Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Revolutions of Handouts: Christmas Maintains Broad Appeal

L’Opéra de Montréal Works With Homeless To Make Art

“The goal of this is not to sell tickets,” OM spokesman Pierre Vachon says. Engaging with a marginalized population can only help the company clarify its purpose within the larger community, he says, while ideally reducing prejudice about the homeless. “What is the meaning of art in our time, how important is it? That’s the discussion we’re having now.”
Youth Off the Streets programs, aimed primarily at 15 to 21-year-olds, include schools and an outreach program with counselling, emergency accommodation, and other support services.
It emphasises “service learning”, where youths on the program help others.
Youth Off The Streets

Salvos: Seventy per cent of respondents believed the gap between rich and poor was widening, a perception supported by the Poverty in Australia report by the Australian Council of Social Service, which found 2.9 million Australians lived below the poverty line, including 730,000 children
Salvation Army reports rise in Christmas volunteers, often 'doing it tough' themselves

Christmas a financial nightmare for almost half of all families ...

Despite a tough economic climate and an increasing number of people in need, charity Christmas appeals are still finding support. The state's largest emergency relief provider assisted more than 48,000 individuals during the past financial year, according to St Vincent De Paul Society WA CEO Mark Fitzpatrick, a 30 per cent increase on the previous 12 months. "I think that's going to translate into a pretty bleak Christmas for a number of families, unless organisations like Vinnies can knock on their doors with some food and toys for the kids," Mr Fitzpatrick told Business News. "It's not the best time of year for everybody, so we're expecting to pack more than 2,500 hampers this year with something symbolic of the season to give those less fortunate a bit of Christmas spirit." Christmas maintains broad appeal

Sick of politics: Ten charts that show why Donald Trump and Brexit could happen in Australia

Many politicians, including senior government ministers, go through their careers as 'grey' men or women, barely getting noticed and having little impact; the same could never be said of Brendon 
 Grylls... Grylls puts himself in play