DISADVANTAGED SOUTHWEST BRISBANE FAMILIES VISIT ZOO FOR ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME EXPERIENCE

One of our corporate partners, Brookfield Multiplex, hosted a trip to Alma Park Zoo for the young clients from Mission Australia’s Pathways to Prevention and Young Ipswich Parent Project. The Pathways to Prevention program helps children in the Inala area in southwest Brisbane make a successful transition from home life to school – a transition which, if disrupted, can lead to the person experiencing difficulties in later life, including poverty, unemployment and engaging in criminal behaviour. Spending a day at the zoo is something most Australian families take for granted.

But the chance to visit Alma Park Zoo on Friday, 16 May was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for disadvantaged families from Mission Australia’s Pathways to Prevention program at Inala. Pathways to Prevention is a ground-breaking early intervention service which helps families from Brisbane’s southwest region who are dealing with critical issues ranging from language or cultural barriers, relationship breakdowns, long-term unemployment, addictions and mental health issues.

The prevention program helps to reduce problem behaviour in young children, strengthen families and foster positive child development. Thanks to Brookfield Multiplex, families in the Pathways program were given the chance to visit Alma Park Zoo, with many of these young children having the opportunity to see and play with animals for the first time in their lives. Coinciding with National Volunteers Week (12-18 May), eight employees from Brookfield Multiplex volunteered their time to take 72 children and 45 parents from Pathways’ Vietnamese parenting program and from local playgroups to Alma Park Zoo, as part of Brookfield Multiplex’s Workplace Giving Program.

According to Mission Australia’s Pathways to Prevention Inala Team Leader Jackie Grozinger, this will also be the first time some of these children would have left the southwest Brisbane area. “The Vietnamese families taking part in this opportunity were completely over-the-moon when they heard. Due to their financial situations, they rarely have the chance to do these kinds of social outings which everyday Australians take for granted,” Jackie said. “These parents will have the chance to spend quality time with their children, helping to connect with them and other families, and see all kinds of new experiences through their children’s eyes.” Shane Bulloch, Director of Brookfield Multiplex Developments Australia said the company was proud to support Mission Australia in such an important initiative which helped children and families at risk. “Brookfield Multiplex’s support of the Workplace Giving Program enables our employees to contribute in a genuine way to the community and to make a small difference in brightening up other people’s lives,” Shane said. Brookfield Multiplex provided buses to collect the families from schools in the Inala region, with staff meeting the families at Alma Park at 11am on the Friday.

Back to newsletter