OFF the back of another successful ‘Sleep at the ‘G’ event, Melbourne Football Club’s commitment to tackling homelessness and social justice has extended to the Northern Territory, with a unique partnership with the team behind non-profit social enterprise Crêpes for Change (CFC).
Melbourne already has a partnership with the NT Government and by joining with CFC, it allows Melbourne to extend its work and help address homelessness and social change in the NT.
CFC is a Melbourne-based enterprise lead by a passionate group of young people who are determined to change the face of youth homelessness in Australia.
CFC recognised its responsibility to look beyond its home state of Victoria to the extreme situation in the Northern Territory, a state with 15 times the national average rate of youth homelessness.
With this staggering statistic as a driving force, CFC is creating its first Northern Territory Social Change Summit to be held in Melbourne.
The Summit aims to empower young people from the NT to make a real change in their community through social enterprise, and has the potential to create exponential results.
The three-day intensive in August 2017 will include workshops, guest speakers, networking and collaborative opportunities.
And Melbourne is right behind the summit.
The club has a portfolio of projects to alleviate homelessness and was keen to work with the CFC team to back its idea.
In Victoria, the club already works with Melbourne City Mission Sleep at the G’ and Ladder to address homelessness.
44,000 young people are homeless every night in Australia, to put it into perspective that's nearly half the crowd of a packed MCG.
For these young Australians, uncertainty about the night’s sleep ahead is a stressful reality that often means sleeping outdoors, in cars, between friends’ houses or in emergency accommodation. For a young person, this experience of instability poses massive hurdles to health, education and employment. Without early support these challenges can result in a life-long struggle to escape homelessness.
If you are aged between 18-30 live in the Northern Territory and want to contribute to real social change in your local community – CFC wants you!
If you are already actively working in this space, that’s great! If not, that is fine as well – CFC are seeking out passionate people who similarly believe that we can make a positive change to the current situation.
Apply here: https://goo.gl/forms/ldQGvDELIrBNGyTV2
So, how can you help as a Melbourne supporter?
Firstly, you can start a conversation and shed light on some of the inequalities that exist in our own backyard. We’d also love you to follow the collaborative efforts of Crêpes for Change and the Melbourne Football Club, so please share this in your networks. Be empowered by the knowledge you’ve read!
CFC are always on the lookout for new partnerships with people or teams that share our vision - if you have an idea and you want to get involved further, please contact tenille@crepesforchange.com.
You can also follow CFC’s progress on Facebook and Instagram: @crepesforchange
For more information about the summit, visit: http://bit.ly/NTSCSGuide
