Welcome. We are a co-operative of young adults based in Melbourne, Australia.
We support other young men and women from asylum-seeking backgrounds as they complete their education and move into sustainable employment.
Who we are
Our members have included secondary and tertiary students enrolled in pharmacy, bio-medicine, physiotherapy and performing arts. Some are now qualified and skilled professionals working as engineers, accountants, firefighters, nurses and teachers. We also include a small group of older Australians, all with PhDs across a range of disciplines.
We come from a range of cultures including Hazara, Afghani, Tajik, Kurdish, Australian, Rohingya, Persian, Papua New Guinean and Sri Lankan. Many of us arrived in Australia by boat, seeking asylum. We know what it’s like to experience mandatory immigration detention, to wait years for your visa to be processed and to have no access to Centrelink while studying or looking for work.
Some of us have no family in Australia, and some are here with parents, brothers and sisters. A few of us now have families of our own. Many of us understand the challenges of trying to build your own life while supporting family back home, or while helping your parents learn how to navigate life in Australia.
Together, we have a wealth of lived experience. We formed Hope Co-Op because of the support and sense of community we found in each other. We want to share that with others. If you’re interested in joining Hope Co-Op you can find out more here.
What we do
We support students from asylum-seeking backgrounds by helping them overcome the barriers to completing their education and finding good, sustainable employment. For many, that community of support continues as they move into their chosen careers and take up the challenges of independent adult living.
We are not a charity - we work on an ethos of human equality, agency and participation. We are a supportive co-operative where members actively contribute and are reimbursed for their work.
Advocacy and assistance
We provide advice and support for secondary students about the challenges of study, applying for university courses and where to get assistance. We can help you understand and overcome some of the barriers you might face when applying for and enrolling at university. From time to time our members present to school and community groups and at academic conferences.
In some cases we are able to provide financial living support for full-time student members who are not eligible for any Centrelink support.
In 2022-23 we are rolling out a new project focused on supporting families. We are working with them to understand their challenges and find the most effective ways to assist.
An active community
We hold regular member meetings to plan future directions and activities.
We plan weekends away in regional Victoria: Aireys Inlet on the Great Ocean Road; Beechworth in north-east Victoria; Camp Eureka in the Yarra Valley. These are always times to relax with friends and families, meet a few Australians from a wide range of backgrounds and enjoy beautiful natural surroundings.
We also hold community dinners as a way of welcoming new members, getting to know each other and making/maintaining good connections.
Community support
In 2020-21 we delivered the Food for Hope program to support students and their families impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns. With the help and generosity of many individuals and community groups, our members were able to deliver weekly food and supplies to families who had lost their jobs yet were shut out of JobKeeper or other Centrelink support.
As one Australian volunteer said, “We’ve got Catholics, Jews, Muslims, trade unionists and Baptists all working together in the spirit of a common cause. The whole thing delights me - it is just wonderful.”
The Shape of Hope
The Shape of Hope is a collection of our stories - why we left home, how we got to Australia, and what it’s been like to start building a new life.
Along the way there have been bombs, broken-down boats, summer bushfires and all-night study sessions in the middle of winter. Each story is unique, but there are common threads - frustrations with visas and bureaucracies, and the excitement of being accepted into university or getting a job.
The Shape of Hope is a beautiful book, and gives very practical insights into the barriers we faced and how we overcame them.
All proceeds from The Shape of Hope are used to support Hope Co-Op’s asylum-seeking students in completing their education.
The book is also available as an online version for $15.00.
162 pages, soft cover. Click on image for more information
Hope Community Foundation
Hope Co-Operative has established its own small charity, to enable it to continue and expand its work.
Australian government policies are becoming more humane, however many people who arrived by boat and sought asylum here carry the trauma of past policies of social exclusion. The Hope Community Foundation will support people whose education, economic, settlement and life outcomes have been impacted by Australia's legacy caseload policies and practices.
Partnerships
From the beginning, Hope Co-Op has built strong connections with a wide range of organisations and individuals.
They have guided and encouraged our development, championed our cause, increased our effectiveness and expanded the work we have been able to do. They share our commitment to equal access and inclusion for all, and we greatly appreciate their support. We could not do it without them.
Interested in joining Hope Co-Op?
We always love hearing from potential new members. If you’re thinking about joining, here’s some info about what it means to be a member of Hope Co-Op.