Today we have been brain-storming potential ideas for the final presentation of our Service Learning. So far, we are thinking of including a poster spelling out 'JCA' with photos and making a video including post and pre interviews, to show how our perspective may have changed.
In terms of our progress, we are certainly organised, having already completed all of the components needed!

By Lexie Hunter

Play Dough Recipe 

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup salt 
1 cup plain flour 
2 tablespoons cream of tartar 
1 cup water 
1 tablespoon oil 
Food colouring 

Method:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a medium sized saucepan  
2. Stir over heat until dough is pliable
3. Allow to cool and store in a well sealed plastic bag or container 

Recipe Notes:
This makes enough for 2-4 children to have a good sized lump to play with. Keep it in the fridge and it lasts for 6 months or more 

By Molly Martyr :) 

Welcome back to term 3 for all of our Josephites after the mid-year holidays!
It was great to receive our proposal back from the year coordinators and edit what we needed to fix! This term, we have a focus on fine-tuning all of our plans for our service learning week, as well as our weekend away in early November. We have also brought in a scrapbook so we can collectively organise all of our ideas and also document all of our experiences! As a group, we split up to tackle different tasks at the same time, a few girls worked on the scrapbook, some on correspondence with a representative from the Josephites organisation, whilst others worked on our goals for this term and setting up what we all have to do!

All in all, our group is so excited for everything we have coming this term and we cant wait to get back into the swing of things!
-Bella 

From our discussion with Adrian, we were given greater insight to the community assisted by JCA and a greater understanding Refugees. 

Entering such a multicultural society like Australia, refugees may feel quite overwhelmed and struggle with their finding their identity. In the past, people migrating to Australia often assimilated into the society and had difficulty preserving their identity. As Adrian said you “cultural identity was like a jacket, something you removed from your body and begin integration into society.” However we are now trying to create a society that promotes racial acceptance and allows the journey into a foreign community easier for all migrants. JCA plays a major role in facilitating this process and allowing families to establish a life within Australia. JCA began in 1986 and helps many families within the western Sydney region, from Auburn to St Mary’s. The largest African American community exists in Blacktown itself, with a high proportion of refugees coming from Sudan.  Many of the refugees may suffer as a result of stereotyping from the Australian public. Stereotypes held by government agencies/ polices can also be quite confronting. As they slowly adapt to the Australian society, JCA gives them the support they need.

By taking part of our group project we aim to become their friend and offer them a fun-filled experience. The friendships and connections we make here are everlasting, and do not stop when we head on the bus home. Through this experience, we as Australian youth can contribute to our community and help these refugees with their struggles. 

What support does JCA provide? How long does the support last?

JCA-1986, Focus: young people 15 up; can and do make a difference in the world

Offer opportunities: volunteer for one day a year, gap year, weekends away, homework group and women’s group

The programs:

·         Women’s group: Breaks down barriers of isolation, woman come together,

·         Homework: aids with school work and social interaction

·         Volunteers from Universities

·         Full-time volunteers: visiting refugees in their homes, starting relationships with refugees

·         Australia is one in three countries that take refugees from Africa

Activities/initiatives :

·         Clothing

·         Baking

·         Gardening

·         Hampers

·         Play dough

·         Face painting

·         Bubbles

·         Swimming

By Shehani Gunasekera

 

1. How will our service project help the community organisation we are working with? 

Community service helps others by providing benefits to people who need it and are unable to do it themselves. For example our service project helps Josephite Community Aid by helping them integrate into society smoothly. It forms relationships and gives them emotional support and connections. We are able to help the organisation by providing more hands to help out with everything such as organising activities and games. We are able to show that the Australian community cares about refugees and organisations like these and we can talk to them about our society, making them feel more comfortable about living in this country. 

2. What will we need to be able to conduct our service effectively?
-          Knowledge  of the community group
-          Skills - craft, food handling, organising games and activities
-          Practical needs like materials – fun things like bubbles and play dough
-          Transportation
-          Budgetary requirements
-          Making sure we get really involved

1.What needs does our organisation have?  Try and prioritise those needs that are most
urgent and which you could most effectively address in your service
week.

 1.Volunteers who are willing to give up their time to help and welcome the
refugees
 2.Volunteers to help with programs
 3. To organise community events
 4.Teaching the refugees English (reading and writing as well as speaking.)
 5. To organise community events
 6.Donations and pick up
 7.To fundraise
 8.People to help with the Christmas hampers
 9.General Admin (Including Newsletter)
10.Website Maintenance and Photo library and archives

2. Why do these needs exist?
-Refugees eed help to integrate into society

In our society today, many issues within individual countries are present. Whether
the factors environmental, political and religious, some people’s only way of
escaping this threat is via refugee. This may not necessarily be legal, but the
circumstances are desperate. If fortunate enough to successfully find another
country, they are placed in refugee camps or detention centres, for periods of
time varying from days to years

 3. What do we need to know about the lives of those we will be working with?  
-We need to know where they are from and their ‘story’ so that no offense is taken
or any misunderstandings
-What type of ordeals they have experienced or are currently
experiencing
-Have an idea of their cultural background
-How they settled in
-Why have they moved
-Why are they living in their current location?
-When they first immigrated to Australia
- What cultures
-What type of profession/work do they do?

4.What are the short term and long term effects of these needs if they are not
met?
-if the casualties don't learn independence and self-efficiency, then they will
become too dependent on this foundation and not take opportunities to lead their
individuals lives’.

In the short term there will be less people for them to serve and assist so the
association would be small and no one would know about it therefore a lot of
people will not receive the help that they need. The organisation would not run
smoothly and it would be difficult for them to find volunteers without things
like; advertising, websites and newsletters. In the long term the organisation
would eventually have to shut down.