able to replace our bus! This bus will allow Kids' Companions to transport children to activities that they would not otherwise be able to attend. COVID-19 has caused some purchase delay, however we are in final negotiations and look forward to showing you some pictures soon.
Throughout the festive season of 2020, many ACT and NSW organisations took the initiative to host a Giving Tree for Marymead. These Giving Trees include the donation of children’s gifts to be given to those less fortunate, so that they can experience the same joy of opening presents on Christmas that other children cherish. Organisations who donated included the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra Grammar School, NTT Ltd., Department of Defence, and many other kind businesses. There was so much generosity shown to Marymead, that we were fortunate enough to have excess to our own client needs. The additional donations were then donated onward to other not-for-profit organisations that service children and young people in the ACT and NSW.
Ella* is just one of many children across our community quietly missing out. Due to mental health or disability within the family, parents or carers may not be in a position to leave the house. This means children and young people like Ella never attend birthday parties or out of school activities and are at risk of social isolation. This Tax Appeal, we’re asking you to support social activities which will give children and young people experiences they may not have had before. Marymead’s Kids’ Companions program works closely with parents and carers to understand the social support needs of their child or young person. Through engaging in community activities, children and young people have the opportunity to develop and build: Social skills with peers • Friendships Leadership and peer mentoring skills
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Resilience • Health and wellbeing.
Ways you can donate to Marymead’s Tax Appeal Money • Gift Vouchers • Free access to recreational venues
been *Name has
changed.
For more information or to donate, head to our website marymead.org.au MARYMEAD IS A CATHOLIC AGENCY OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF CANBERRA AND GOULBURN. ABN 90 677 510 841
Tax Appeal 2021
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Crux Media - Canberra’s Award-Winning Video Production House Okay, so maybe one of those awards is a participation ribbon for almost finishing the year 5 cross country, but some of them are relevant. Like some national cinematography awards, film festival laurels and we even had one of our music videos copied by Ariana Grande a few years ago (although we suspect that was just a very slow news week). We have extensive experience in producing video content for a range of businesses and brands. Our list of clients includes Warner Music, Royal Australian Mint, Visit Canberra, ANCAP, Marymead, University of Canberra, ANU and many more. Check out our website and get in touch so we can work together to tell your story.
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FYSHWICK ACT
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