UOW gives $50,000 funding to community projects

Six far-reaching community projects received $50,000 worth of grants from the University of Wollongong.

UOW’s Community Engagement Grants Scheme (CEGS) funded the diverse projects, which include a resource kit to help children with cerebral palsy, a symposium for indigenous writers and the development of a large-scale children’s mural which will be Australia’s only contribution an important global peace exhibition.

The projects also include a partnership between students living on-campus and refugees, research looking at the impact of train fines on young people, and a project creating links between the Graduate School of Medicine and community volunteers.

The grants are awarded for University projects that are collaborative - working with a community partner – and that have a clear community benefit.

CEGS was introduced in 2005 to encourage and support these projects. Staff and students of UOW can apply and funding is awarded on a competitive basis.

The winning recipients share in a total amount of funding of $50,000 administered by the University’s Office of Community & Partnerships. A total of $170,500 has been awarded to 23 projects since 2005.

At the presentation the award winners will gave a short talk about their project and highlight their project’s community benefits. Professor Rob Castle spoke about the the background of the grants scheme and Chair of the Assessment Panel, David Morgan Williams, gave an update on the progress of the projects funded to date.

The winning CEGS projects for 2008 are:

Supporting children with cerebral palsy – Dr Sim Kim Lau, Faculty of Informatics. Community partners: Wollongong Hospital, South East Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service (SESIAH), The Disability Trust
Young people and the impact of government fines – Ms Debbie Langton, Faculty of Law. Community Partner: Illawarra Legal Centre.
Establishing a representative community of patients in volunteer patient programs for medical education at the Graduate School of Medicine – Ms Isabelle Potter, GSM, Faculty of Health & Behavioural Sciences. Community Partners: Illawarra Women’s Health Centre, ALCO the Spanish and Latin-American Community Organisation
Blakwrite Symposium – Dr Ernie Blackmore, Woolyungah Indigenous Centre. Community Partners: South Coast writers Centre
Kids Guernica 15 years of peace – Associate Professor Ian Brown, Faculty of Education. Community Partners: Department of Education & Training, Bulli High School
Creative Community Connections: International House and Strategic Community Assistance to Refugee Families (SCARF) – Dr Lindsay Oades, International House. Community Partner: SCARF Illawarra.

Last reviewed: 5 September, 2008