At Inspire HQ, we are big on supporting and giving back to the community in which we operate. We love to share our knowledge and contribute to building a better Ballarat and regional Victoria for everyone. You’ll often find our team members volunteering in the local community, as our team is made up of Ballarat locals and they’re invested in the community.
We are proud to give back to our community by:
- Volunteering on not-for-profit Boards and Committees
- Presenting at local secondary schools to share our knowledge and to help them prepare for work experience, planning their career and entering the workforce post-secondary school
- Presenting on behalf of organisations such as Commerce Ballarat, Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre and industry associations to share our knowledge on recruitment, human resources and careers trends and challenges, innovation and the future of work
- Supporting local fundraisers such as the Child and Family Services (CAFS) Christmas Giving Initiative, and national fundraisers such as Share the Dignity and The May 50K
This week I would like to introduce you to one of our in-kind partners, Raven Collective.
Founded in 2021, Raven Collective is a local Ballarat registered charity with a vision to support women who have experienced domestic violence through a therapeutic work and training environment.
Family, domestic and sexual violence is a major health and welfare issue in Australia occurring across all socioeconomic and demographic groups, but predominantly affecting women and children. The impacts of family, domestic and sexual violence can be serious and long-lasting, affecting an individual’s health, wellbeing, education, relationships and housing outcomes. Limited employment opportunities and prospects to gain financial independence can severely hinder a woman from escaping an abusive situation.
Raven Collective is a paid work experience program offered to women who have experienced Domestic or Family Violence. The ‘Women of Raven’ trainees engage in practical skills working in a distribution setting while participating in training aimed to develop readiness to work skills. The ‘Women of Raven’ are additionally supported in a remedial capacity to fulfil social and emotional needs.
They do this by offering paid practical employment via a 10-week program that incorporates training and education to upskill participants with the aim on completion to access ongoing employment or further education. Working in Raven Collective’s online gift box shop, which specialises in corporate gifting, provides the women with practical skills and workplace experience.
How the program works:
- Step 1 – Utilise referral pathway to employ women into the 10-week program
- Step 2 – Customers purchase gifts via online portal – ravencollective.org/shop
- Step 3 – The “Woman of Raven” pack your order and participate in a training program
- Step 4 – Raven work to understand individual employment desires and seek opportunities for the women to obtain ongoing employment
- Step 5 – The women enter the workforce armed with the skills and knowledge to succeed and obtain financial independence!
Inspire HQ’s in-kind services to Raven Collective include creating employment contract templates, position descriptions and policies and procedures to ensure women who will be joining the 10-week program, will have a genuine employment arrangement.
Personally, I am pleased to have recently joined the Raven Collective Board to work with a great team of like-minded people as a way of giving back to the community and empowering disadvantaged women.
Raven Collective relies on corporate sponsors to ensure the 10-week program can be provided. Your business’ contribution ensures a woman is paid to access practical work experience for the online gift store, an education program that focuses on readiness to work skills plus access to a range of support services that ensure the participant’s wellbeing is maintained.
If you are in the position to help or want to learn more, please reach out for more information.
