Society

NSW youth worker, Carlee Heise is calling on young people, who have started social, educational, and economic development projects in their regional communities to apply for the ABC’s 2024 Trailblazers program. Carlee, a participant of the 2023 Trailblazers program, is the driving force behind YAAS! (Young, Authentic and Social), an arts program for 12–24-year-olds with diverse abilities and identities in Darkinjung Country on the Central Coast.

Global payments firm WorldRemit announced results of its third Global Cost of Living Index. The annual study assesses how the cost of living crisis is affecting financial decisions, including those of remittance senders who regularly send money home to support their loved ones. Results show 73% of respondents in the US, 70% in the UK, and 78% in Australia reported an increase in the daily cost of living and globally, 81% felt utility costs increased in recent months. Housing costs continue to be impacted with 72% reporting an upswing in mortgage and rent payments, while 46% noted an increase in education and 74% in transportation.

Canon Oceania revealed winners of the 2023 Canon Oceania Grants Program, recognising three Aussie organisations that are making a positive impact in their local communities. Since the inception of its Grants program 17 years ago and guided by its Kyosei philosophy of living and working together for the common good, Canon has supported over 100 community organisations and schools, providing over $500,000 in monetary and product support.   

The Australian Design Council, a not-for-profit industry organisation primarily dedicated to driving national prosperity and long-term growth through design, revealed that it has received a significant boost to its mission with a generous $1 million donation from Peter Freedman AM, Founder and Chairman of RØDE, one of the world's leading creator technology brands.

A recent research survey conducted by the e-learning platform Preply asked more than 1,500 residents of the 50 largest metropolitan areas to rate the banter level in their city. Sydney ranked no. 1 on the list, scoring 100 on the banter scale, with the national average “banter score” at 82. Melbourne scored 90 in the no. 2 spot, followed by Darwin, scoring 89, in third spot.

Amazon Australia has opened a new Disaster Relief Hub in Adelaide with more than 16,500 essential supplies available to be delivered to those affected by natural disasters and extreme weather events across regions of South Australia (SA) and the Northern Territory (NT). By pre-positioning disaster relief items within the dedicated Adelaide hub, Amazon Australia and its non-profit partners Foodbank, Australian Red Cross and St Vincent de Paul Society can deliver critical emergency relief items to communities in SA and NT within 72 hours.

Gaming is emerging as a core channel for youth engagement with TotallyAwesome’s annual Youth-First Digital Insights research released finding social via gaming is fast becoming the choice for Aussie Gen Alpha (4 - 18). Gen Alpha’s use of social media declined an average of 8% over the past 12 months and they are instead turning to gaming platforms to socialise.

New research from e61 Institute has shown that government contracting disproportionately favours larger, politically connected firms. The new research report Political Economy: The market for government contracts and influence reveals that over the last decade, the value of government contracts in Australia has more than quintupled, to $190 billion in 2022.

The younger generations, Gen-Z and Millennials, are urging Australia's govt to increase its immigration quota, with a substantial 50 per cent expressing the belief that the country is not accepting a sufficient number of international migrants, according to a survey commissioned by Immigration assistance and advice platform Immigration to Australia. Since the Pandemic, Australia has recorded a net loss of 88,800 people in 2020-21 from the national population.

Organisations representing people with diverse literacy, language or cultural backgrounds and disabilities across Australia have come together to develop freely available accessible resources about the establishment of a First Nations Voice to Parliament in Australia. The resources include fact sheets, social media tiles, audio resources and videos that will be translated into 50 community languages, 45 established languages and emerging languages.