AUGUSTINIAN COMMUNITIES & MINISTRIES

Augustinian Volunteers Australia

“For an Augustinian, no one is a stranger.”
Motto of U.S. Augustinian Volunteers .....

For previous details on this web site about Augustinian Volunteers Australia, click here.

Augustinian Volunteers Australia 2012-2013

In February 2008, Augustinian Volunteers Australia was launched with a group of five part-time co-workers. These three women and two men offered their assistance to Church ministries in the poorer suburbs of Western Sydney. This was subsequent to a formation course which included an immersion experience in that same region of Sydney.

The most recent annual formation program for Augustinian Volunteers is taking place early this month (February 2013), and details will be published here in March.

Patrice Provides Full-time Leadership.

Patrice first joined the Volunteers in 2010. She came to us from the St Clair Parish in Western Sydney and ministered in her first year with Holy Family Church at Mt Druitt, working both in the Church’s welfare store and with young people in after-school care. During this time, Patrice completed her honours psychology degree. She always said that she would come back and give a considerable proportion of her time to the Volunteers. 2012 is the year.

You can help support Patrice in her year of full-time volunteering. The Augustinians are developing a Foundation for assisting the Volunteers in their Ministry. Contributions can now be accepted to the Augustinian Volunteer Fund. Contributions will be tax deductible into the future. No amount you give is too small.

April 2012: AVA in Redfern

A new Augustinian Volunteers Australia (AVA) outreach began at Redfern in inner-city Sydney, New South Wales in mid-March 2012, in which the Volunteers assist Aboriginal high school students with classes in literacy and numeracy. In this program, Augustinian Volunteers Australia participates with the Tribal Warrior Association, which has a mentoring and maritime training program with the indigenous young people of Redfern.

There are three classes per week, following an early morning physical exercise session from 6.00 am to 7.30 am that is provided by Tribal Warrior. Three of the 2012 group of Augustinian Volunteers are involved in the classes on an ongoing basis.

On 18th May 2012 an informal visit to the class was made by Fr Tony Banks OSA (Augustinian Provincial) and Mr John Godwin (a financial assistant from Fair Go Australia).

The Deputy Principal of St Augustine’s College, Sydney has also visited Redfern in order to plan the educational integration and funding for this Augustinian Volunteers project.

November 2012: AVA commences a new Language Program

Augustinian Volunteers working in Redfern in Sydney are about to commence a new program aimed at assisting Aboriginal youth who have participated in literacy/numeracy classes with the Volunteers this year (see photo below). The new language program has won funding from the telecommunications company, Optus, and is intended to assist young people to appreciate their rich cultural heritage and its influence on their language skills and expressions.

Tentatively titled “Lingo from the Block” the program provides funding for Aboriginal mentors and leaders to assist in the collection of extant words and phrases from languages that were used by people of the Redfern block over the years. In some cases these languages are no longer used but have significantly influenced the shaped English usage in Indigenous communities locally.

Optus have agreed amongst other conditions to fund a set of IPad tablets for the students in order to collect words from local Redfern families and enter them into a continually updated compendium of usage. The expectation is that this will document evidence of a rich language background for these young people who have experienced, or are currently candidates for, juvenile justice orders. In part, the desire for this program came as an expression of the young people themselves as they faced their frustration over lack of formal English skills when seeking employment.

Augustinian Volunteers are enthusiastic about the possibilities of the program in helping young people make the connection between their colloquial English, heavily influenced by Aboriginal language, and the more formal English they are trying to master.

A significant feature of the acquisition of this funding is that it has been won through the newly established Augustinian Volunteer Foundation. The foundation’s chairpersons, Tony and Marguerite Hudson, were instrumental in applying for and acquiring the funds and will assist in the delivery and supervision of moneys associated with the program. This is now the second set of funds attracted to the Foundation whose tax-free status was only confirmed in July this year.

The entire project of the Augustinian Volunteer ministry with indigenous young people in Redfern and the attraction of funds to underwrite Augustinian Volunteer ministry has been a successful new development for the Australian Province of the Augustinians this year. The Order’s St Augustine’s College in Sydney has extended its involvement with Augustinian Volunteers Australia into this new initiative.

Mr Paul Wilson, the full-time Augustinian Justice and Peace Officer and the Director of Augustinian Volunteers Australia, welcomes enquiries about the structure and funding of this new Volunteer ministry and its ongoing development; phone (02) 9938 0201 during working hours.

Report of June 2012

Augustinian Volunteers in Refern

A new Augustinian Volunteers Australia (AVA) outreach began at Redfern in inner-city Sydney, New South Wales in mid-March 2012, and is now operating well. The Volunteers assist Aboriginal high school students with classes in literacy and numeracy. In this program, Augustinian Volunteers Australia participates with the Tribal Warrior Association, which has a mentoring and maritime training program with the indigenous young people of Redfern.

On 18th May 2012 an informal visit to the class was made by Fr Tony Banks OSA (Augustinian Provincial) and Mr John Godwin (a financial assistant from Fair Go Australia).

The Deputy Principal of St Augustine’s College, Sydney has also visited Redfern in order to plan the educational integration and funding for this Augustinian Volunteers project.

Mr Paul Wilson, the full-time Augustinian Justice and Peace officer and the director of Augustinian Volunteers Australia, welcomes enquiries about the structure and funding of this new Volunteer ministry and its ongoing development; phone (02) 9938 0201 during working hours.

Would you like to help the work of the

Augustinian Volunteers Australia?

To contribute to the AVA Ministry with indigenous young people. phone the Augustinians: (02) 9938 0200 or send your cheque to:-

Finance Officer,
Augustinian Volunteer Fund,
PO Box 679,
Brookvale NSW 2100,
Australia

Report of April 2012

Augustinian Volunteers Australia

Launch an Indigenous Ministry

The Augustinian Volunteers have entered into partnership with an Indigenous Association in Redfern, Sydney to provide literacy/numeracy classes for Aboriginal young people who have been absent from school for some time, often due to juvenile justice issues with police and the courts.

Tribal Warrior Association Inc. already has an outreach to these young people through an exercise program and a mentoring course giving credit for learning to give leadership in their communities.

Augustinian Volunteers’ contribution to this partnership with Tribal Warrior will be to establish literacy/numeracy classes three mornings per week from late April 2012, building to a fully-fledged school Annexe when possible. The aim is to ensure the young people are integrated back into formal schooling or assisted on into TAFE or employment.

Initially Augustinian Volunteers will work as teacher aides alongside Aboriginal aides. Later teachers will be invited to work with us at the ‘Annexe.’

.............................................Report of July 2011.

Augustinian Volunteers Australia provides supervised placements for those who complete the three week course in Justice & Peace at Augustinian Administration Centre, Brookvale, each February. In 2011, ten completed this Formation Course (see photo below) and were inducted as Augustinian Volunteers by early March. Since then three new Volunteers have been operating in Brisbane and six in Sydney and one has been studying. Adding to the two in Queensland continuing from last year this has meant a total of eleven Volunteers currently in service of a possible thirteen at the end of the Course.

Augustinian Volunteers work in edge ministries in close proximity to Augustinian Parishes. In Sydney this has meant service occurs at Redfern in the city, supported from the Augustinians at Brookvale and at Western Sydney supported from the Augustinians at St Clair Parish and at the Augustinian Spirituality Centre at Greystanes. In Brisbane, Volunteer sites are spread across the city with the Augustinians at Coorparoo being the focus of Volunteer community and support.

Redfern is a particularly challenging site for Volunteer service since it occurs this year at De Porres House, run by the Cana Community. De Porres House accommodates people from the streets as well as those recently rehabilitated from prison. Our volunteers, Catherine and Dom along with Sarah their mentor, have joined with those of Cana in providing meals, Eucharist and conversation on two days per week. Augustinian Novices work a third evening in the same residence to provide cleaning assistance and a meal.

In Western Sydney, Sarah volunteers at Mamre Homestead, a venue providing employment opportunities and services for refugees. Sarah’s work is with Sudanese children in the Mamre crèche. In another operation in the West, two of our Volunteers, Patrice and Theresa, have been volunteering in the Tongan Homework Centre in Mt Druitt, providing assistance to young people struggling to complete homework in a language that may be their second or third major language, or at least at odds with the language spoken at home.

Brisbane Volunteers have taken longer than their Sydney counterparts to be suitably located and to commence service. The Brisbane floods earlier this year have had a continuing effect on the work of welfare organizations and support services in Brisbane, largely because of the disruption to the extensive tracking systems required by the State Government.

Liz is working at her venue with Micah services in South Brisbane and is also a significant member of the Coorparoo Parish Justice and Peace Committee. Arya and Anjali are both at present completing first Semester science exams, but will return to volunteering in early July, one with St Vincent de Paul refugee services operating also from South Brisbane and the other in Reconnect community development services based in Nundah.

This vibrant group of Volunteers has already met twice in six weekly Community Gatherings. It has been keen to consolidate the work of the Augustinian Volunteers in Australia. With so many Volunteers commencing across the two Eastern cities, and with new Augustinian ministries promised connection to the Volunteer movement next year in Melbourne and Mareeba (Far North Queensland), there is hope for significant growth in the Augustinian Volunteer movement through 2011 and 2012.

Mr Paul Wilson, who is employed full-time as the Justice and Peace Officer of the Australian Augustinians, said, “Augustinian Volunteers situate themselves at the most needy places in our society. They come to this program looking to help others but soon learn that their own transformation is tied up in the change they are seeking for our world. Much reflection is needed by the Volunteers to understand all that happens during their service. Hence the emphasis on the spiritual as much as on the social dimension of Volunteering. The social and spiritual form one process.”

A young man named Tada, who has volunteered with Augustinian Volunteers over the past three years, is about to return to his home in Thailand. A final text message from him is indicative of what the Volunteers have meant to him, “Sorry I couldn’t be at your Volunteer gathering. I will go back to Thailand next month on the 24th. Hope to see you before I leave here. Thank you for the many opportunities provided for me by the Volunteers.”

What an experience!

So what did our Volunteers think of their experience?

“It was both challenging and inspiring to see poor situations.”

“I felt privileged to experience Augustinian Community.”

“Highlighted what Volunteering is all about.”

“Now I see…”

The Future

If you’ve ever thought of volunteering it’s not too early to commence application for the 2012 contingent of volunteers. Simply apply as below.

Or maybe you’d like to help us underwrite the finances of this newly emerging expression of the Augustinian charism. You are invited to join with the Order in ensuring the future of this lay group working with those at society’s fringe.

This might therefore be a good time for you to consider what you will do with that extra time you have while you’re studying next year, or how you might fill the gap year you have promised yourself.

For further information, contact:

Paul Wilson,
Augustinian Justice & Peace Office,
St Augustine’s Priory,
P.O. Box 679 Brookvale NSW, 2100, Australia.

Ph. (02) 9938 0201 Mob. 0438 646 294

Email: paul.wilson@augustinians.org.au

Website: www.augustinians.org.au

Additional: http://www.aymaustralia.org.au/ministries/augustinian-volunteers

There is always social justice material available on the Augustinian international website. Go to www.osanet.org

Fr Brian Fitzpatrick O.S.A.
Province Social Justice Coordinator.