A lot of work, a lot of potential

This past year saw an increase in volunteer work placements for Bayley House clients across the community and internally.

A number of vital skill development and volunteer ‘on the job’ learning experiences are offered through our ‘Learn’ pillar of Day Programs. Part of this is the successful partnership with Registered Training Organisations (RTO’s) which allows Bayley House to deliver Certificate courses from our Nepean learning hub. Another arm of this area is the very popular Community Engagement program.

Formal and informal training options are available in the following areas:

• Computers and iPads
• Work based skill building
• Certificate 1 Courses in transition education, life skills and work readiness
• Writer’s Club (literacy and creative writing skills)

Around Bayley

Ensuring that a wide variety of skill development and learning paths are available is a very important element of this pillar. This means that many options are available for varying levels of skill and participating, allowing for people of all skill levels to work towards their goals in this space.

On Thursdays the ‘Bayley Bubble Boys’ have started a car washing service out of Middle Crescent. The successful venture is offering a full service of an external clean and full detailing on the inside. A number of staff members have made use of this new initiative and rave reviews have been flowing.

Canteen club has been a highlight each week as the team provides nutritious healthy meals for those who would like to order. Canteen club is a full service program that enables the group learn the full range of catering skills from meal planning, recipe choices, shopping for ingredients, taking orders, order fulfilment and lunch deliveries.

In the Community

2024 saw another class successfully graduate from the Course Initial Adult Literacy and Numeracy (CIALN) at Holmesglen TAFE.

Mei Sze, was eager to use her skills in packaging and collating as part of the Community Engagement volunteer program. Community Engagement Officer Matt reached out to Cabrini Hospital and they were excited to learn more about the program and explore potential volunteer opportunities. Cabrini’s Volunteer Services Manager, Pamela Wood, identified a task perfect for Mei Sze – collating ‘patient packs’ for the hospital. While Mei Sze’s mobility issues prevented her from working on-site at Cabrini, a solution was found which allowed Mei Sze to complete the task at Bayley House. Through this partnership, Mei Sze is able to make a valuable contribution to Cabrini’s patient care, while enjoying a volunteer experience tailored to her skill set.

We welcomed another new edition to our Community Engagement program was Pets of the Homeless. Pets Of The Homeless is a charity that works to help keep vulnerable people and their pets together by alleviating the burden of providing essential pet care during times of hardship. We are so proud to support such an incredible organisation that makes a difference! Sorting kitty litter might not be the most glamorous task, but it’s all part of helping out, and we are having a fantastic time doing it. The team are excited to continue the partnership and will lend a hand regularly!

Our retail volunteers resumed their placement at Coles and we also expanded the program into a Salvo’s store. These opportunities provide invaluable skill development and learning opportunities for our clients, while also paving the way for community and social inclusion.

If your business or organisation would like to be part of our Community Engagement team, then please reach out to our team.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in the continued to success of this program, we look forward to seeing many more goals set and achieved in 2025!