The Lutheran Care team has had a productive and engaging start to May, meeting with several key organisations to strengthen existing partnerships and explore new opportunities for collaboration in and around Mparntwe – Alice Springs. These meetings are part of our ongoing commitment to working together with other service providers to empower the community and deliver holistic, culturally responsive support.

• Hoops4Health: We discussed opportunities to support youth wellbeing through sport and mentoring, particularly focusing on programs that promote resilience, leadership, and healthy lifestyles among young people in remote Aboriginal communities.
• MHACA (Mental Health Association of Central Australia): Our conversation centred on the current MOU and what additional support and referral pathways, as well as ways we can collaborate on community education initiatives that reduce stigma and promote positive financial wellbeing.
• Mission Australia: We explored shared goals in the areas of financial wellbeing, Cashless Debit Card & traveling together to some of our CDC communities and wrap-around support services. We also discussed how our teams can more effectively coordinate to support clients.
• Community Housing Central Australia: Our meeting focused on strengthening & providing support around financial well-being, referral for clients who have rent arrears, educating the community on another benefit they are eligible for, e.g., NT Concession, and collaboration around the new Central intake. Lutheran Care has been the leader in this part.

These discussions build on other recent collaborations with Central Australian businesses and organisations earlier this year, including:

• with the team at Woolworths Alice Springs, who made a generous donation of boxes of bread to Lutheran Care for local families
• a lovely get-together and information-sharing opportunity with the local Lutheran women’s fellowship group
• a meeting with Jennifer Howard, Central Australian Operations Manager for Saltbush Social Enterprises, which is is a not-for-profit organisation that supports marginalised Territorians with grass roots opportunities to connect with education, training and employment
• and a catchup with Jack Barrett and Michael Hartzsch from Foodbank to discuss partnership opportunities.

For more information about Lutheran Care’s work in the NT, click here, and if you or your business are interesting in partnering with our team to change lives and build communities in Central Australia, contact the team, here.

*Featured image: Lutheran Care’s team meeting with Mission Australia representatives.