Banksia Gardens Community Services

Member | Tracking Since July 2024

Banksia Gardens Community Services Sustainability Actions

Climate Adaptation Requires Youth Action

CARYA was launched in 2020, bringing together a courageous, cross-cultural group of young adults to learn about, discuss and take action on some of the key social and environmental issues impacting (and being impacted by) climate change. Our CARYA participants complete a 8 week training program, meeting expert speakers and discussing topics such as food security, climate justice, biodiversity, climate as a health issue, and waste. Training is intended to set up participants with essential sustainability knowledge, networks and communication skills. Training is flexible, and includes several field trips for CARYA participants to enhance their learning experience, with past trips including a local bush tucker walk guided by first peoples, visits to the Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary, e-bike rides to the Eco Justice Hub in Brunswick and a tour of the thriving urban backyard ‘The Plummery’ to meet permaculture expert Kat Lavers.

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Gender Equity

For many years, Banksia Gardens Community Services has been a local pioneer in the push for gender equality and ending violence against women through its Good People Act Now (GPAN) project. In 2019, BGCS made gender equity an organisational key priority area, establishing a gender equity working group to help drive this change across all of the organisation’s operations. The GPAN Project was established in 2014 in response to the high rates of family violence incidents in Hume. Since 2014, GPAN has trained hundreds of young people to be gender equity champions and active bystanders in their communities. We promote our message through community campaigns, local events, sporting clubs and schools in a variety of ways, including live performance, info sessions, movie making and social media.

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Common Bean Cafe

The Common Bean Cafe is our social enterprise established to provide a space for young people to gain work experience and develop their skills and confidence required in finding work. Youth unemployment levels in Broadmeadows are currently at 27.2% (ABS, 2016). By providing young people with a supportive transitional training and employment program we are helping to combat youth unemployment in our community! Every six months, the Common Bean Cafe provides a transitional employment opportunity and on the job training to a new group of young people form our community. During their placement with the Common Bean, the young participants gain accredited training in areas relevant to hospitality, general employability skills, six months of paid work experience and an increased sense of confidence which will allow them to obtain employment independently in the future.

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Community Garden

Our community garden is a volunteer-run garden that provides community members with a friendly environment to grow plants, learn and improve their gardening knowledge and skills, and make new friends. The garden is a productive fruit and vegetable garden, all the produce is made available to community members and groups that use our centre. See a variety of different waste management systems in action, with worm farms, bokashi and in-ground composting all in use at our community garden.

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