Relationships Australia staff competition: Tell Us Your Story!

 

Tell Us Your Story

We can all work to create belonging: for ourselves, for our families, and for our neighbours.

We can do this by focusing on genuine inclusion and connection, making others welcome, and by building respectful relationships with those around us.

As we approach Relationships Australia’s 75th year, we want to highlight the amazing contributions of RA Staff across the country. As part of our social connection campaign Neighbours Every Day we are inviting staff at each member organisation to ‘Tell Us Your Story’.

 

 

Theme:

What ‘Create and Share Belonging’ means to you.

Relationships Australia has, for over 70 years, providing a range of relationship services to Australian families, including individual, couple and family group counselling, dispute resolution, services to older people, children’s services, services for victims and perpetrators of family violence, and relationship and professional education. We aim to support all people in Australia to live with positive and respectful relationships and believe that people have the capacity to change how they relate to others and develop better health and wellbeing. For access to services near you, click here.

We respect the rights of all people, in all their diversity, to live life fully and meaningfully within their families and communities with dignity and safety, and to enjoy respectful relationships. A commitment to fundamental human rights, to be recognised universally and without discrimination, underpins our work.

Relationships Australia is committed to:

  • Working in regional, rural and remote areas, recognising that there are fewer resources available to people in these areas and that they live with pressures, complexities and uncertainties not experienced by those living in cities and regional centres.
  • Collaboration. We work collectively with local and peak body organisations to deliver a spectrum of prevention, early and tertiary intervention programs with people of all genders, including older people, young people and children. We recognise that some families need a complex suite of supports (for example, family support programs, mental health services, gambling services, drug and alcohol services, and housing).
  • Enriching family relationships, and encouraging clear and respectful communication.
  • Ensuring that services are accessible, including ensuring that social and financial disadvantage is no barrier to accessing services.
  • Contributing its practice evidence and skills to research projects, the development of public policy, and the provision of compassionate and effective supports to families.
  • Supporting social connection and the building of sustainable respectful relationships through our social connection campaign, Neighbour Day.

The Brief:

This brief is intentionally non-prescriptive, and your entry can be as simple or creative, as you like.

There are two categories.

    1. Individual
    2. Group / team challenge

There is a prize for the best entry from each state and territory in each category. This will be judged by National Office – and their decision is final!

Whatever you do, you just need to be able to upload your entry (i.e., what it looks, sounds, or reads like) digitally via the online entry form.

Whatever it is (!) your entry should help us understand your story about what ‘Create and Share Belonging’ means to you.

Fostering a sense of belonging involves genuine connection, inclusivity, and respect for everyone’s unique contributions.

Entries are open until 20 November 2023.

On issues impacting the work of Relationships Australia and the broader sector, Relationships Australia engages in ongoing advocacy with relevant Government departments and key stakeholders at the national, state and local levels.

As an important component of this advocacy, Relationships Australia engages with a range of Parliamentary Inquiries, Royal Commissions and other government consultations. Drawing on the expertise and experience of practitioners across the country, and building on evidence collected over 70 years of delivering services to vulnerable Australians, we are proud to contribute to the development of public policy in Australia supporting the provision of compassionate and effective services for families.

We also enjoy a positive working relationship with media outlets across the country, contributing practice experience and insights to inform the national discussion on topics impacting our clients and all Australians.

Competition Rules

  1. The competition is promoted for two weeks before opening for entries to allow for brainstorming and collaborations.
  2. Entries open Wednesday 4 October 2023 and close 5pm (in your time zone) Monday 20 November 2023.
  3. Only entries which address the competition theme, and which are respectful, will be judged.
  4. All entries are to be submitted via the Neighbours Every Day website with your digital entry uploaded via the online entry form.
  5. Entry to this competition is only open to RA staff currently residing in Australia. Family members may be included to support the entry.
  6. Entries must be original.
  7. Entries must contain:
    1. For individuals – member organisation, entrant’s name, title, and workplace venue, email, and phone contact details.
    2. For teams – member organisation, team name, team representative contact phone and email, plus a list of all team members’ involved names and workplace(s) venues.
  8. In submitting an entry to the staff competition, entrants grant Relationships Australia – as the home of Neighbours Every Day – the right to publish the content of what ‘Create and share belonging means’ to you, on the Neighbours Every Day website, associated social media accounts and other publishing or broadcast mediums, at its discretion.
  9. State and territory winners will be chosen by the National Office team and no correspondence regarding the outcome will be entered into.
  10. Individual prize winners for each state/territory will receive a $50 gift card.
  11. Team prize winners for each state/territory will receive a $200 gift card per group/team.

Important notice for winners:

Competition winners will be contacted by Relationships Australia National Office via email on Monday 27 November 2023.

Prizes will be emailed:

  • to individual winners; and
  • for groups/teams, to the nominated group/team contact.

Staff Tell Us Your Story Competition

Name(Required)
Want to find out which Country your story took place on? click here
Nature of entry(Required)
Maximum 400 words (if you are uploading a file, below, please tell us about it).
Drop files here or
Max. file size: 32 MB.
    If you experience any issues with your upload, please email info@neighbourseveryday.org
    Terms and Conditions(Required)
    Testimonial
    “We encourage Australians to host their own communal gatherings for the benefit of all. See how you’ll flourish!”

    -Angela (Eora Nation)
    TUYS 2022 National winner

    Testimonial
    “I try not to take for granted the comfort provided by so many familiar faces, the regular kerbside greetings and spontaneous gatherings that enrich each of our lives in our neighbourhood.”

    TUYS 2021 Allan ACT Winner

    Testimonial
    “I was lonely, not feeling myself and decided to reach out. A small gesture had a huge impact on each of our mental health – and you could see the relief and joy each woman felt as they returned to their homes afterwards with their heads held high, and shoulders less slumped.”

    TUYS 2021 Maria VIC Winner

    Are you ready to create belonging and celebrate your community?
    Register your Neighbours Every Day event or activities for Sunday 26th March 2023
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