The word creates an image of an altruistic person, generously giving their time to a good cause in their community; maybe they’re providing meals to people in need, planting trees or working at an animal shelter.

Although Fair Food Farm looks like it could be set on a South-East Asian hillside, Clarence assures us that this abundant project is actually in the Illawarra, and is doing great things for migrants in the local community.

The Wollongong local government area has been named a homeless hotspot, and our young people – those aged under 30 – are being hit the hardest.

Homelessness NSW’s analysis of the recently released Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) figures revealed the Wollongong LGA now has the third highest number of people in the state receiving assistance at specialist homelessness services, with figures rising by 6 per cent in 2023.

In a bid to empower young people, local social enterprise Green Connect has created an employment initiative called Strive For Success. This jobs program, launched in collaboration with Homebase Youth Services, has already started to have a positive impact in the Illawarra, helping young people find mainstream work.

Hidden away in a small community in Wollongong is the not-for-profit social enterprise Green Connect Illawarra, operating on their 11-acre permaculture farm and empowering marginalised groups through work that helps people and the planet.

Our Zero Waste Team Leader Freyja Jorgensen recently chatted with Nick Rheinberger on ABC Illawarra Radio for National RecyclingWeek! She discussed why sustainability has numerous benefits for businesses of all sizes, and gave her top tips to overhaul office waste systems and win the war on waste

Located in a gully and surrounded by suburban family homes, a primary and a high school, Green Connect has transformed a 4.5 ha parcel of wasteland into one of the largest urban permaculture farms in the world.

Wherever you look on the Warrawong farm there are garden patches boasting plentiful produce grown organically and tended to by young people and refugees grateful to learn new skills in a safe and supportive environment.

Green Connect Fairfood coordinator Lindsay Burlton talks to Lindsay McDougall on ABC Illawarra about the launch of their new Pick Your Produce veg boxes.

Listen to the full Episode below

The Green Connect farm is an 4.45 hectare urban farm in Warrawong that trains and employs young people and refugees, and now they are offering fresh flower bouquets! 💐

Their new flower garden was funded by musician Jack Johnson through his charity foundation and community donations.

Su Meh is a senior farm hand at Green Connect and Burmese refugee and instead of walking the farm to find flowers to sell at markets, she has a new dedicated flower garden named after her.

In 2021, the Illawarra had a 4.6 per cent unemployment rate, and while that rate appears to be falling post-COVID, with Wollongong City’s unemployment rate sitting at just 2.8 per cent in March, plenty of people in our community are still searching for permanent work. Yet somehow, on the flip side, many local businesses continue to feel the pinch of the labour shortage.

As big kids head back to school this week, little ones can look forward to picking up their playgroup routine. This Thursday, those who like their nurture in nature can visit the Farm Playgroup, which launched at Green Connect’s urban farm in Warrawong in term 1 this year.

Every Thursday during school terms, the Green Connect Farm Playgroup focuses on early learning about the environment and sustainability. It gives children and families a chance to connect with nature and experience farm life.

Green Connect features on WIN TV News to provide some quick tips on how to make food last longer and avoid food wastage.

October 21’s Culture Mix Festival will be a feast of diversity, including a cooking demonstration of a traditional dish at the Thai/Myanmar food stall presented by Green Connect.

Green Connect is a social enterprise dedicated to helping people facing employment challenges. They achieve this through eco-friendly jobs, including at their urban farm in Warrawong, two op shops and a zero-waste division.

An Illawarra social enterprise hopes its new online store will attract more customers for its farm-fresh offerings – and in turn provide more support for its work employing migrants, Indigenous people and youth.

Green Connect has recently launched a store, where customers can purchase boxes of organic produce grown at the enterprise’s Warrawong farm, either as a subscription or a one-off.

Tyneesha from Neesh Photography visited the Green Connect farm to photograph our work, staff, volunteers and our animals. She kindly donated her time to capture some amazing images for us.

Tyneesha recorded her visit in her online blog, “their (Green Connect) commitment to fostering community through organic farming and regenerative practices was truly inspiring. I felt privileged to capture their devotion to the craft and have their practices explained to me. I rather quickly fell into complete adoration for the animals, and each pen brought a new set of challenges.“

Green Connect Farm Manager, Emily Henderson joins host Angie Asimus to discuss: Emily’s favourite place on the farm when it is quiet and still. How she came to be involved with Green Connect Farm and growing up on a farm.

Emily explains the concept behind this little farm, with a big conscience.
Green Connect helps people with barriers to employment by showing them skills they can use for

Australians generated an estimated 75.8 million tonnes of waste in 2020-2021, up 3 per cent from the year before, according to the latest National Waste Report.

We are thrilled to be featured on WIN News Illawarra for our involvement in the KidsFest Shellharbour! At Green Connect, we are proud to promote diversity and inclusivity in our community, and we’re honoured to be part of such a wonderful celebration.

Come hell or high water, Su Meh comes to work as a senior farmhand at Illawarra urban farm Green Connect.

She’s the smiling face on many of the social enterprise’s marketing assets, and the busy hands that have sown, grown, harvested and packed the farm’s produce are often hers.

It’s a new season of growth and big changes are afoot for urban farmer and host, Chris Leow. He’ll be both student and teacher, chef and guinea pig.

Chris Leow visits Green Connect farm alongside students from Mount Ousley Public School to learn how our food is grown and meets up with the farm animals.

The Australian tradition of celebrating multiculturalism during Harmony week got me thinking. I’m originally from the US, and
as the General Manage at Green Connect I’m always fascinated by the official statistics which show just now much Australia has been shaped by successive waves of
immigration over the past 200 years.

Jack Johnson’s The Meet the Moonlight Tour expanded green touring practices and supported 35 All At Once Non-Profit Partners promoting sustainable local food systems and plastic free initiatives. At the concerts, All At Once came to life in the Village Green where concert goers connected with non-profits and took environmental action.

Green Connect was one of the 35 Non-Profit Partners at the event and also received support in funding for a new Flower Garden at the Farm.

GC featured in an international project on examples of environmental best practice around the world – Good Practice Guide by Jönköping University.

This Good Practice Guide outlines inspiring examples of social inclusion, creating urban value and environmental welfare through dialogue, education, collaboration. It also reveals new jobs and new skills that are invented on the way.

natureproject.info/guide-to-good-practice-en
PAGES 38-39

The council partners with the social enterprise Green Connect, which sorts the yellow bins to remove items of contamination prior to collection.