News from IFS Asia Pacific Network (APN)

IFS Asia Pacific Network (APN) meetings that have been occurring over the last one and half years. These meetings aim to promote IFS (International Federation Settlement Houses) in the Asia Pacific region since September 2021 after the IFS conference 2021.  

IFS APN meeting is held monthly (every second Monday of the month at 3pm-4.30pm (Sydney Time zone)) and has had 15 meetings so far, with 13 topics covered and are ongoing.

The purpose of the IFS APN meeting is to bring together like-minded organisations that share values such as inclusion, diversity, and promoting social justice and democratic principles. We aim to exchange knowledge, share experience, conduct study tours, develop skills, exchange work placement students, understand cultural diversity, improve the international network, and collaborate on potential projects in community-led development work around UN (United Nations) SDG (Sustainable Development Goal) or Global Climate Change issues in the future. 

IFS APN participants are from Taiwan, India, Siri Lanka, Macao, and Australia. And are continuing to promote in other Asia-Pacific countries.  

The last IFS APN meeting covered by Tina Reynold (CEO of Orana Support inc) about her social enterprises. She shared her best knowledge and experiences of her social enterprises to minimise homelessness and best support her disadvantaged community. Some examples of her social enterprises are the private motel (majority of Orana Support Inc income comes from this business), The warehouse rental services, the discount supermarket, the removal services, the food ban, the boarding houses, and the Op Shop. discount supermarket and 50 rooms boarding houses are on process and will start soon. These social enterprise businesses are not able to operate without volunteers. 

The last (13 March 2023) APN meeting was presented by Can Yasmut (EO of LCSA (Local Community Services Association)) he presented about the Community Strengthening Data Project-Community Wellbeing Survey and how it was added to the (Department of Community Justice) DEX (Data Exchange) System. 

If you are interested to join the APN meeting, please contact by keummi@lcsansw.org.au