We have also worked to strengthen employment pathways and
our Women in Leadership Program has been tremendously
successful in this regard. Partnering with Cultivating Communities
and Melbourne Markets we delivered training and support to skill
local women to develop their own food businesses. In June we
were fortunate to receive sponsorship from the Clifton Hill/North
Fitzroy Community Bank Trust to expand this program and explore
ways in which local women can be empowered to create and
sustain their own paths to self-employment in the food industry.
Using this as a model to further support our community we will,
over the next year, focus on developing an integrated training and
employment program to support local people into the childcare
industry (partnering with the Inner North Community Foundation
and the R.E Ross Trust to do so).
CEO’s Report
As I settled into my first full year as CEO of FLN, I relied heavily on
the support of an amazing Board of Management whose energy
and passion for our work has been an inspiration. The support from
my colleagues on the FLN staff team has also been invaluable and
Board and staff together have achieved a great deal in a short-
period of time.
We have grown our programs, offering new opportunities for our
community to come together and learn together. We expanded our
partnerships and worked with others to support and serve the
community. Last March we brought the whole community together
in the first Bridges to Harmony Festival to celebrate the unique
brand of diversity and multiculturalism for which Fitzroy is famous.
We took on the challenge of turning around our finances to ensure
our strength and sustainability and posted a healthy surplus for the
year. Our Board focused on improving our governance and worked
with our staff to produce a 3-year strategic Plan and directions and
in doing so set us a clear road-map for achievement.
Our programs have risen to the challenge with all areas undergo-
ing varying levels of adjustment and change. Our volunteer pro-
gram is now much expanded, growing by over 40%. During the year
more than 147 people were engaged in our work as volunteers and
our active volunteer list grew from 55 in 2016 to more than 80 in
2017. Our Education programs introduced new creative offerings
such as photography, jewellery making, drawing and painting. The
Fitzroy Clubhouse as always worked hard to support the creative
talents of local youth and during the year our young performers
were in heavy demand at local festivals and events.
Our relationship with AMES Australia to deliver the Adult Migrant
Education Program (AMEP) concluded in this financial year as the
Government tender process saw responsibility for AMEP in inner
Melbourne shift to Melbourne Polytechnic. We are looking for-
ward to a long and fruitful partnership with Melbourne
Polytechnic, but we wish to pause to express our appreciation for
the hard work of AMES in making AMEP so successful over the
past years.
Our partnerships, particularly those with the City of Yarra, the
North East Neighbourhood House Network of agencies,
Cultivating Communities, Yarra Libraries, the Brotherhood of St.
Laurence, AMES Australia, the Renegade Pub Football League,
Melbourne Markets, the Inner North Community Foundation and
Portland House Foundation have all been instrumental in
providing us with the support and encouragement we have need-
ed to achieve our successes over the year. I am thankful for that
support and look forward to further strengthening our
relationships in the year ahead.
This annual report highlights some of our key activities during
2016/17. None of this would have been possible without the hard
work and dedication of our staff, the amazing contribution of our
volunteers and the resourcefulness and expertise of our Board.
I wish to thank all the individuals who have contributed to our
work and look forward to further growing our work and our im-
pact in the coming year ahead.
Jemal Ahmet, Chief Executive Officer
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