Raising Awareness

Shining a light on the difference our local charities make for people under pressure

We understand the enormous value of getting the word out to the community about what is being done to overcome disadvantage and support the innovation and experience of our local charities.

We launched the Canberra Philanthropy Awards to celebrate and recognise members of our community who are embodying the ‘give where you live’ values of Hands Across Canberra – our first 2 awardees in 2022 were Jo Farrell and John Hindmarsh AM. The Awards celebrate the generosity that exists in our community. It is a chance to celebrate and raise awareness of acts of kindness, initiative and leadership which have helped uplift or support various demographics of Canberra, in the hope that it will inspire more. We are looking forward to announcing the 2023 award in October.

Hands Across Canberra has been heartened to see the incredible responses to our fund/awareness-raising initiatives over the 2022- 2023 year. Together with our generous partners we raised awareness of need in Canberra at sporting events, gala dinners and through campaigns that touched every Canberran. For example over 250,000 people weekly heard our give where you live message in the lead up to Canberra Day.

Our social media presence is advancing our good news stories, with over 124,000 accounts reached. On Instagram alone, we’ve seen a remarkable increase of at least 750% in visits. This growth is crucial because it means that we are connecting with younger audiences in the area.

Furthermore, our journalism grant with ability.news is connecting, informing, and empowering the disability sector in the ACT.

Hands Across Canberra has a deep understanding of the local context, needs, social fabrics and opportunities that exist in Canberra. The data, research, and insights we collect in our grant rounds and regular community consultations allows us to identify causes and drivers of complex social issues, and to map existing and potential actors and resources in Canberra that may contribute to solving them. In addition, by understanding the context and issues we are able to better communicate, raise awareness and advocate for them.

Community Insights 2022-23

The cost-of-living crisis is now a reality and has pushed families and individuals below the poverty line, increasing demand of and pressure on our local charities. There is a growing understanding of the importance of giving locally as well as the power of working together to address the issues that are increasingly visible to us all.

The collaboration between the sectors has emerged as the strongest hope in breaking down the economic divide. Hands Across Canberra’s media platforms and media partners feature regular news stories on how these intersectoral collaborations are bringing about positive change in areas such as provision of household necessities, crisis support, vocational assistance, enabling ability, housing options.

Charities and services are helping new families including working families requesting assistance to cover everyday items. This has highlighted a compounding effect of inflation, ceasing pandemic payments and crumbling social networks.

Accessibility to services is an issue both in terms of waiting times involved to access services, complexity of accessing multiple services and availability of services in Canberra. Currently it takes between 3 to 6 months to get an appointment with a psychologist/mental health counsellor if you are in crisis and can’t afford to pay for one. Hands Across Canberra is working with Mental Health agencies and philanthropic ventures to lift the fundraising capacity for this cause.

Food pantries have seen a steep increase in visitors, many of whom have never needed this support in the past. New food pantries are popping up around the suburbs and CBD. Neighbourhood residents clearly want to give locally when they have the resources to assist. What has become a surprising fact is the rapid depletion of donated goods in short time frames, indicating the desperate need of some families and individuals.

Increased demand together with a raft of cost pressures due to inflation, falling donations and empty or low reserves following the pandemic are having a compounding impact on the community sector with many struggling to respond to increased demand and/or run ongoing services.

Canberra PCYC currently has a waitlist of as many young people as they have young clients!

We know that Canberrans want to act where they see the need. That’s the work of Hands Across Canberra, to show where the need is, what is the best  path to provide assistance, connect those who can help with financial and material resources to ultimately overcome the unnecessary divide in our community.

“In helping to alleviate the effects of the rising cost-of-living crisis, it’s imperative that we support charities as best we can. We can do more together!”