Our mission statement: Dream For Me (DFM) is determined to elevate the lives of disadvantaged refugee and migrant children, and their families, in the City of Greater Dandenong. Dream for Me is about shutting the door on poverty, injustice and social isolation for these children and their families ― increasing their hope and giving them opportunities for a better future.
Who we are: DFM is an outreach program run by Tobin and Alex Cuss. Both have a heart for the disadvantaged, and a strong passion to help broken communities. While Dream for Me is in its early stages, Tobin and Alex have a great vision for the future and hope to see this project expand and continue for many years to come. In terms of their experience, in 2007 and again in 2008, Alex spent time volunteering at an orphanage in Chiang Mai, Thailand, teaching her much about the world around her and the inequalities and injustice many face. Alex currently works with a women’s support group in prison. In 2009, Tobin volunteered at a school in Ghana, Africa ― an experience which also changed his life. Working and living in Ghana prompted Tobin to write a book ― Lessons I’m Never GHANA Forget ― to help raise the issue of poverty and show people in Australia what life is like for those who live below the poverty line. Tobin then taught at a vastly multicultural school in the City of Greater Dandenong. Both Tobin and Alex’s experiences led them to the realisation that they personally wanted to do more for those in need. Hence, Dream For Me.
What Dream For Me will do:
1. Give credibility to refugee and migrant children, and their families, showing others in the community that they can have faith in these people regardless of their circumstances.
2. Give hope to refugee and migrant children and families dealing with the difficult task of assimilating to a new country, after leaving their own for reasons out of their control.
3. Give love to refugee and migrant children and their families, after they have been separated from family and friends due to hoping for a brighter future.
How Dream For Me will do this: This year (2011) will see DFM working with four boys from Afghanistan, Burundi, Tanzania and India. Through fortnightly activities, DFM will aim to enrich the lives of these boys ― giving them a sense of inclusion and self-worth, while also developing a greater understanding of the city and country they live in. In 2011, the boys will enjoy experiences such as attending live sport in Melbourne (AFL, NBL, NRL, Premier League, Netball), participating in sporting clinics, recording music, learning how to prepare and serve meals, participating in photo shoots, working on team projects, assisting each other’s families, as well as helping to plan and identify areas of need for DFM in 2012 and beyond. Through working with these four boys, DFM will also aim to build relationships with families who are otherwise socially isolated due to their circumstances. This in turn gives DFM a greater understanding of how best to work with the families now and expand the reach of what we do in the future. DFM will help these families discover how they can take charge of their lives, and have the best experiences possible, in their new homeland Australia. In 2012, the plan is for DFM to expand the number of children and families it works with, continuing to elevate the lives of refugee and migrant children and their families.
Our status as a group: DFM is Not-For-Profit and we operating under the umbrella of Eastside Community Care (an Associated Incorporation).
Where Dream For Me is working: The primary focus of DFM in 2011 is the City of Greater Dandenong. The 2006 Census displayed that young people from the City of Greater Dandenong were more likely to leave school early, less likely to attend university and more likely to be neither involved in paid work or engaged in any form of education. Crime is an ongoing issue to be considered in the City of Greater Dandenong, as 2009/10 crime rates were 33% higher compared with metropolitan Melbourne for overall offences, including 62% higher for drug related offences and 70% higher for violent offences. Crime rates are now a third higher than the rest of metropolitan Melbourne overall, and 70% higher in terms of violent crimes. As of the 2006 Census weekly gross income levels (based on 35-44 year old residents) were the lowest level in Melbourne ($492 overall, $366 for females and $625 for males) and 70% of the metropolitan average. It is in household incomes where we are able to see a discrepancy depending on birthplace – from $660 or more among 35-44 year-olds from India, to $271 among those from Sudan, and $231 for Afghanistan. In March 2010, the unemployment rate in the City of Greater Dandenong was nearly twice the metropolitan rate, at 10.8%, which is why employment and education are such vital issues for this community. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of young people in Dandenong speak languages other than English in their homes, including Vietnamese (12%), Khmer (6%), Cantonese (4%), and Arabic (3%). In contrast, less than a third (28%) of young people across Melbourne speak languages other than English.
*Statistics acquired from www.greaterdandenong.com