Welcome to the November edition of Tasmania Together eNews. The newsletter is published to showcase the activities of our partners and other business and community organisations who are working towards achieving Tasmania Together goals and benchmarks. It provides partner news, information on upcoming events, details on what the Progress Board is up to, and discussion on what is happening around key issues for Tasmanians.

In line with the recently released A Social Inclusion Strategy for Tasmania, this edition will focus on the issue of Social Inclusion - an area that incorporates a number of Tasmania Together goals and benchmarks.

Also take a look at some of our partners' activities in the Partner News section. These activities contribute to a wide range of Tasmania Together goals and benchmarks and the State’s progress in general.

What is Social Inclusion?

“All Tasmanians deserve an equal chance at making a good life for themselves. Every Tasmanian should have the opportunity to be the best they can be and to feel a sense of belonging in their community. This is the focus of social inclusion.”

The Premier released the Tasmanian Government's Preliminary Response to  A Social Inclusion Strategy for Tasmania on 19 October 2009.

Tasmania Together and Social Inclusion

Tasmania Together includes a number of goals and benchmarks that help to promote social inclusion. Goal 1: a reasonable lifestyle and standard of living for all Tasmanians has set targets to address issues of poverty in the State; and Goal 5: vibrant, inclusive and growing communities, where people feel valued and connected, targets issues of discrimination and social isolation.

In addition, new benchmarks monitoring Tasmanian’s attitudes towards issues of tolerance; feeling part of the community; quality of life; and government accountability have been approved by Parliament.

Tasmania was one of the first states in Australia to acknowledge social inclusion as an important public policy issue.

In May 2008, the Tasmanian Government established a Social Inclusion Unit in the Department of Premier and Cabinet. It also created the independent position of Social Inclusion Commissioner, to which Professor David Adams was appointed in December 2008.

The objectives of the Social Inclusion Unit are:

• To address the causes of social exclusion by developing practical solutions that are informed by evidence-based research and achieved by working with all spheres of government, the community and business sectors; and
  
• To promote socially inclusive communities throughout Tasmania.

    Read more in the attached article ...

In the recently released, A Social Inclusion Strategy for Tasmania, Preliminarily Response, the Government highlighted the significant work already achieved by Tasmania Together in the area of social inclusion.

“Tasmania has a unique community-owned method of determining its long term social, environmental and economic objectives through Tasmania Together. Its goals and benchmarks will be important for measuring the progress of the economic and social benefits of social inclusion efforts”, the report said.

As part of the Government’s response to social inclusion, a working group will be formed to establish a set of social inclusion indicators for Tasmania. Membership will be drawn from all sectors of the community, and Tasmania Together will be a key stakeholder.

   Read more ...  www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/siu/strategy
 

Social Exclusion and Carers in Tasmania

In January 2009, Carers Tasmania released a discussion paper highlighting the social exclusion experienced by carers in Tasmania.

Carers of people with disabilities or long term conditions often experience social exclusion, due to systematic and inter-related barriers which prevent their social and economic participation.

Long term carers often suffer from poor health and wellbeing, lack of ability to participate in employment, and increased costs from providing care. If left unsupported, these factors often combine to result in deep and persistent social and economic poverty.

Carers contribute greatly to the wellbeing and social inclusion of the people they care for, but this contribution often disadvantages the carer as the time and cost of providing care becomes a barrier which prevents social participation.

   Read more ...Social Inclusion and Carers in Tasmania:  A Carers Tasmania Position Paper - October 2009 

Eureka Clubhouse in Moonah, Hobart supports people who have or have had a mental illness. They are working towards enabling Tasmanians to participate in their communities.

Click here to read an extract from one of their members.

Community Capacity Building Grants Program 2009-10

The Tasmanian Government has established the $1 million Community Capacity Building Grants Program to support projects that progress one or more of the strategies in A Social Inclusion Strategy for Tasmania.

The 2009-10 grants will give priority to initiatives that:

• Promote social inclusion and enable connection with the community for all community members;
• Address disadvantage to improve the lives of community members experiencing social exclusion; or
• Improve Tasmanians’ participation in the social, economic, political and cultural life of their community.

    Read more ...  for more information about guidelines, application forms and details about grant writing workshops.

TasCOSS supports a Social Inclusion Strategy

As the principal voice for low income and disadvantaged Tasmanians, the Tasmanian Council of Social Service (TasCOSS) is a strong proponent of a Social Inclusion Strategy for Tasmania.

In a paper released in response to the Government’s commitment to social inclusion, TasCOSS supported a strategy that aimed to improve the quality of life, standards of living and opportunities to participate in social, civic and economic life for all Tasmanians.

They stressed the importance of this strategy for low-income Tasmanians calling for a long-term approach that has at its heart a commitment to reducing poverty in Tasmania.

TasCOSS encouraged coordinated and targeted plans for areas of concentrated disadvantage, as well as changes to structural and institutional processes that lead to or exacerbate social exclusion in Tasmania, including housing and homelessness, health and wellbeing, education, employment and training, and transport.

TasCOSS supported a whole-of-government and whole-of-community approach to social inclusion policy development that builds on the good work already achieved by Tasmania Together.

    Check out the full report... TasCOSS response to A Social Inclusion Strategy for Tasmania: a consultation paper - December 2008 

    Tasmanian Youth Forum

On 20 February 2009, a state-wide Tasmanian Youth Forum was held to discuss the issue of social inclusion. 

The forum brought together a number of young people from all around Tasmania who believed that every young person has the right to be included.

Participants considered all aspects of social inclusion and exclusion and looked at how communities in Tasmania could achieve a future where every individual was included. 

The group put forward a number of ideas, including community breakfasts, community gardens, increased council involvement, and the creation of stronger and more aware communities to tackle local poverty.

   For more information on the outcomes of the Tasmanian Youth Forum, click here.

SCOPE Local Community Partnerships

SCOPE facilitates a number of skills and career development projects that help to promote social inclusion for young Tasmanians.

Year 10 students from Bridgewater High School were given the opportunity to participate in a Service Industry tour as part of the Career Transitions Program. This day trip lead students on a tour through the diverse job opportunities offered in the Service Industry and they found out what it takes to be successful in this ever changing field.

   Read more ...

Fish was a three day program designed to support a class of Geeveston District High School students enrolled in River Studies. It focused on the careers associated with rivers and river management and gave the students a chance to interact with professionals who are actively involved in this field.

   Read more ...

Students from a number of schools were given the opportunity to tour the HMAS Parramatta when it was in Hobart this year. The students were shown around the vessel and were given a better understanding about navy life and the various pathways into the Royal Australian Navy.

   Read more ...

Branching Out: New Connections, New Directions

Branching Out is a two year social enterprise project developed by Tasmanian Regional Arts in conjunction with Westpac Foundation.

The project aims to strengthen and grow the capacity of Tasmanian artists, community arts organisations and art spaces, through equipping them with the skills and expertise they need to generate their own resources.

These community arts organisations encourage a strong sense of community, participation and inclusion.

Currently in the early stages of implementation, the project is working with two community groups to explore the challenges and requirements of further developing the project.

   Read more...

Volunteer Connect Improves Pathways to Volunteering

Volunteering Tasmania has embraced technology with a brand new service that promises to provide quick and easy pathways to volunteer recruitment.

Called Volunteer Connect, it provides a centralised location where volunteers can go for reliable information and advice about local volunteering.

Volunteering pathways are simplified, with access to a State-wide database of volunteering opportunities and an information toolkit. It will also assist non-profit and community organisations in recruiting volunteers in their local community. Project officers are also available to provide support and advice to Volunteer Connect site hosts.

Volunteer Connect will look different in every community – we identify existing community hubs and tap into their local knowledge and contacts, providing database access and ongoing support to help local organisations recruit volunteers, to improve easy access to volunteer opportunities and to help increase volunteering in local communities.

If you would like to know more about hosting a Volunteer Connect site, contact Laura Halm (South) 6231 5500 or Carolyn Frichot (North) 6331 1567.
 

  Ten Year Review of Tasmania Together

2010 represents the half-way point for the 20 year Tasmania Together plan. Next year will also mark the Ten Year Review of Tasmania Together. As part of this process, the Progress Board will consult with the Tasmanian community about any changes they see as necessary to maintain the relevance and usefulness of Tasmania Together over the next ten years. Public consultations will commence in August 2010 and planning is already underway. The Board recently held two workshops to set the framework for the Ten Year Review.

The Ten Year Review will be theme of the 2010 Tasmania Together Youth Challenge which will kick off early next year.

Let us know if you would like to get involved.

  New Benchmarks

One of the Board’s most important functions is to refine and develop new benchmarks to measure our progress. This is an ongoing process and we now have 34 new and revised benchmarks endorsed by Parliament. The benchmarks cover a wide range of issues, including literacy levels, social inclusion, agricultural production, and quality of life. All of these issues were identified by the community for benchmark development.

This is the first time the Board has submitted benchmarks for Parliamentary approval  between Five Year Reviews of Tasmania Together. If you want a copy of the new and revised benchmarks click here or contact us at secretariat@tasmaniatogether.tas.gov.au.

  2009 Snapshot of Progress

Each year the Board releases an annual Snapshot of Progress that provides an overview of how we are progressing towards the community’s goals for 2020. Twelve high level headline indicators, representing the twelve goals in Tasmania Together, are used to measure progress. A one page pamphlet is delivered to Tasmanian households. The idea is to use a simple, easy to read format to provide feedback to the community on progress achieved. Work has started on the 2009 Snapshot which is due to be released in January 2010.