MAJOR PROJECTS
Our major projects are delivering on our purpose to amplify, assist and elevate community-driven change across our region. Our project partners align with our purpose and offer the experience and expertise needed to deliver for community. By truly listening, learning and activating local expertise, we are identifying ways to strengthen our community.
Little Learners
The Little Learners Project aims to remove barriers to enable children from our Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) communities to access early education.
This program provides bilingual support to reduce language, social and cultural barriers to education. By providing culturally sensitive language support to parents and children, we aim to enhance CaLD children’s experience and development in early education.
Oral Language Intervention (OLI)
The OLI program is an evidence-based project providing intensive intervention from the foundation years’ to improve student language and literacy, leading to more effective learning and engagement.
We know early intervention in oral language development is key to changing educational outcomes of students, improving their readiness for learning and to take advantage of the opportunities education will afford them.
Community Health Educators
Since April 2021, 12 women from multiple ethnic backgrounds have been trained as Community Health Educators (CHEs) to address the poor health literacy in their wider communities. The CHEs will offer, in their first language, health education and pathways to health services to women and families who struggle to navigate the western health system.
More recently our 12 trained CHE’s have become instrumental in providing and delivering reliable, accurate and real time COVID-19 information to women and their families.
African House
St Paul’s African House provides a safe, welcoming space where people who identify with African cultures can gather to preserve, honour, celebrate and pass on their cultures through stories, music, dance, food and fellowship. It’s also a hub that supports capacity building in migrant and refugee communities and provides opportunities for the wider community to engage, connect and grow.
African House is facing closure due to two years of the COVID pandemic decimating their income.
GSF provided a $30,000 grant to help keep the doors open of this important hub for our diverse community.
Flood Recovery Response
GSF is out in the community listening and learning year-round. We not only respond with our strategically planned major projects, our structure is such that we are nimble in our approach enabling a response in times of crisis and community need.
At the height of the flood emergency GSF was on the ground at the Emergency Relief Centre working alongside the first responders. We listened to first-hand accounts and a picture of the scale of the disaster and immediate and long term needs in the recovery phase emerged. At this time, GSF launched the Greater Shepparton Community Flood Response Campaign to raise funds to support the recovery needs of our community.
With the incredible generosity of individuals, businesses and philanthropic organisations, the Campaign has raised more than $300,000. We immediately began filtering this funding through to support various organisations, projects, and individuals as they start the recovery process.
Mosquito-Borne Disease Prevention
Greater Shepparton Foundation's Mosquito-Borne Disease Intervention Prevention program forms an important part of our community flood recovery efforts.
This program sees every child attending local kindergartens in 2023 having access to free insect repellent, and in-language information to ensure more families in our community are informed and safe from mosquito-borne diseases and their life-long impacts.
GSF aims for inclusive, interconnected communities where everybody has an equal opportunity to participate therefore providing not only repellent, but also the information in various languages via video and print ensures more in our community have equal opportunity to keep informed and safe from mosquito borne diseases.
