Welcome to CommunityLink
Vision
As the community programs division of UnityLink, CommunityLink will work with the community, employers, educators and government to design and develop programs and solutions which address the needs of vulnerable members of the community such as young people, migrants, refugees, mature age and the unemployed and underemployed.
History
CommunityLink builds on a history of successful community programs delivered since 1995 and funded by the federal and state governments.
From 2001 to 2003, we successfully delivered the Managing Individual Pathways Program in Schools (MIPS) program supporting 240 students from Copperfield College, Keilor Downs Secondary College, Deer Park Secondary College, Taylors Lakes Secondary College and St Albans Secondary College, all located in the Brimbank and Melton municipalities.
Through our Community Benefit Fund (CBF) we extended the MIPS program by funding four part-time counsellors who provided support to students at the above schools until December 2008. In addition, since 2006 the CBF has provided nearly $156,000 in financial assistance to unemployed people and a total of $64,000 in scholarships that were awarded to sixty-five highly disadvantaged secondary school students to pay for school fees, text books and uniforms.
We are a foundation member of the Brimbank/Melton/Maribyrnong/Moonee Valley regions Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLEN) and continue to provide active board participation, strategic direction and lobbying support for its objectives.
We are also a signatory to the Western Youth Futures (WYF) Regional Youth Commitment. This is a regional partnership initiative led by the three western LLENs. WYF works with regional stakeholders to provide support for early school leavers or those facing other disadvantage to complete Year 12 or its equivalent and move successfully into post secondary education or training.
From 2003 to 2007, we were the largest Workforce Participation Partnerships (WPP) provider in Victoria. Our WPP program placed 160 highly disadvantaged job seekers into sustainable jobs in skills shortage areas in the western suburbs of Melbourne.
Future
CommunityLink's vision for the future seeks to build on the achievements, resources and expertise it has accumulated since 1995.
Our work will be in the areas of employment and training, early intervention and social inclusion.
Employment and Training
Through collaborations with UnityLink's Employment Solutions division, training providers, local government and community partners, we will develop tailored programs addressing the needs of vulnerable groups and individuals in our community to help them gain fulfilling, sustainable employment.
Early Intervention
In consultation with schools and other stakeholders, develop programs which support young people at risk of not completing Year 12. We will re-establish our schools scholarships program to assist disadvantaged students who are excluded from school life because of lack of funds; establish counselling programs to assist families and young people address barriers to continuing secondary education, and develop a project to assist schools to establish their own uniform shop to recycle school uniforms and enable disadvantaged students to access a uniform with dignity.
Social Inclusion
We are developing programs that respond to community and individual aspirations, reduce disadvantage and increase social, civic and economic participation for families, young people, migrants , refugees, mature age, the unemployed and underemployed.
We will ensure that programs are developed in consultation with communities and that there is significant community participation in planning, operating and evaluating programs. Outcomes will continue to benefit the community past the completion of the program. We will work with other partners in order to deliver the best value to the community.
Area of Operation
CommunityLink principally services the western suburbs of Melbourne including the local government areas of Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Hume, Maribyrnong, Melton, Moonee Valley, Wyndham and parts of Moreland.
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre - Certificate Of Appreciation
