23 Aussie Post community grant recipients in Sydney Metro area

Sydney Metro grant recipients

About the City East Community College

The City East Community College is based out of Bondi but operates Sydney-wide as a Mentor Program that aims to address the ‘brain waste’ of far too many skilled and qualified people driving Ubers or stacking supermarket shelves, rather than working to their full potential in our community. The majority live in the Inner West and Western Sydney.

The program addresses employment pathway barriers by connecting professionally skilled migrants, refugees and asylum seekers (mentees) with volunteer, locally experienced professionals (mentors) who offer guidance and support in key job seeking pathways, skills and strategies. It strongly promotes social inclusion, cultural awareness and diversity. The Program is an initiative of City East Community College (CECC), a registered training organisation and not-for-profit adult learning organisation.

Since program launch in July 2016, 580 job-seekers have been successfully matched with mentors. 70% of those mentees have achieved employment in their chosen profession within 5 months of being matched with a mentor. (410 jobs)

NSW recipients media release

Aussie Post gives back to more than 400 grassroots community groups nationally

Australia Post team members have thrown their support behind 438 community groups and not-for-profits within their local communities which, as a result, will receive funding of up to $1,000 each through Australia Post’s annual People of Post Grants.

Over $400,000 in total has been awarded to meaningful initiatives in support of local communities, including volunteer-run organisations, sporting groups and mental health programs located across metro, regional and remote communities of Australia. This includes 73 grants delivered across NSW. 

Amongst the 73 grant recipients in New South Wales, 23 of the organisations selected support communities experiencing disadvantage, culturally and linguistically diverse, and Indigenous communities, while 14 were identified as having an impact on mental health. Team members from five Australia Post locations - Caringbah, Dee Why, Wellington, Wollongong and Katoomba - successfully secured grants for two of their local community groups each. 

Using their local connections and first-hand experiences within the community, local posties, Post Office workers and other Australia Post team members nominated organisations as possible grant recipients they saw having a big impact at a time where support is needed more than ever before.

This year, 25 per cent of the grants went to groups supporting culturally and linguistically diverse demographics and communities experiencing disadvantage, while 25 per cent will support projects aimed at improving mental health and connection.

Australia Post General Manager Community & Stakeholder Engagement, Nicky Tracey, said the annual program would once again help hundreds of grassroots and not-for-profit groups thrive, and it was rewarding to deliver the news to recipients during National Volunteer Week.  

“Across more than 4,000 Post Offices and one of the largest national workforces, everyday our team members see the importance of local community connection, particularly in regional and rural Australia,” Ms Tracey said.

“These grants give our team members the opportunity to recognise and support the meaningful work being done by local community groups they are passionate about, at a time where many need a helping hand. We’re delighted to see a 20 per cent increase in nominations this year from our team members, who themselves are often volunteers or play a role to support local community organisations.

“Volunteers and non-profits are the backbone of our communities, making a positive difference to individuals and communities every day.” 

Since 2018 more than 1,750 grants totalling more than $1 million have been awarded as part of the People of Post Grants program. The Grants have supported many causes, including cooking workshops for socially-isolated multicultural communities in Queensland, re-stocking flood-affected sporting clubs in regional NSW and funding camps for the Tennant Creek Girl Guides in the Northern Territory.

The full list of Australia Post’s 2023 People of Post Grants recipients, listed by state/territory and location, and more information about the People of Post Grants program, is available at: auspost.com.au/popgrants

ENDS

Media enquiries, please contact:

Anna Garcia, Senior PR Manager: 0409 402 966 anna.garcia3@auspost.com.au

About Australia Post: As Australia’s postal service for more than 200 years, we’re at the heart of every community. Last financial year we delivered more than 2.7 billion items around the country and carried out more than 220 million transactions across one of Australia's largest retail networks of more than 4,300 Post Offices. We employ people of all ages, genders, and abilities in our extended workforce of more than 64,000 to reflect the diverse communities we operate in. We are proud to be included in the inaugural Indigenous Employment Index with 3 percent of our workforce identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and we are the largest Australian employer to be certified as a Disability Confident Recruiter.