Dear Julia,

It is Anne from the Pacific Islanders Strengthening Supporting & Mentoring Network (PISSAM).   I am so happy to say a fraction of what PISSAM Network on this Educational and knowledgeable site SET UP BY the Federal GOVERNMENT. A tremendous way of connecting our concerns, issues, needs and gaps to you Julia and THE GOVERNMENT AND vice Versa WHICH IS THE AIM OF THIS SITE.

Thanks for this opportunity:

PISSAM’S PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER AND THE Director FOR THE NETWORK focuses her research with a focus on Pacific Islanders' education and a long reflective on the past, present and a future hoping and urging a serious lift in the quality of bi-cultural Pacific Islanders' education and more support after school to support slow learners, special needs, disadvantage Pacific Islanders children and others to catch up on what they have missed out at home in class at school, in the community due to various factors that take them to truancy, under-performing and crimes.

It is showing a significant increase in school attendance across Canterbury, Lidcombe, Ashfield, Auburn and beyond for Pacific Islanders' children from the Pacific Islanders communities, including one of Pacific islanders Australia's most troubled areas where Pacific Islanders PISSAM members are there to support those schools with special need children. e.g. Trinity College.  She is looking to an American school model championed by President Barack Obama for part of Pacific Islanders' Australia's education solution.

CANTERBURY HARMONY GROUP INCORPORATED IN partnership with C.A.P.S., Medi-Link Counselling, Hina Funeral Services, St Mary's House, PISSAM auspice by Riverwood Community Centre running programs developed as early intervention program to prevent and promotes the safety and well-being of children,  young Pacific Islander people and their families and communities across CANTERBURY, BANKSTOWN, HURSTVILLE, MARRICKVILLE, PETERSHAM, Ashfield, Granville, Auburn Parramatta  the 10 sister CITIES to build concrete families and communities, also to protect children and young people from risk of harm and to detect any warning signs and to provide care for children and young people who are less fortunate through family crisis, beyond their control that they become young offenders, homeless, unemployed and they can’t be able to live with their families.

          WoWorking in Partnership with grassroots specialists, Social workers,


Facilitators, counselors our other professionals partners as shown in our service partnership diagram to form a working relationship closely to develop strategies to help boys and girls and their families cope with their situation and will eventually achieve their potential. Our other concern is our elderly that have no families and friends for a 24 hrs service for them to contact and we will contact them every second day to check if they are ok.  We believe that local services will be more appropriate to our local need.  We also believe that cultural appropriate services will deal with problems of each community to deliver results.  There will be so much done with authority and other organizations sharing information’s on the understanding of the different cultures and traditions to execute our goals and aims of our purposes.

It reminded us the two political leaders Kim Beazley and Cheryl Kernot commended on students from TRINITY CATHOLIC COLLEGE, AUBURN, which is another sister, city to CANTERBURY AND BANKSTOWN for their positive contribution to Aboriginal reconciliation and multiculturalism in l997. Now our Federal Government headed by Kevin Rudd is Saying Sorry to our Stolen Generation 12/02/2008.

But on the 3/32009
School rampage "could've been fatal"
Three Pacific Islanders teenagers inflicted seven minutes of terror that could have ended in death at a western Sydney high school yesterday. (Trinity Catholic College Auburn.
The boys, two aged 15 and one 17, have pleaded guilty today to rampaging through Trinity Catholic College at Auburn armed with a machete and a tomahawk before classes began yesterday morning.
The school was put in lockdown as the teenagers smashed windows and ransacked the canteen, causing about $30,000 worth of damage.

In Parramatta Children's Court today, the prosecutor described the incident as an "appalling spree of terror", where the boys ran through the school swapping weapons.
She said the seven-minute rampage could have been fatal if police had not arrived so quickly and arrested the boys.
The prosecutor said the boys went to the school "in search of an unknown male in relation to issues of a female".

As an ambitious attempt to take the Pacific Islanders indigenous education debate to the highest level, as governments struggle to improve the most basic outcomes of literacy and numeracy. The huge challenge of providing a quality education for Pacific Islanders indigenous children in mainstream, while at the same time trying to preserve a dying Pacific Islanders indigenous while western culture is taking over Pacific Islanders Children where parents are still clinging on to Pacific Islanders culture. These prove impacts on the children and young people growing up in Australia.

Well, the challenge is for Pacific Islanders' Australian children to live in two worlds - their old world that they bring from the South Pacific and the mainstream global world of Australia introduce to them in Australia, and enjoy the best of both. Not forgetting to educate and focus on the parents to participate in the general community activities so a more understanding on how to handle and prepare their children at home, school, sport-ground and in the community.,

Growing up in Australia, they are enjoying the best of both in complicated situations. Not knowing if they are coming or going. In fact, our Pacific Islanders in Australia is one of eventual cultural disadvantages, and in her view, if we are to avoid that fate we have to fix education up in all levels and the whole spectrum of our lives and marry them up with other issues in the whole community.

A Change to better education in various levels.  To discover all hidden issues at home, playground, classrooms, sport grounds and the community.  Good Education in all levels will take Pacific Islanders to equality in any level in Society. Education will bring understanding the values of both world and Education will be the path to glory. Education is the fundamental challenge, so that we can secure a future for Pacific Islanders' children where they are able to enjoy the fruits of participating in the Australian mainstream whilst keeping their culture, heritage and their traditional languages. Still us Pacific Islanders must prepare to work hard on action and willing to move to the next level to suit the needs of their children and be united and not to alienate.

Us Pacific Islanders should ask ourselves this question? What are the values that have shaped this vast land into the great nation that it has become? There are three – courage, resilience and compassion. Courage, knowing the dangers that lie ahead on the road, but defying those dangers and taking the decision to proceed. Resilience, when the road becomes hard and the comforts scarce, staying the course until the journey’s end. Compassion, when we extend an outstretched hand to those who fall by the road, who stumble or who are injured, and to help see them through as seeing them through is seeing all of us through. Mateship, a fair go, a fair go for all.

These great values have enlivened Australia more than a century. They have shaped our past, the present, and they secure our future. They are part of our nation’s moral compass, they are part of our nation’s moral purpose. We see these great values etched deep in our pioneers, in all Australian, in those who have championed in everything they do to make Australia to where it is today. those who forged the spirit of fighting in any war to bring peace to the world.. Courage, resilience and compassion.

We see them at work across our nation today. The army of volunteers who literally are the lifeblood of every local community across our nation. Those who care for the sick and for the dying, without commendation, without public recognition, but because it is the right, humane and human thing to do. And those who we see today working so hard to make a difference to those in need, still proudly with a smile. The amazing story of so many god send that give a smile to someone who is in need of a friend. And again courage, resilience and compassion should be in every Pacific islanders children, young and all Pacific islanders to take us there now and not later.

Values that have shaped our past that here we are enjoying to day. Yesterday is history, we reflect and move on, Today we appreciate our gifts and we take action with every opportunity coming our way,  and we take the challenge, Tomorrow is a mystery but what good we have done today will be acknowledged in the future and what mistakes and war we went through will be corrected, shaped and will be an end. Still we are Lucky we are here today and let us united to bring peace and harmony to our children, friends and the community everyday. So we can share the goodness of our world with Society while we can.

Let us enjoy the present, values that will secure our future. Values on which we will now need to draw deeply as we confront the great challenges of the year that lies ahead, replete with its uncertainties. Challenges from crises beyond our our country.

This great Crime scene crisis is not of Australia’s making, but as Australians we are left to deal with it. And deal with it we will. The causes of this crisis are coming to haunt us and it will get worse if we ignore these issues.  It is complex and real.  We must find solutions to fix them.  They are our problems right here.  But ultimately they go to a set of values that are the very antithesis of our own. Values of unrestrained parents right at home, friends at school, greed, selfishness, copy cat, gangs and they are encouraged by an ideology of unfettered not disciplining our children and complete ignorance on not providing simple duty of care. Nothing of courage and certainly nothing of concern or compassion for others, or the consequences of our own actions. So the three levels of government cannot ignore but let us stood on concrete ground and work on solutions to fix them.

But now we face the living consequences here at home of this unrestrained greed everywhere where authorities and others enjoy the power up there and forget about the needs of the vulnerability and the needy people.  And those consequences are statistics, concrete evidence and they become the lives of offenders and they become just like normal lives to them. These will be affected not only themselves, their families, their friends and the whole community including the three levels of Government. They affected the hard working families of working Australians across our nation. The innocents, that are by standers and go to help someone and get killed and the lists goes on and on. As the year unfolds, most points in between as the rising tide of unemployment, the growing drug addictions, the killings, the re offenders,  the homelessness, the child abuses, the gambling and many more. with up to date Pacific Islanders crimes growing and growing to be the worst committed crimes in Australia according to our minority numbers, alarmingly but not to ignore. As towards the end of  year 2009 year here are the concrete evidence:.

Our challenge (PISSAM NETWORK) as a SPECIALIST GRASSROOTS NETWORK is to steer Pacific Islanders through. It will be hard. There will be setbacks. But of this PISSAM IS absolutely persuaded, that empowered by the values of our Pacific Islanders tradition in the past, and guided by the Strength, reassesses our weaknesses as it set Strategic Plan and policy we have set and supported by a community engaged by the needs of our Pacific Islander communities, neighbours, friends and the whole community as we will prevail. As Pacific Islanders specialists in many levels, a Pacific Islanders Australian, we will come through this crisis. We will come through this crisis more resilient than we were even before. But PISSAM strongly believe in action is much louder and stronger that just our words. And with the support of the 3 levels of government.

Courage, resilience, compassion. Three great values that anchored in the realisation of a fourth, and that is that we are all in this together. We are all in this together. Children, parents, schools, the community and the 3 levels of government. Those Pacific Islanders who have come to this starting in the early sixty ago, those who are welcomed into the nation’s family today. Indigenous Australians, non-Indigenous Australians. We are all in this together.

She believes that we have failed in that challenge so far, there are only isolated examples of truly bi cultural Pacific Islanders people who succeed in both worlds, and in her view we have to turn these isolated examples into a kind of general result for the ordinary Pacific Islanders children. She says that education is riven with ideological debate, more than any other policy area, a key battleground between left and right, and everywhere saying that ideological debate has retarded or confused the issue of education, the kind of ideal education you are talking about, for Pacific Islanders Indigenous Australians? She says she has spent her entire life and many years in education in the South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia and abroad from ground level up to the directorship level just sitting on the ridges of education policy and the whole spectrum of Education generally, Pacific Islanders indigenous education and mainstream education policy, and she has observed these debates over the past decade.

And for example, the idea that education for Pacific Islanders children and people should be culturally appropriate - now the problem with that concept, she soon came to discover, was that culturally appropriate education seemed to suggest that a special need Pacific Islanders' child shouldn’t go to University because the school with a teacher’s decision based on her observation have decided that they will never be able to get there. For example, because the school (teacher) in their decision that some students capabilities will not get there period, which is an insult.

In her view that University can be achieved if not now in a later stage. University may not be culturally appropriate in their eyes at the time. These decisions discourages the student concerns and the parents.  But in a later stage there will be a turn around, let's leave that decision for the student it may concern. There could be a hidden reason why the student concern did not perform to the level the school wanted. She says that an early intervention on these issues can be prevented by more support from PISSAM PROGRAM.

She says she can see that, while a Pacific Islander child cannot catch up with the mainstream because of his disadvantages that is why we run homework after-school from 5pm to 9pm. From 2 year old, primary students can leave early as soon as their problems are solved. The school writes on their Diary what help a child will be given BY the PISSAM's facilitators.

In this way the child is catching up SLOWLY BUT SURELY and it will encourage them to keep on persevering to fulfill his dream to go to University or even via TAFE.

She has witnessed that some of the uncontrollable children 2, 3, 4 and five years old has attended homework classes and their parents are so moved by the attention and focus of these children. One 15 year old boy could not believe that his 3 year old brother who damages everything and wants attention at home sits still and never have enough time to enjoy more of the homework classes.

It is amazing and rewarding for the facilitators to have such outstanding results. In Kalo’s view, some of this poor thinking that had developed in education philosophy and in education policy had to be critically analyses and a lot of it abandoned because cultural appropriateness eventually came to be quite an anti-intellectual and socially confining concept for Pacific Islanders children and parents.

No parents not wanted the best for their children, but sometimes the complicated misdiagnose and misunderstanding of Pacific Islander’s children, parents with teachers can be a huge problem and if not prevented it will cause more problems TO THE CHILDREN AND PARENTS. THE BLAMING GAME!!! The child blames the parent and vice versa or they both blame themselves or they blame someone else.

She strongly believes that we should be producing Pacific Islanders children who may choose to be experts in various fields like Education literature, or in classical music, Sports teachers, doctors, lawyers, and the list goes on. You know, the Pacific Islanders children have an entitlement to the best of the world's culture, and at the same time they can keep their own culture and languages as well and transmitted to their friends, new generations, and also an equal commitment to what we call united.

That is: music, drama, art, culture, values, and sport, at a very high level. We want to also fill the gaps the middle class advantage that our kids miss out on, and that is what the experts call concerted cultivation by the parents, afterhours cultivation by the parents, children, facilitators and service providers’ Pacific Islanders to Pacific Islanders will be a DREAM COMES TRUE .  But in order for us to do that, we'll need an afternoon with facilitators, children, and parents once a week to start off with and if it needed more days and we will accommodate those needs. So our proposal proposes to start the program at 5 and finish at nine. She is hoping to have a very productive meeting with the Premier Nathan Rees, Robert Furolo, Linda Burney, Tony Burke, Daryl Melham and other ministers where Pacific Islanders are mostly resided and various locations where support are most needed. Also with the Education, Immigration, Foreign Affairs and the Attorney General Department to work on the solution.

She says that the Network has been running and ready for support from the 3 levels of government. It could never propose something like this, but it is a must and the whole spectrum of the whole community is set to go. The 3 levels of government are aware of the many issues of Pacific Islanders and until they work with the PISSAM to fix up some of the basic parameters that are necessary before we can fix what we call the supply side of education, the teaching supply side of education.

Before she could propose anything credible in the teaching supply space, we had to fix up the learning demand aspect. That is, you need the children in school, identify their problem and we work on the improvement, and give all the help they need, in the classroom by the teacher, and what extra support a child need will be given by the PISSAM PROGRAM. The proposition that she have put up, to the 2 levels of Government and to the Federal Government is one for a structure in and out of classroom that combines both the worlds that you talk about. The whole spectrum of the community, from raising a newly born baby, kindergarten, primary, secondly, tertiary and up to getting a job and starting a family.

Now what is the basis of that format?  Canterbury and beyond, which combined an unrelenting emphasis on Western education, as well as that which will be united as class levels, but as well as that a complementary learning domain in culture, that enables traditional languages to be learned.

JULIA, not forgetting that the Pacific Islanders Community is an emerging community (MINORITY) and it needed powerful strong community development ON EDUCATING THE PACIFIC ISLANDERS ON ALL LEVELS OF THE COMMUNITY FROM EDUCATION TO: HEALTH, AGE CARE, MENTAL HEALTH, HUMAN RIGHTS, WELFARE, HOUSING, RECREATION, AND NOT FORGETTING PARTICIPATION IN ALL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND VOLUNTEERING.

She sees is an opportunity for The Federal Ministers, State Ministers, Foreign Affairs let us united and sit down and see PISSAM proposal to THE 3 LEVES of the governments to develop an educational approach for kindergarten, primary school, secondly school children in discreet Pacific Islanders communities across Canterbury, Inner West and beyond. So school attendance has been the first part of our focus over the past 3 years, and particularly in these recent years we have now got welfare reforms in place that are seeing increased school attendance and, you know, it was never going to be possible for parents and the community to turn around and ask what kind of education is this school providing, when we didn't even have the kid in the classroom in the first place.

The Pacific Islanders' parents not sending their children to school when there is a death in the family and the child will be off for weeks or the child just did not like going to school or the parents just don’t feel like getting up to dress their child and the lists will go on and on. We have to fix up the school attendance, the parents readiness, the children readiness, the school readiness, the authorities readiness and PISSAM's readiness, and welfare reform was required for that.

Kalo says that the models in the United States could appropriately be adapted to Australia? What can we learn from other systems in other countries? Well the model that we are looking at is what Barack Obama calls the "No Excuses Schools". It will be so good with Pacific Islanders because they are so use to being so relax back in the Pacific.  Time in the Pacific Islands does not really means any difference.  You have an appointment with a Pacific Islander for 8 a.m. will end up 11am or much later for some.

These are a set of public schools, private schools and charter schools that have a philosophy of no excuses. They believe that cultural background, socioeconomic disadvantage, poverty, these are not educational destiny, they do not prescribe a destiny. Rather, a school can transcend those circumstances and the philosophy that these schools push is that schools should be the point of transformation. It should lift children out of their socioeconomic disadvantage, and provide for them a prospect that they would otherwise not have, that their parents never had. And the challenge for public education for Pacific Islanders' Australians, and might  say, for lower-class Australians generally - the challenge is for Australian governments to get serious about creating no excuses schools, that is, schools that never surrender to the idea that socioeconomic disadvantage is destiny. PISSAM HAVE COME UP WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS:

Recommendation 1

The Government, through the Ministry of Education, should ensure that future national human resource development needs are being met through an allocation of scholarships to meet the forecast needs of Pacific Islanders’ students who will be entering University to be teachers (in both the Government service and the private sector), as demonstrated in the training needs analysis.

Recommendation 2

The Government through the Ministry of Education should ensure that education of Pacific Islanders is supported as a lifelong process, and that systems allow for second chance for special needs and slow learners and continuing education and training, by establishing a national strategy for lifelong learning, including: programs for the promotion of good health, physical fitness and sports, community social and Development, inclusion, participation in partnership with PISSAM program and its specialist working partners. • daily, weekly, monthly and annual programs for children, youths, parents support, opportunities for re-entry to formal schooling by adults and early leavers, support for non-formal educational opportunities, and an adult literacy program; and • supporting the return to formal learning through the Catholic University preliminary and foundation courses and with other education providers.

Recommendation 3

The Government through the Ministry of Education should ensure that education is supported as a lifelong process by: • exploring opportunities to develop life and work skill modules that can be undertaken in homes and using radio and distance learning methods, combined with local mentoring support; and • actively supporting, promoting and expanding existing short-term training, and providing community and continuing education opportunities, including attachments and short courses outside Australia extended as volunteers for Student teachers to go to their Island homes to gain knowledge of grassroots values, understanding of teaching and learning and vice versa with teachers coming from the Island home on a scholarship form for 2 years funded by Aussie Aid. Reform of Education Administration.

Recommendation 4

The Ministry of Education should develop a national Strategic Plan for Education (based on the document accompanying this Report) which:• bears a clear relationship to the National Strategic Development Plan and the current Government reform exercise;• sets out goals and objectives for education in schools where they identifies slow learners as Pacific Islanders.• aims to increase effectiveness and efficiency to support those PI identified and can work with PISSAM after hours in the PISSAM homework support program • plans for progressive improvements to the education system over the minimum term: medium term; high need term. • allows the Ministry of Education to undertake responsibility for policy oversight of the whole education system through the development of national guidelines and the Pacific Islanders’ expert on Education to be part of that program. • fosters improved networks and partnerships between the Government and Non-Government sectors; with the School, children and parents of Pacific Islanders’ representatives like the PISSAM and others • considers where devolution of more responsibility to schools and their communities would be in the national interest, and how any appropriate changes might be managed progressively over time; • reviews the current national network of schooling provision; and • moves progressively to reform the national distribution of funds for education where such reform is in the national interest. Pacific Islanders Bodies who runs programs must be those in their Capacity as qualified professional’s specialists and are members of a professional body.  Other supporters like University Students will be supervised by them.  The past, current professionals working with the future professional which are our Pacific Islander’s  University Students are priorities not to take lightly by the government to carry on the ongoing work are welcome by PISSAM as partners.

Recommendation 5

The Ministry of Education should consider restructuring the administration and management of the Ministry in order to strengthen its policy development role, its administrative structure, and its capacity to deliver education more effectively. PISSAM is happy to contribute in putting forward issues facing the Pacific Islanders students which are real and it will help Pacific Islanders students to a whole new level, with her current research will help identifies the needs, gaps facing Pacific Islanders problems at schools.

Recommendation 6

The Ministry of Education should develop a National Strategic Plan for school property development and investment as part of the overall Strategic Plan for Education in school where they identifies slow learners and extreme hardship in the families where students are not progressing due to the consequences they face at home.

Recommendation 7

The Government through the Ministry of Education should review the Education Act., and amend it if necessary, in order to take into account any changes adopted by Government that arise from issues the Education Sector Study and the development of the Strategic Plan for Education when it comes that the Act no longer viable and relevant and to make sense according to the needs of the Pacific Islanders students which contributed to their special needs.

Recommendation 8

Education Assistance Program

Recommendation 9

The Government Development, in consultation with the other external funding bodies, should consider making a commitment to a co-ordinated program of support (an Education Assistance Program) over the next five years (from 2010 onwards in order to support the directions finally adopted by the Government with the PISSAM Proposal and its Strategic Plan for Education to assure that the program will take to the highest level;

Example Insurance Recommendation:

Investigation to community radio programs.  Are their programs to benefit the community or not.  There were problems with Bankstown Community Radio. What happen the local Bankstown communities were not happy with too many Pacific Islanders’ overcrowded programs and overpowering the radio station and their purpose for their community was no longer a priority for children, parents and the community? 

The local communities were concerned and it end up off from airing. The communities voice their concern over mismanagement and other agendas. We definitely needed a radio station so we can communicate with students and parents on general issues that are identified as gaps on education, health, community awareness, legal support and others.  Pacific Islanders love listening to the radio, it is like a form of a must to all Pacific Islanders to listen to radio programs especially if they are learning from education tools.

SPECIAL Recommendation on a Radio 2 hour program for community awareness in Educational program with Preference on ABC for geographical and demographic reason so every Pacific Islanders in all states will tune in.Kalo Sikimeti (Tongan) PhD Principal Researcher/Executive Officer PISSAM program/principal tutor and PISSAM Chief Editor and Radio program Director:  Assistant:Elisapeta Lolesio (Tongan)
Education assistant editor

Auspice body Greta Vallance: The General Manager Riverwood Community Centre (Community Editor/Government and Non government Editor

CHGI editor local Canterbury Council News and the Chair for Multicultural Advisory Committee Canterbury Council and Chairperson for CHGI The Deputy Mayor Councillor Karl Saleh

Pacific Islanders, Multicultural and General Community Consultant, Grief Counsellor and Community Editor Anne Latu secretary/co-ordinator for Canterbury Harmony Group incorporated and the Co-ordinator for PISSAM Program, counsellor, interpreter,  mortician, tutor, delegate and a member of many community councils representing Pacific Islanders across Canterbury and beyond, emerging and general community. Community Editor (assistant Sela Mahe)

Director of Nursing Ramona Johansson/Age care and Disability Editor (Assistant Loretta Mahe)

Mental Health Editor: Mohini Prasad (Service Provider)/Mental health & general Counselling  Editor (assistant Anne Sikimeti Latu)

Dr Patu/Medical Editor Assistant (Minerva Patu)

Legal/Registered Nurse/Principal solicitor:  Ate Hifo I Leva Manufekai legal Editor (Assistant Regan Buckland)

Finance:  John Valu Sikimeti CPA Finance Editor/Assistants Ofisiola Fotofili/Tae Malia Langi

Taxation editor Pelenatita Mafi (Assistant Alana Haangana)

Sea & Sea Captain Editor Vili Ha'angana Sport and Fitness Health:David Swann (PISSAM sport Manager) sport editor assistant Hala Langi

Youth Editor;  Manager Alana Haangana, the 7 Universities students are editors with their youth programs and once graduated and registered in their capacity and belong to that body they can be editors on their own field. Assistant Editors: Student Sydney University) Regan Buckland (Education Catholic University) Amanda Sikimeti-Kami B. Bus. B. of Social Work Student (Catholic University.

Our Services and our  priorities is to make it easier to deal with the local, State and the Australian Government, agencies, Service providers, Communities, Professionals, children and their families are our aims and goals to support those in needs of our service.

PISSAM working partners: These are some of PACIFIC ISLANDERS CONCERN to be addressed. IMPLICATIONS OF MAJOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS

Gentrification of the Canterbury Local Government area has had an impact on the financially disadvantaged and homeless. The gentrification has come about by the recognition that Canterbury has become a premier tourist destination and real estate price values have climbed dramatically in the past few years which has led to the relocation of many of the long term residents such as low income Pacific Islanders, single parents, students, unemployment, emerging communities and retirees.   Another factor is the decentralization of the city homeless arriving in Canterbury and the Inner west because it is cheap and cheap outlets, like Campsie, Lakemba, sister city Bankstown, the Bulldogs and people are looking for a better quality of life. This in turn has led to an increase in general Counselling for welfare, financial and drug and alcohol related problems.

 A decrease in the lack of affordable housing exacerbated the increase in homelessness, domestic violence, truancy, gangs and youth suicide and child abuse. As a Community Centre it is possible to identify and monitor the social trends and the subsequent gaps in service delivery. The Pacific Islanders community, emerging community’s services policy and guidelines have had to adapt and modify services and community development initiatives in order to build and empower the local community.

The Centre through a community-based volunteer Management Committee has worked constantly to resources the changing community needs and is recognise as community agencies that identify and highlight community needs. It should be noted that the Pacific Islanders Community Network/Centre should be housed in a centrally located heritage building, close by the train station where the children, youths and their families can easily reach in time of need. On fully running of this project the Network/Centre will see an increase of residents, tourists and transients will be using it.  We will see a much happier and contented community.

The Network/Centre will continue to offer a focal point and meeting place for the Pacific Islander Community as stated in the mission statement. Non-government organisations are more of a practical nature and are able to forge stronger links with the community especially providing 24 hrs services. We encourage healthy & just and fair lifestyle: and have a program of activities to encourage health, social and well-being at work.

Sadly & Alarmingly and since the Pacific Islanders settlement from New Zealand she believes we have finally concluded that this great challenge transcends ideology – to what government support and what services we will deliver to take Pacific Islanders forward. Mt Druitt police report the youth crimes in the area.

Pacific Islanders Aggravated Robbery, Armed with intent, Assault, Traffic and    Property theft. 13%:   Aboriginal 02%   Torres Strait Islanders Custodial sentences Assault 2006               2007                           2008 52%                57%                50% Caucasians 9%                13%                21% Pacific Islanders 25%                18%                21% Aboriginal Robbery 2006               2007                           2008 27%                0%                              Caucasians 9%                  50%                            Pacific Islanders  64%                50%                            Aboriginal Statistics from Juvenile Justice: Total Pacific Islander in Custody – 60 young persons Total Pacific Islander in the Community awaiting sentencing – 137 young persons

In 2006 13 Adult offenders In 2007 55 Adult offenders In 2008 60 Adult offenders In 2009 162 Adult offenders and the year is not yet ended. >>>>>>>>> Adults’ Pacific islanders’ men and women offenders in Australia in 2009 are predicted to be 3 times as it is in 2008. It is alarming and something has to be done urgently now and not later.

POPULATION TRENDS IN THE CANTERBURY LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (153 Voices) across Canterbury Total Persons: 129, 96 Total Males: 69, 567                            Total females: 60,985 OSB as % of total population    46.9 Indigenous Origin (Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin) 745

Pacific Islanders including New Zealand Maoris are about 2. % across Canterbury but we commit more crimes in the area more than any other community in the area.  Similar to NSW, VICTORIA & OLD as shown in the statistic evidence as above.

CONCLUSION The non-profit non-government organisations as Pacific Islanders Strengthening Advocating Network is auspice body Riverwood Community Centre with the Management Committee has a lot to offer in regards to service delivery. It is truly a community organisation working for the community responding to the needs of the Pacific Islanders Community and emerging Community and the whole Community in which it is a part of life of the Pacific Islanders Community, multicultural and the whole community.   This type of organisations is in danger of being overrun by charitable or religious organisations by the enormous amount of administrative tasks it is expected to do by some of the funding bodies, which will limit the time it has to devote to service delivery. This type of organisation is at a disadvantage because of the benefits afforded charitable and religious organisations which, it is unable to acquire. The Pacific islanders should have their own community outside their Pacific Islanders church. It gave them freedom, for e.g. for Catholics they have to attend their local parish and put their donations there instead of giving it to their Pacific Islanders Priests who do not support the Pacific Islanders but expect money to be donated by the Pacific Islanders people. They do not have to donate big like what their Pacific Islanders Church leaders expected from them. These changes will be welcome by all the children, parents and the people of the Pacific will be happy and will move forward.

Prepared by Anne Latu Coordinator of the PISSAM PROGRAM/NETWORK with the direction & Drafted by the CEO of PISSAM Network, Catholic University on investigating performances of Pacific Islanders' Children in the Catholic Schools systems and Public Schools Systems COLLABORATING WITH CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, PARENTS, CHILDREN, GRASSROOTS PROFESSIONALS, UNIVERSITY STUDENTS & THE COMMUNITY IN DEVELOPING THREE PILOT PROGRAMS. This covers the whole spectrum of the community with:

PISSAM’S PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER, KALO: In addition to her professional background as a teacher, educator, principal, director of Education, counsellor, musician, artist, pianist, interpreter, translator, counsellor, social worker and ex Mercy leader in collaborating the different programs of the PISSAM Network. KALO a PhD: Researcher, She hold a Master of Education, MA (Catholic University) a member of the Australian College of Educators, MACE, BA, Dip Ed. Dip Theology, Dip in Music USP, Dip Counselling (England) She also has extensive Leadership Training & Roles in Community  Management & Development training in Australia and abroad. Her expertise on EDUCATION, HAS TAKEN HER FROM Tonga to New Zealand, Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Europe, America and Australia.  Research bases at (St Joachim Primary School Lidcombe & Holy Spirit College Lakemba) 

PISSAM Network (Pacific Islanders Strengthening Supporting Advocating & Mentoring Network (Across Canterbury & Beyond)