Strategic Plan 2018-2023
A message from our Chair I am pleased to introduce you to the new five-year strategy for TRY Australia. This organisational wide strategy sets out a bold ambition to reach more disadvantaged children, young people, and families in Victoria with our evidence-based programs. Our previous Strategy has provided a strong foundation from which to build a ‘fit for purpose’ organisation with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes, to build capacity both internally and externally, in the delivery of excellent services. TRY’s vision is for all children and young people in Victoria to have the opportunity to achieve great educational and work outcomes, and this new five-year strategy focuses on how we can continue to build and expand services that provide greater social connectivity and opportunity.
Within the plan, our four strategic pillars provide a framework for achieving our goals. Through implementing this plan we will: • E xtend our reach into new regions of Melbourne that are growing amidst Melbourne’s population boom, however are not experiencing a growth in prosperity, as we would expect. • C onnect young people with mentoring support in industries that can strengthen the values we hold and advocate for. • B uild integrated centres for service delivery, from where we will provide the highest standard in early learning education, community support for families, and vocational education and training for young people. • C ontinue to develop Victoria’s most innovative social enterprise in UnContained and extend these opportunities to the young people involved with TRY Build. The foundations of this five year strategy align with the simple premise on which TRY was
founded; that given the right opportunity to ‘try’ that courageous first step, young people will begin a journey towards success instead of failure. Thank you to the Executive Team and Board of Directors, as well as the many external experts for their help developing this strategy. We delved into a comprehensive process, which enabled us to develop an outcomes-driven, long-term plan. Thank you also to our staff and volunteers for their input and for the passion they consistently demonstrate in assisting TRY to create social change. With our plan locked in, TRY is ready for the next phase. We are looking forward to working with our community and supporters to achieve our vision for all children and young people in Victoria. James Meares
Board Chair; Member, Board Performance & Audit Committee and Strategy Working Group
A message from our CEO The past five years has seen our organisation grow in the diversity of supports it provides to children, youth and families across metropolitan Melbourne. We have diversified from the traditional delivery of youth services with the great success of Build and UnContained. These are unique social enterprise providing young people with skills in building and construction as well as converting shipping containers to supply construction industry needs. We have leveraged the strength of our partnerships to grow TRY Mentoring, which now incorporate industry mentors for young people. We have shifted our focus, extending our supports from the individual to the whole family, recognising that children who grow up in a home with entrenched disadvantage are also more likely to face the same issues. One of the biggest challenges of being an organisation so invested in creating social change is accepting that change is indeed a journey. The number of developmentally vulnerable children in the metropolitan Melbourne region has continued to increase. There are almost 10,000 children in
Melbourne now considered at risk. Likewise, the number of young people not in employment, education and training has increased from 12 to 15 percent and job stability in general is less stable than five years ago. While there are always multiple factors that contribute to such an increase in disadvantage, one thing is certain: targeted early intervention programs are the most effective way of breaking the cycle of poverty. This Strategic Plan is about ensuring our work is targeting those areas of greatest stress and creating social programs that can make a real difference to people’s lives. It is about having clarity around our priorities and how best to focus our people and resources to achieve our goals. Our staff are the essence of what we stand for as an organisation. They embody the passion for social change that TRY strives to achieve. By sharing our vision and strategy for the next five years, I hope you will be motivated to join us on the journey. Julia Cambage
x2
Population increase. Victoria’s population will almost double by 2051, with 80% living in Greater Melbourne.
Greater Dandenong, and Brimbank in Greater Melbourne are two of the most disadvantaged LGA’s in Victoria.
Almost 10,000 children in Greater Melbourne are developmentally disadvantaged.
Job are less stable for young people, in September 2018, 50,500 young people were classified as unemployed for at least a year.
What we stand for OUR VISION For all children and young people in Victoria to have the opportunity to achieve great educational and work outcomes.
OUR VALUES Involve and be involved in our communities The TRY Way is to work with communities to design and deliver positive responses to identified needs. Our approach and processes help build capacity, resilience and independence. Be loyal, dedicated and positive Our reputation is built on being a trusted partner. We are committed to making a difference. We choose to be positive. We seek opportunities to be responsive and innovative. Make ideas happen Our passion is for new ways of doing things while honouring our founder WM Forster’s vision for positive, meaningful social action.
Source: TRY Strategy 2018 - 2023
Our drivers for change A visual representation about how we operate to ensure we are working towards our goals to create social impact.
ISSUE
PARTICIPANTS
Children aged `0-5 (incl. from disadvantaged and newly arrived families)
ACTIVITIES
TRY Children's Services
ST OUTCOMES
Improved child development and school readiness Improved parental engagement
Too many children and young people in Victoria experience disadvantage early in life and are more likely to experience social exclusion later in life.
Disadvantaged or socially isolated families
TRY Mentoring
Increased confidence & personal skills
Increased friendships Young people aged 6-25 (at risk of disengagement)
Adult mentors and educators
Social Enterprises: Build Clean Property Maintenance Rekindled UnContained Labour Hire
Increased resilience, assertiveness and leadership
Increased aspirations
Improved work skills
Work experience
LT OUTCOMES
IMPACT
Increased participation in school education & improved educational performance More supportive family environment Increased school retention
Greater engagement and social connection
Improved self esteem and wellbeing
Improved employment pathways
All children and young people in Victoria have the opportunity to achieve great educational and employment outcomes and feel socially included
Our Offerings - 2018
We operate over forty childcares and kindergartens. Our aim is to create a play based environment, which helps every child to reach their full potential. • Eight childcare centres • Thirty-eight kindergartens • Community and inclusion engagement and family support Outcomes:
• We empower and teach 3,796 children • 9 4% of families agree or strongly agree their child’s needs are supported
We connect at-risk and vulnerable young people aged seven to twenty years old, with a positive adult role model and support volunteers to empower, guide and listen to young people as a trained mentor. • 1 on 1 mentoring program • Group mentoring • Referrals to support services for young people Outcomes: Outcomes:
• O ver 200 matches each year • O ffering of 60 hours of professional development to all TRY Mentors each year
We deliver an accredited Certificate II in Building and Construction course, as well as life and mentoring support to disadvantaged young people with existing barriers to education and employment opportunities. • Industry mentoring • Job pathways Outcomes:
• 6 4% of students gained further employment in FY18 (Last financial year: 63%) • 21% of students gained an apprentice post-graduation in FY18 (Last financial year: 18%)
We provide revenue to support activities such as shipping container conversions, to create job pathways and sustainable living. We also manage a cleaning and property maintenance service to create entry level jobs for young people. •TRY UnContained •TRY Labour Hire •TRY Rekindled •TRY Property Maintenance Outcomes:
• Twenty five container conversions in FY18 • 1,700 hours of paid employment for young people involved in our industry Mentoring program in partnership with John Holland and McConnell Dowell in FY18.
We deliver accredited courses in early childhood education and care, and construction using blended face to face and online training. • Childcare courses • First Aid courses Outcomes:
• 81% of the students enrolled in the Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care course gained employment in FY18 • 70.8% reported a positive perception of teaching (2018 Victoria average is 67.5%)
Strategy on a page 2018-2023 OUR PRIORITY OUTCOMES
IMPROVED CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND SCHOOL READINESS
GREATER ENGAGEMENT & SOCIAL CONNECTION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
IMPROVED EMPLOYMENT PATHWAYS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
We will achieve these priority outcomes by pursuing the following strategies 1. TARGET OUR INVESTMENT
2. INNOVATE OUR SERVICES
3. MEASURE OUR OUTCOMES
• Extend services to meet growing disadvantage across greater Melbourne e.g. Greater Dandenong, Thomastown, St Albans & Sunshine.
• Build Community Hubs where service delivery can be integrated and referral pathways enhanced.
• Measure, manage and communicate our service and participant outcomes.
• Create greater pathways between TRY Learning and Social Enterprise employment outcomes.
• More deeply understand our participants and communities.
• Focus investment in TRY Mentoring and TRY Build as services of greatest participant impact.
• Focus on digital innovation as a way of improving engagement with participants in mentoring.
• Learn from outcomes and embed continuous service improvements across the organisation.
4. STRENGTHEN OUR FOUNDATIONS • Invest in our core systems and processes. • Empower TRY staff with the skills, expertise and resources they need to best meet the needs of our participants. • Deepen relationships with the social enterprise sector, Government and advocacy groups. • Build TRY’s brand across metropolitan Melbourne.
Patron: The Honourable Linda Dessau, AC Governor of Victoria In the spirit of respect, TRY Australia recognises the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia as the Traditional Custodians of the Land. We pay our respects to them, their culture and their Elders past, present and future.