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Bianca Stern

This month’s community spotlight features Bianca Stern, General Manager of All Things Equal.

All Things Equal is a not-for-profit social enterprise that exists to bridge the gap between people with a disability and the wider community through purposeful training and award-wage employment.

1. Brief intro/background/”about me”

I’m willing to try most things. I would love to try sailing again. Previously I was learning how to crew on a yacht.

1. Tell us a bit about you

Bianca, 27, Sydney sider by birth, Melbournian by choice. I am passionate and energised about the disability and not-for-profit sector. More broadly I am excited about what opportunities lie ahead in these sectors, and I appreciate the fact that the ideas in these fields are often less traditional and creative.

I realised that teaching was not the right fit for me (halfway through the degree) and I am now pursuing a postgraduate degree in social impact.

I previously worked at Flying Fox and was also a disability support worker. I am now the General Manager (and founding member) of All Things Equal, where I relish the challenges of social impact and philanthropy.

Lastly, I like to eat my scrambled eggs with vegemite on the toast (no butter).

2. Can you tell us about All Things Equal (ATE)? 

All Things Equal is a not-for-profit social enterprise that exists to bridge the gap between people with a disability and the wider community. We provide purposeful training and award-based employment.

We have an employment pathway model providing an entry into the world of hospitality, with training and real-world expectations, with the ultimate goal of ATE being the stepping stone for someone to transition into the hospitality industry. We want to change the way people view and include people with disability in the workplace. People with disability are ready, willing, and absolutely capable of working. We collaborate and partner with like-minded organisations who also care about the important work we do.

We have 4 divisions to our work.

  1. Cooking School – pre-employment (unpaid training)

  2. Canteen – pre-employment (unpaid training), partnership with AJAX Junior Football Club. ATE runs the canteen with individuals with and without disabilities.  It provides another connection with the local community. We serve all the standard food you would expect in a football canteen.

  3. Café – paid employment and training, our café is located in Balaclava.

  4. Catering – paid employment and training. We cater for pescatarian, vegetarian and vegan diets.

3. What do you love about your job? What are some of the challenges? 

I love so much, I have never had a job that is as challenging and complex as this one while being so rewarding and thought-provoking.

I love the people I work with, my colleagues with and without disability, the work we do, the place, the social interactions, the advocacy, and the wider community. Every day I get to see the little wins firsthand.

I am grateful I was given this opportunity and backed when I was young. I feel like there are endless possibilities and I am encouraged to think differently on the daily. I get to push boundaries and break assumptions and biases.

Additionally, we have provided over $350,000 in award wages to people with a disability since we started All Things Equal, which equates to approximately 10,500 hours of paid training.

There are many challenges. All Things Equal is young, we are only 3 years old. Therefore, because things haven’t been done before, often it is about being comfortable with mistakes, knowing we have areas for improvement and learning from what we have already done and what we are doing.

We have a waitlist of approx. 70 people. It’s a constant juggle between quality and quantity, we always want to provide a quality offering. I have mixed emotions about our waitlist; how cool is it that we have 70 people looking for work, however, how disappointing that our society hasn’t yet been able to find a solution to this challenge. The unemployment rate hasn’t changed in over 30 years, there is a lot more work to be done, and we’re committed to it.

4. Tell us about the positive impact All Things Equal is having on society? 

We are changing the way people view and include people with a disability in the workplace. We look at what people can do, the value added to the workplace. We want people to understand that employing someone with disability in their workplace is mutually beneficial.

A lot of people want to be inclusive in the workplace, however, they do not have the experience or knowledge and we are here to showcase this in action. The different programs we run are our training grounds, and our advocacy put into action.

5. How can someone from the TOM: Melbourne Community get involved? 

Lots of different ways: come to our café for coffee or brunch, come see what we do in action or order our catering for your next event. Be advocates for what we do, share our mission and help us get our name out there.

Or, if you work in the hospitality industry and you’re interested in being an employment partner of ours, reach out!

6. Any news or anything else you would like to share? 

There is a lot happening in the pipeline, we will hopefully be rolling out a second location soon, stay tuned!

Madeleine Buchner OAM

This month’s community spotlight features Madeleine Buchner OAM, the founder and CEO of Little Dreamers.

Little Dreamers provides support for young people acting as carers for a family member. Madeleine’s first-hand experience as a young carer spurs her on to nurture the wellbeing and education of others who do the same.

1. Tell us a bit about you 

I grew up with one younger brother and two wonderful parents. Unfortunately, my younger brother has had multiple health issues since he was just six months old. As a result, he has been in and out of the hospital frequently and I spent a lot of my childhood accompanying him to medical appointments. Even during my school holidays, I often found myself in the hospital with him. He is currently 29 years old.

Then when I was 14 years old, my mum got breast cancer; she is now in remission. Mum required a lot of care when she was diagnosed. Dad and I were both carers for both my brother and my mum. I spent a lot of time at my grandparents growing up, they practically raised me. Most recently I cared for my grandmother with Alzheimer’s Disease. All of this has influenced the work that I do today.

When I was just nine years old, I started a club called Care Net Kids Club. The purpose of this club was to raise money for other organisations that support siblings of children who require care or support. I organised various fundraising events for these organisations. Eventually, Care Net Kids Club became Kidz Club (Caring Independent Dedicated Siblings). I started setting things up for my own organisation in 2008. Then, at the age of 16, in 2009, I founded Little Dreamers.

2. Can you tell us about Little Dreamers? 

Little Dreamers is an organisation that provides support to young individuals between the ages of 4 and 25 who take care of their family members affected by a disability, chronic illness, mental health issues, addiction, or old age. The goal of Little Dreamers is to enhance the quality of life of young caregivers and support them in providing care to their loved ones.

We aim to address four key challenge areas that young carers face, which are: social connection/isolation, sense of identity, health and wellbeing, and education and employment. Our support services are available for both short-term and long-term periods. We offer day and overnight respite programs, job readiness programs, peer support groups, counselling services, in-school training programs for teachers to help them identify young carers, dream experiences (one-off opportunities for a young carer to do something about them, similar to Star Light Foundation or Make-A-Wish), and our Young Carers Festival (which is focused on community awareness and building).

3. What do you love about your job? What are some of the challenges? 

I love that every day I get to embrace my inner child while doing serious work. At our events, we bring a childlike nature to the important work we do. For instance, at our Young Carers Festivals, we have activities like face painting, jumping castles and other fun activities. We manage to combine serious and valuable work with a bit of confetti and sparkle.

I love that my job allows me to meet new people every day. Many of the people I meet are surprised to learn that I was a carer when I was younger. Through my work, I hear and share incredible stories that open people’s eyes and minds to a group of young people that they may not have realised existed before. I am proud that my job helps young people to realise what is possible and that it improves the lives of everyday people daily.

The main challenge is feeling frustrated when people don’t understand the complexity of what it’s like to support young carers, and the resources available to them. It’s surprising that more people don’t recognise the importance of supporting young carers. Funding is also a complex issue, particularly in the not-for-profit sector.

The demand for Little Dreamers programs is higher than what we can currently deliver. Unfortunately, we have a waitlist, which is not ideal as people do not seek social services to be put on waitlists. However, we need to strike a balance between quality, quantity, and sustainability to ensure that we can continue to operate in the long term.

4. How can someone from the TOM: Melbourne Community get involved? 

When discussing young carers of siblings or young people who are caring for others, it is important to note that many of these young carers do not see themselves as such, whether they are struggling or not. They often identify as a sibling, daughter, or son, rather than a carer. This can be a challenging position for them to be in, especially if the person they are caring for has a chronic or mental illness or addiction. They may not seek out support or resources for themselves.

We have volunteer opportunities available, both hands-on and behind the scenes. We also have a useful resource in the form of a children’s book called “My Brother is Sick Again”.

5. Any news or anything else you would like to share? 

This year, we are recalibrating and being mindful of our decisions and priorities in Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland.

For more information:
https://www.littledreamers.org.au/ 

 

Making life a little easier

Truganina resident and industrial designer Eva Klusacek will be among the ‘makers’ on deck at the upcoming Tikkun Olam Makers Melbourne event. As part of the event in Geelong on Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26, she will be paired with a ‘need-knower’ – people with disability who have a specific need.

Makeathon seeks solutions for people living with disability

Makers will gather in Geelong this weekend to seek solutions to challenges faced by people living with disability. For the first time in Australia, the Saturday, March 25, and Sunday, March 26, Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM) event, is running two simultaneous Regional Makeathons in Geelong, and Wide Bay, Queensland.

Jacinta Oakley

Our first community spotlight for 2023 features Jacinta Oakley, a User Experience Consultant at Vision Australia and who has also participated in the last two Makeathons with us. Jacinta was most recently a Maker on Team Matt.
How did you first get involved with TOM?

I first became involved with TOM in 2021 after hearing about it from a colleague. I was part of Team Kasper. I loved working with the team to prototype a wheelchair mounted stand and case for Kasper’s communication device, with the aim to allow Kasper to access the device and communicate more easily.

What was Team Matt’s challenge and how did you arrive at your solution?

Team Matt’s challenge was to help design a customised, discreet, standing shower support to help Matt reduce risks of slips and falls when showering.

Across the Makeathon weekend, we went through a number of quick, low-fidelity prototypes which we tested and tweaked with Matt along the way, before arriving at a final prototype. This consisted of a metal frame, a standing lean-to structure and a belt for addition support around the waist.

What would you say to people who are thinking of participating in the next Makeathon?

I’d say absolutely go for it! It’s such a unique opportunity.

TOM is a supportive, inclusive and fun environment where you can apply your skills, have real impact and make lasting memories and connections.

You’ll learn so much while collaborating with a group of people with diverse skills and developing a custom piece of assistive tech for a person with disability.

What’s your favourite memory from the Makeathon?

Seeing the groups bring prototypes to life so quickly across the Makeathon weekend and watching them in action on the final evening. It was a big few days but there was such an amazing energy throughout!

Designed to be Inconspicuous – Universal Kitchen Aid

Cooking is a much-loved activity for all people around the world. On average we particularly spend 1-2 hours of our day either cooking or prepping food of some kind if we include breakfast lunch and dinner.

Michael Macris

This month’s community spotlight features Michael Macris, who recently participated as a Maker at our September 2022 Makeathon. Michael is an avid maker who has explored work as a design engineer through building recycling machines and designing hydrogen trucks.
What was your experience like being part of the TOM: Melbourne Makeathon?

The Makeathon provided a welcoming environment for people to come together to solve important and often overlooked problems. Having the Need-Knowers and Makers in one place made for a unique cross-pollination of ideas. For me, this was exciting, fast paced and rewarding.

What was your role in the Team?

My role involved thinking of concepts as well as translating these into rough mockups, CAD and eventually a functional prototype.

What’s your favourite memory from the Makeathon?

My favourite memory was working with a team I just met, but still being able to plan and execute different tasks within two days to achieve a concept we’re proud of.

How did you first become involved with TOM: Melbourne?

I became involved with TOM: Melbourne by first hearing about the organisation through word of mouth. I now keep updated around what is happening via the TOM: Melbourne social channels.

 

Qianya Zhao

This month’s community spotlight features Qianya Zhao who volunteered at our most recent Makeathon event. Qianya is a student at Monash University, and is also a volunteer for the Monash Young Medtech Innovators (MYMI).
How did you get involved with TOM?  

I am involved with TOM through my university engineering team called Monash Young Medtech Innovators (MYMI) where we were asked to volunteer at the Makeathon event. I was also invited to the Need-Knower selection panel, which was such an amazing experience, so that was my first proper involvement with TOM: Melbourne   

What was your experience being part of the TOM: Melbourne Makeathon?  

My experience as a volunteer was fantastic! The TOM team had everything sorted out logistically, so I was just an extra pair of helping hands. It was really fun talking to the different teams and Need-Knowers and I was in awe to see the Makerspace facility at Woodside Building being utilised for an event as cool as the Makeathon.  Highlights include witnessing the enormous quantity of catering available, the bustling workshop space and a Need-Knower ambassador leading a stretching activity just to get everyone ready for the day.   

What are your top takeaways from your Makeathon experience?  

My top takeaway from this Makeathon event was the learning along the way. What inspired me most was how creatively diverse the teams were and how powerful it was to take an idea or thought and transform that into a tangible product or service.  Not only that, the ability to personalise each product to the specific individual and their needs was amazing to see and it’s now a strong beacon for me as a student to continue to learn and think creatively, and to also support others to do the same.  

What’s your favourite memory from the Makeathon?  

Seeing the final showcase on the Sunday and hearing how grateful the Need-Knowers were was definitely my favourite memory. Hearing how thankful the Need-Knower and their families were was so heart-warming and it really hit home for me that these novel inventions – while still works in progress – already had a visible impact on the user’s day-to-day and independence. I felt proud just being involved with the event.   

What would you say to people thinking of participating in the next Makeathon?

For those thinking of participating but are still a bit unsure, ask yourself a simple question – what is there to lose? A Makeathon event brings together people of all backgrounds and expertise and it feels even more rewarding when you can physically interact and have a laugh with the Need-Knower you’re helping.  You’ll meet like-minded individuals, form friendships and even pick up a skill or two using drills, sewing machines or 3D-printing – it’s actually super exciting and not something you get to do every day.

 

Technology to assist with MS

A FRANKSTON woman living with MS is taking part in an initiative to find technology solutions to people living with disease and disabilities.

Makers support Need-Knowers

The lives of people living with a disability are being improved thanks to a ’TOM: Melbourne Makeathon’ event, combining Makers with Need-Knowers to deliver technological solutions to everyday problems.