Woden Community Service in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | Community centre

Woden Community Service

Locality: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Phone: +61 2 6282 2644

Address: 26 Corinna St 2606 Canberra, ACT, Australia

Website: http://www.wcs.org.au

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• Non-profit organisation
• Community organisation
• Community centre

25.01.2022 Please share with us in thanking Zenith Interiors ACT for collecting donations for The Little Pantry at their showroom throughout September and October. The Little Pantry is an emergency food relief service and is run by volunteers and supplied by donations. Every week The Little Pantry helps members of our local community with a small number of non-perishable food and hygiene items when they are in any emergency situation, at no cost. Zenith Interiors designs, manufactures ...and distributes leading edge products for corporate and commercial environments that inspire people and organisations to excel. Zenith is collecting non-perishable goods for The Little Pantry at its ACT showroom located at 12 Quilpie Cres, Fyshwick. It is through the support of local businesses like Zenith that we can continue to support our community. If you would like to find out more about how to support this service please contact us on 6282 2644. The Little Pantry is a WCS initiative supported by the combined Lyons Churches Immanuel Woden Valley Lutheran Church St Alban's Anglican Church, Woden

24.01.2022 Don’t forget - this Sunday is the Molonglo Summer Safety Session at Stromlo Cottage. There will be lots of information on staying safe this summer and fun activities for the whole family. See you there!

23.01.2022 This Anti Poverty Week, 11 17 October, we invite you to join some of Canberra's leading voices as they discuss achievable measures to reducing poverty and homelessness. On the panel are: Dr John Falzon, Senior Fellow, Inequality and Social Justice at Per Capita Felicity Reynolds, former CEO of the Mercy Foundation from 2008 until 2019... Katrina Fanning, a Wiradjuri woman from NSW and ACT Australian of the Year in 2020 and Director of Coolamon Advisors. The facilitator is Genevieve Jacobs, Group Editor for Region Media, Australia's fastest growing digital news platform. You can watch the live panel at Facebook.com/VinniesACT on from 13.30 to 14.30 on Wednesday 14 October. Please submit questions in advance to [email protected] Vinnies Canberra/Goulburn YWCA Canberra Canberra PCYC Care Inc Financial Counselling Service Perinatal Wellbeing Centre #BuildSocialHousing #RaisetheRateforGood Anti-Poverty Week Everybody's home

23.01.2022 Are you a senior looking for a regular social activity? WCS runs a series of social activities each week for seniors in our community. On Thursdays we hold a Men’s Coffee Group at the Goodwin Village Café in Farrer and we are looking for new members. This group is an opportunity to make new friends and have a regular catch up planned each week. WCS provides the social group activities through your Commonwealth Home Support Package (CHSP) to people over 65 years of age or over... 50 years for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Canberra. We can also arrange transport for those living in Woden Valley. You can contact ‘My Aged Care’ on 1800 200 422 and get an over the phone assessment. Please nominate ‘Woden Community Service’ as your preferred service provider. You can also just come along and give it a go. If you enjoy yourself at the group, we will assist you in the signing up process through My Aged Care.

22.01.2022 Don't forget - next weekend is the Molonglo Valley Summer Safety Session at Stromlo Cottage on Sunday 13 Sepember. Woden Community Service, in collaboration with ACT Rural Fire Service, ACT Emergency Services Agency and Molonglo Valley Mingle, invite residents of Molonglo to a fun, family friendly event to learn about bushfire safety, storm preparedness and a number of other interactive safety topics. In addition to Interactive Summer Safety workshops and displays, the event ...has fun interactive games, BBQ, music, and interactive and educational workshops by ACT Snake Removals who will bring along non venomous pythons and lizards. This will be the second year that this amazing event has run in the Molonglo Valley community. During COVID-19, your health and safety is our priority. This event will have measures in place to look after our community. *This event is intended for residents of Wright and Coombs. Come along any time between 11:00 am and 1:30 pm and join in on one of the safety demonstrations (these will run regularly throughout the event). You can register for free here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/woden-community-service-840

22.01.2022 Been meaning to call your grandparents? Well, it's officially Grandparents Day on Sunday - so time to pick up the phone and give them a call! The day takes place on the last Sunday in October every year and it's dedicated to celebrating grandparents and all that they do for us.

21.01.2022 A "Walk 'n' Talk for Life" event is taking place in Canberra on Sunday 23 August. Everybody is welcome to this free event (including dogs!) where you can connect with your community to raise awareness for mental health and prevent suicide. Come down, grab a free yellow t-shirt and join Walk ’n’ Talk For Life’s growing community.... Hand sanitiser will be available and participants will be encouraged to maintain safe social distancing. https://walkntalkforlife.com.au/ If you or someone you know needs help, call: Lifeline on 13 11 14 Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 Headspace on 1800 650 890 Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800

21.01.2022 ACTCOSS invites us all to its 2020 ACT Election Leaders Forum where ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr MLA (ACT Labor), Leader of the Opposition Alistair Coe MLA (Canberra Liberals) and ACT Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury MLA will present their parties’ positions, commitments and approaches on key community sector issues. We’re just a few weeks away from the 2020 ACT election. The voting period begins 28 September 2020 and ends on 17 October 2020. This election will determine prio...rities for the ACT Legislative Assembly until 2024 on issues including health, housing, planning, transport, justice and vital community services in Canberra. To meet COVID19 physical distancing requirements, this public open forum will be held online from 1pm to 2pm on Wednesday 2 September 2020. A small live audience will be invited from representative peak and community groups. #CBRVotes and #ACTCOSSForum2020. Details are here:

21.01.2022 This week is National Children’s Week and the theme this year is on children having the right to choose their own friends and safely connect with others. Early childhood education and care provides children with the environment to make connections and connect with others. Children’s Week celebrates the right of children to enjoy childhood, something we celebrate everyday at all our Children's Services across Canberra.... #childrensweek #childrenfirst #ECEC

20.01.2022 Anglicare Australia launched a special update of the Rental Affordability Snapshot, yesterday, highlighting that more needs to be done to protect those on the lowest incomes. The report found that a person who is out of work can afford just 1% of rentals and that’s with their payments doubled. If JobSeeker is slashed to the old rate, just 13 rentals (0%) across Australia would be affordable. Everybody deserves a place to call home.... #RaisetheRateforGood

20.01.2022 New to Molonglo Valley and need to learn about fire and summer safety? Be sure to come along to this fantastic community event on Sunday 13 September: Molonglo Valley Summer Safety Session 2020. Woden Community Service, in collaboration with ACT Rural Fire Service, ACT Emergency Services Agency and Molonglo Valley Mingle, invite residents of Molonglo to a fun, family friendly event to learn about bushfire safety, storm preparedness and a number of other interactive safety t...opics. This is the second year for the event. Posted here are some fabulous photos of the great day last year. We are keeping a close eye on COVID-19 restrictions, and if circumstances change we may alter or postpone events at short notice. Registering for the event allows us to keep track of how many people might come along and also helps with any COVID-19 tracing we may need to do. All the details are here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1122472088146601

20.01.2022 Every year 9 September is International Day of Awareness for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). People all around the world gather to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy and the plight of individuals and families who struggle with the disorder. WCS is a proud member of the Pregnant Pause community in the ACT. ... In recognition of this day, we will handing out information packs from Pregnant Pause at the Molonglo Valley Summer Safety Session from 11am this Sunday at the Stomlo Cottage in Coombs. Come along and find the WCS stall at the Stromlo Cottage on Sudnay and pick up a Pregnancy Pause show bag if you would like to learn more. Pregnant Pause aims to make alcohol-free pregnancy a little easier for Canberrans by building a safe and supportive environment, thereby instilling alcohol-free pregnancies as a core community value. This will ensure that women who are pregnant and those around them receive a clear message about the importance of abstaining from alcohol use during pregnancy: that there is no amount, time or type of alcohol that is safe to drink during pregnancy.

20.01.2022 The Stromlo Leisure Centre has opened. There is lots happening at the centre, including this opportunity for children aged 7 to 14 years to try out water polo.

20.01.2022 Have you donated to the Canberra Recovery Appeal yet? We have just entered into the final month of the Canberra Recovery Appeal which ends on 31 August. Currently, we are at $295,504 of a $400,000 target so almost there! If you would like to support a local charity during these extraordinary times, please go to: ... https://www.handsacrosscanberra.org.au/ #CanberraRecoveryAppeal

20.01.2022 Beautiful day to join in the Watch Your Wellness festival at Eddison Park today! If you can't make it we will have a video for the event available on our Facebook page from 11am. Have a great day! Mental Health Month ACT

18.01.2022 More than 20 children who are clients of the WCS NDIS team received a Bucket of Joy full of sensory toys in the last month. The initiative came after the NDIS team received a donation of $5000 from Carers ACT with the request to prepare and distribute the sensory toys to children with disabilities. Volunteers and staff from within NDIS came together to purchase and pack the buckets. Each bucket is valued at about $160 dollars. ... A range of sensory toys were also purchased to keep at the Woden Youth Centre for our participants to enjoy when they visit.

18.01.2022 Last month, after more than 10 years of couch surfing, our Supported Tenancy Service (STS) client Nada signed a lease and received the keys to a unit with the Salvation Army in Narrabundah. Nada was so excited to be given this opportunity. Now she has somewhere safe to reside she can concentrate on her health and returned to part time work after a long layoff with COVID-19. The unit provided by the Salvation Army is transitional accommodation until either a private or public ...rental can be secured. This week is Homelessness Week and Nada's story is a reminder that investing in social housing is the right and smart thing to do. Our supportive tenancy team works with people whose tenancy is at risk or who are facing barriers in establishing a private tenancy. We look at the situation, explore options and work out a plan, whether it relates to public housing, private rental or a mortgage. Referrals to STS are through OneLink on 1800 176 468.

17.01.2022 WCS always puts children first, but are reminded just how important that is this week National Child Protection week. We are proud to support National Child Protection Week and we pledge to promote of the importance of child safety and well being throughout our services and the community we work in. https://www.napcan.org.au/national-child-protection-week/

17.01.2022 WCS joined with other community sector organisations in welcoming the ACT Government's commitment to fund the community services sector to retain jobs beyond 2021. The additional funding has been paid by both the federal and ACT governments since 2012 - following a Fair Work Commission Equal Remuneration Order - to help address gender based pay inequity, with the sector dominated by women. The funding announced by the ACT Government - worth about $9 million over the next three years - will continue those payments for ACT funded services, however those funded by the Commonwealth face uncertainty beyond 2021.

16.01.2022 Join us tomorrow at Eddison Park as we Watch Your Wellness together and learn more about how to take care of our mental wellbeing. See you there!

15.01.2022 It was a red carpet affair at Lollipop Early Learning Centre yesterday as educators were thanked for the work they do in celebration of Early Childhood Educators’ Day. Our educators deserve praise every day, but yesterday they were presented with cards, certificates, medals and a morning tea to thank them for their dedication and service. The parents wrote personal notes of thanks and the children made pictures and drawings to give to their educators.... Anybody who does anything to help a child is a super hero! read one of the cards. WCS is a proud member of the Children First Alliance.

15.01.2022 There are almost 120,000 Australians without a home every night. In the ACT 1,600 people are without a home on any given night. The number of Australians experiencing homelessness is growing every year because of skyrocketing rents and a shortage of social housing. The lack of social housing means more people end up homeless because they can’t find an affordable home, and those who are already homeless have no way to escape it.... The COVID crisis has increased pressure on millions of Australians and is pushing even more people into rent stress and homelessness. There has never been a better time to invest in social housing. The Social Housing Acceleration and Renovation Program (SHARP) that would deliver urgently needed jobs and provide an immediate boost in social housing. Please show your support to address the biggest issue causing homelessness by signing the pledge to build more social housing. #BuildSocialHousing #HW2020 https://everybodyshome.com.au/

14.01.2022 The Little Pantry needs you! Our supplies are running low! If you can, please donate non-perishable food or personal hygiene items to The Little Pantry at 26 Corinna Street Monday to Friday during office hours. What we need are: ... cereal pasta sauce long life milk tinned tuna pasta rice tinned veg and fruit fruit cups muesli bars tooth brushes washing powder spray and wipe large-sized nappies (16+kg, 18+kg, nappy pants etc). shampoo and conditioner. The Little Pantry is an emergency food relief service and is run by volunteers and supplied by donations. Every month The Little Pantry helps members of our local community with a small number of non-perishable food and hygiene items when they are in any emergency situation, at no cost. The Little Pantry is a WCS initiative supported by the combined Lyons Churches. Thanks so much for your ongoing support of this service.

13.01.2022 WCS CEO Jenny Kitchin calls for a rethink on increasing university fees for social work students. We need social workers more than ever.

12.01.2022 The Community Housing Industry Association, Havelock Housing and ACT Shelter are inviting people to attend an ACT 2020 Election online forum on Housing Canberra Affordably. Affordable housing is a key issue for the community sector in the forthcoming ACT election. The details of panel speaking at the forum are in the Facebook event post shared below.

11.01.2022 WCS’s Maree Fish received an award last month for her services in making a difference to the lives of others. Maree was the recipient for the ACT Mental Health Consumer Network (MHCN) Lived Experience Ally Recognition Award (LEARA) for the ACT Mental Health Month Awards for 2020. Maree is a Key Worker in our Transition to Recovery program (TRec), an intensive community outreach mental health program that assists people to transition to the community following an acute episode... of mental illness and to prevent relapse. We are so lucky to have Maree on our team! If you would like to find out about the mental health services we have available, please call 6282 2644. #CheckYourself #MentalHealthMonth2020

10.01.2022 Thank you Floriade for the amazing display at the Woden Youth Centre in the last month. Just beautiful!

10.01.2022 According to Nature Play CBR There is no bad weather, only bad clothes! - and here at Lollipop Early Learning Centre we agree. Our little ones are all ready for great winter adventures outdoors. It was just lightly raining yesterday. So we put on our big jackets and made the most of the weather. ... Digging in the garden, exploring with sand and practising climbing on the tyres. It was so much fun! Nothing can stop these adventurous spirits from enjoying cold and wet weather.

10.01.2022 EVENT CANCELLED: Unfortunately, due to all the rain, we are cancelling Paint and Play tomorrow - Thursday 29 October. As we play outside the ground will be too wet to hold the event. Hopefully see you next week!

08.01.2022 At Lollipop Early Learning Centre, the children are interested in learning about water animals and areas around water. They are learning if the area around water is sandy, wet or dry and also if any vegetation and living things are around. At the start of this week educators set up provocation area in the sandpit to feed the children’s curiosity around water. ... The children went straight in the sandpit to see what was happening. Some children kept jumping in the puddle where as others touched and held seashells and fish to feel the texture. The combination of sand and water areas introduced discussions among the children, their peers and educators about living and non-living items, as well as animal habitats. This wonderful environment created meaningful conversations. Look, there is a fish left in the sand. Let’s put it into the water, said one child. His friend said, Maybe it is trying to eat flowers here. What a wonderful and meaningful start to the week we all had!

08.01.2022 Feel like a burger? Want to support WCS at the same time? This month Grill'd Woden is featuring WCS's Aged Care Services as one of three community groups they are supporting. When you make a purchase at their restaurant you can donate a token to your charity of choice. We will use the money raised to spoil our elderly social group clients by helping to pay for a hearty meal for them so we know they are leaving us with a full belly.... Thanks for your support!

08.01.2022 It’s the last week of Mental Health Month ACT and part of our celebration of this month we are introducing some of our mental health team members and the services that they provide to the community on mental wellness and recovery. Jon is a Transition to Recovery (TRec) Keyworker. TRec is a home-based outreach service, working collaboratively with public mental health clinicians, in a step up (prevent hospitalisation) step down (recovery in the community post hospital) modelle...d program. Access to TRec is via a referral from clinical case managers. Jon enjoys bright shirts, and wears a ‘Blues style’ hat because he pretends he can play the harmonica!! I enjoy the bush settings when rough camping. I am a mental health consumer and access services for my own mental health maintenance and wellbeing. I have found the best ‘medication’ I can prescribe for myself is to wear ‘happy shirts’, sing happy songs and be grateful for the patterns and pictures painted by nature in the clouds. Best medicine EVER!!! Cheers and thanks, writes Jon. Each year 1 in 5 Australians experience a mental health issue. Approximately half of all individuals (45%) will experience issues with mental health in their lifetime. This could be you, a loved one, a family member, a friend, a colleague, a neighbour... We are here to help. If you would like to find out about the range of mental health services we offer, please call 6282 2644. #CheckYourself #MentalHealthMonth2020 PHOTO: Georgy Mathews If you or someone you know needs help, call: Emergency on 000 (or 112 from a mobile phone) Lifeline on 13 11 14 Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 Headspace on 1800 650 890

07.01.2022 Today, Thursday 10 September, is R U OK? Day - a national day to remember every day is the day to ask, Are you OK? if someone in your world is struggling with life’s ups and downs. The message for 2020 is: 'There is more to say after R U OK?'. You can learn what to say after R U OK? and find free resources here: www.ruok.org.au/how-to-ask If you or someone you know needs help, call:... Emergency on 000 (or 112 from a mobile phone) Lifeline on 13 11 14 Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 Headspace on 1800 650 890 See more

07.01.2022 Children attending our services across Canberra participated in various activities to celebrate Children’s Week at the end of October. Children at Red Hill Minis Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) explored this year’s theme, which is Article 15 United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child: Children have the right to meet together and join groups as long as it does not stop other people from enjoying their rights. The children drew their favourite things to do with frien...ds, whether it be at OSHC, at extra-curricular activities, at team sports or at fun social clubs and events such as Halloween! #childrensweek

07.01.2022 The weather forecast for Sunday is perfect for coming down to Stromlo Cottage and finding out about summer safety. We can’t wait to catch up with the local Molonglo Valley community there.

06.01.2022 Grants are open through the Community Services Directorate for individuals and community groups. Grants are available to support Canberrans to build and maintain community connections. Applications can be for your local community or through a cultural, spiritual, sporting or recreation-based group that you belong to. For example a sewing circle, sport team, book group, faith-based group a local social media group. The Grants are available for individuals and local and commun...ity groups across Canberra. Your group can be new, online and any size and does not have to be incorporated or have legal status! Link in with our Community Development Officer if you are looking for support with this grant ([email protected])

06.01.2022 Lollipop Early Learning Centre celebrated Book Week last week, with the theme 'Curious Creatures, Wild Minds'. The children were able to read special library books and lots of children brought their books from home and shared them with their friends. After reading the books, the children painted their thoughts on a big sheet of paper. Some children enjoyed painting together and recited their stories to all the children and educators. ... During the week, our little ones made their own books. They were the illustrator and writer of their stories. On Friday we ended the week of activities by all dressing up as our favourite book characters and then went for a parade through Westfield mall. What a great way to end Book Week! #curiouscreatureswildminds #cbca2020

05.01.2022 Our Lollipop Early Learning Centre has a fantastic team of educators working with our children. Meet Jalpa who has been with Lollipop since 2012 and is a familiar face to all our families. My name is Jalpa. I have eight years of experience in the early learning environment. I enjoy working with children and I hold a certificate three and diploma in children’s services.... "I am a devoted, patient and caring educator who loves making a difference in the lives of young children. PHOTO: Georgy Mathews

05.01.2022 Calling for volunteer drivers! Our Aged Care Services team are looking for additional volunteers who can help with driving clients on Mondays and Fridays each week. We need volunteers who can be available from around 4 to 7 hours on these days usually between the hours of 8 am and 4 pm.... You need to have a Working with Vulnerable People Card (available from Access Canberra), a driver licence and a first aid certificate or willingness to get one. We have a brand new 12-seater bus that does not require a special licence and is a dream to drive. If you can help, please call Jordan on 6147 3308

05.01.2022 The children at Margaret Hendry Out of School Hours Care service participated in Book Week and had some fantastic costumes last week. Pippi Longstocking, Anna, Spiderman, Ironman, Cat in a Hat and an astronaut were just come of the characters that joined us on the day!

04.01.2022 Three years ago today we were one of the founding members creating the ACT Children First Alliance. Together we have campaigned for improvements and commitments to improve early learning in the ACT. The nine members of the Alliance operate 43 Early Learning Centres with 3,491 places to children. ... Anglicare NSW South, NSW West & ACT Capital Region Community Services Communities at Work Community Services #1 MOCCA - Manuka Childcare Centre Woden Community Service YMCA Canberra Children's Services YWCA Canberra #ChildrenFirstCBR

04.01.2022 We are the Elders of the future, hear our voice! Today is National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day (Children’s Day). Since 1988, 4 August was chosen to communally celebrate the birthdays of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people taken from their families at a young age the Stolen Generations.... Children’s Day is a chance for all Australians to celebrate and embrace Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and show our support for our children, families and communities. At WCS we support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people's aim of wanting their children to grow up strong and proud of their identities. This year at Lollipop Early Learning Centre, we participated in the SNAICC-National Voice for our Children’s video activity, filming our children saying We are the Elders of the future, hear our voice. One of our videos, featuring Rosie with Renee and Malakaye in the background at Lollipop, is on the SNAICC You Tube channel celebrating the day - you can watch it below. You can find out more about Children’s Day here: https://aboriginalchildrensday.com.au/ #NATSIChildrensDay2020 #EldersOfTomorrow #StrongInCulture

03.01.2022 The Community Sector NAIDOC Week Committee will live stream a 30 minute video that celebrates NAIDOC Week at 1 pm today. Celebrating the theme Always Was, Always Will Be, hear from leaders, artists, musicians and Ngunnawal Elders on what this year’s theme means to them. The video can be watched live, or watched later at a time that suits you.... Click the link here to follow the page: https://www.facebook.com/canberraNAIDOC/

03.01.2022 Woden Community Service, in collaboration with ACT Rural Fire Service, ACT State Emergency Service and Mingle, invite you to a fun, family friendly event to learn about bushfire safety, storm preparedness and a number of other interactive safety topics. Don't forget to register for this event using the Eventbrite link https://mvsummersafety.eventbrite.com.au See you there!

02.01.2022 Today we are celebrating the Watch Your Wellness Festival. Watch our video to learn more about the event and the mental health services we are providing. https://drive.google.com//1vnI2zKTxMF0W7JXCmV6Q0h-DeS6sQ7p

02.01.2022 Uday, a member of our IT team, recently celebrated the completion of his Bachelor's degree. Uday first came to WCS on a student placement as part of his studies. In the last few months Uday has helped many of our staff shift to remote working and learn to use new online tools at work as we have adapted to COVID-19. Congratulations on your hard work and your successful completion of your studies!

02.01.2022 Six young people recently joined with our youth worker Jeremy, for a 3-day Road Ready course. Of the six registered for the course, five passed their learners’ test and can now begin the journey of earning their licence to become safe drivers in the ACT. The young people all loved the course and were really happy about passing the test. The participants said that having support from Jeremy made it possible, particularly for those from families who would otherwise struggle to ...be supported in learning to drive. It was Jeremy’s first time to run the course having recently been trained on it by another youth worker at WCS. The Road Ready course was part of a two week winter holiday program that 10 young people participated in. Activities included in-house movies, art sessions and the Road Ready course.

01.01.2022 WCS has a great team of educators working at Lollipop Early Learning Centre and Lyons Early Learning Centre. Join us as we thank them today (and everyday!) for the great work they do.

01.01.2022 In case you missed it - grants are open through the Community Services Directorate for individuals and community groups. Grants are available to support Canberrans to build and maintain community connections. Applications could be for your local community or through a cultural, spiritual, sporting or recreation-based group that you belong to. For example a sewing circle, sport team, book group, faith-based group a local social media group. The Grants are available for indivi...duals and local and community groups across Canberra. Your group can be new, online and any size and does not have to be incorporated or have legal status! Link in with our Community Development Officer if you are looking for support with this grant ([email protected])