Asher: Hebrew; happiness in moving forward. The Asher house provides for young women and girls in need of a safe place to call home. It provides an opportunity for at-risk girls to heal and be released from potential life-controlling issues such as depression, suicide prevention, eating disorders and recovery from abusive situations or broken homes. The girls within the home are cared for in a nurturing family-like environment and have their own mentor. The girls have access to a variety of opportunities, such as:
There is the opportunity for those in the Asher House to be a part of our school program or attend tertiary education. Asher House also seeks to work alongside not only the girls in need but also their entire families (where appropriate). We are holistic in our approach, believing that behind every hurting young person is a hurting family. The supportive staff involved in JEM work towards reconciliation between young people and their families when it is possible to do so. Where and as needed, Asher house also links with outside health professionals and services. |
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The Croydon House is situated in Melbourne, Australia. It is essentially a community of people creating a safe place to journey through life together. The Croydon House values hospitality, authenticity, laughter, different cultures, and friendship. It serves as housing for interns, asylum seekers and a place for people simply needing somewhere to stay. Some of the activities that happen within the house are community dinners, mentoring, life skills, house church, BBQ’s, prayer vigils (basically anything and everything!). We also aim to foster a community environment that helps support immigrants/refugees/asylum seekers to connect into Australian life. The Croydon House is a Christian environment but welcomes people from all faiths and backgrounds. |
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History Jem is a not for profit organisation that has been working alongside at risk and marginalised young people in the local community for more than a decade, through providing compassionate housing and mentoring. Over the past few years there has been a growing need to have a well structured educational program to further support and grow the young people who come into JEM's care. With many of our clients unable to fit into or be accepted into mainstream education, the start of 2010 saw the beginning of the JEM Alternative Education Program (JAEP). How it works The Education Program is made up of a team of committed teachers, integration aids and specialised youth workers. Individual curriculum programs are set up to cater for the needs of each student, as well as collective life skills courses, creative arts, emotional intelligence and relationship workshops, self reflection, cooking and sport classes. Partnerships have also been forged with AYCE and Lilydale Adventist Academy, to further provide educational and social avenues for our students.Our students receive specialized one on one tutoring for the areas of literacy, numeracy and all VCE subjects. Enquiry and hands on learning has been a core part of the curriculum with excursions being a successful tool for educational opportunities. Work experience has also been an important part of our program, with our students gaining experience in food, hospitality and service. Outreach opportunities Alongside the education program, students are given the opportunity to participate in community service projects and, in 2010, our students were able to attend a service trip to a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory, where they learnt traditional hunting methods, team work, leadership skills and also helped to create fruit and vegetable gardens for the community. Support If you would like to support the work of the JEM Alternative Education Program, you can do so by the following:
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The Internship Program seeks to empower young people in ministry, youth work, global action and local outreach. People can apply for in-house long-term internship or the out- of-house internship option. The Internship Program operates over a 6 month to 2 year period. In-house Interns live in a Jem house, learning to live in community and working in partnership with the other ministries. Out-of-house Interns are involved with Jem ministries through the week but stay at their own residence. Internship programs specialise in youth work, mission and ministry but are tailored to suit the giftings and dreams of the individual. All interns are coached in their own passions and are set specific projects flexible to their dreams, gifting and abilities. They are linked into training relevant to their long-term vision (i.e. Counselling, media studies, etc). They are also taught in practical areas of youth work and ministry, from management reporting, leadership training and creative service. The aim is to empower each young person to be able to confidently use what they have learnt to make a difference out in the world. Each intern is responsible for mentoring a young person in the house. They also have the opportunity to be involved in a short-term cross cultural mission experience. Interns are pastorally cared for by other experienced mentors. |
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