Staggering figures show Australia’s up and coming elite athletes are ‘running on empty’
A recent survey carried out by the Australian Sports Foundation (ASF) painted a worrying picture of how Australian athletes are faring just nine years out from the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In this opinion piece, ASF CEO Patrick Walker writes about the opportunity for donors to support young sportspeople in a similar way to the traditional funder support for young people pursing artistic careers.
Read moreHow Beyond Blue’s ‘Way Back’ program went national
The aftercare offered to someone following a suicide attempt was woefully lacking only 10 years ago. Beyond Blue, along with an entire ecosystem of philanthropic support, community members, government and primary health networks tackled the issue in 2014 and developed the Way Back program. Earlier this year, the successful scheme was handed over to federal and state governments to run, with more than $150 million in funding, called Universal Aftercare. Ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October, we look at how it all came together.
We must invest in communities to save lives as natural disasters become more frequent
We need to shift towards a building community resilience and social capital, to better equip communities to respond to floods, fires and other catastrophes.
Reflections about medical research: philanthropy’s role
This week, Philanthropy Australia hosted a roundtable event with special guest Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert from the University of Oxford. Professor Gilbert is the co-developer of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and she spoke about philanthropy’s role in funding medical breakthroughs. Mary Chackola, Philanthropy Australia’s National Engagement Manager for Victoria and Tasmania, reflects on the discussion.
Positive and negative changes to Australia’s social landscape: index
A new report from the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute has found noteworthy changes to Australia’s collective wellbeing over the past 15 years.The Australian Cohesion Index 2023 found enhancements in overall health and levels of education, alongside decreases in trust of the federal government and a decline in the sense of national pride and belonging.
Commitment to newborn health
Since former US President Bill Clinton founded the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in 2005, more than 9,000 organisations have launched 3,900 ‘Commitments to Action’ through the community’s unique model. At this week’s CGI meeting in New York, Australia-based Adara Group made an extraordinary Commitment to Action, which it hopes will save more than 7,000 lives. Audette Exel AO, Founder and Chair of Adara Group announced a $16 million (USD10.6 million) commitment to scale its AdaraNewborn health care model across multiple health facilities in Uganda.
Where dreams come to life
Melbourne Recital Centre’s Making Waves program offers Year 12 music students the opportunity to have their compositions brought to life by professional musicians on the same stage that has played host to many of the world’s great artists. This creates ‘instant career pathways’ in their minds – none of which would be possible without philanthropy.