#032 – Council of Single Mothers and their Children
Mobilising a community
Published on October 22, 2018
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An overwhelming proportion of single parents are women. Statisically, single mothers also consistently earn less than the average median wage. Having an effective community mobilisation channel is a good place to start to help change that.
Ok. It’s not all about the money but as most of us know, raising children is an expensive business. And ideally, it is an endeavour that involves more than one parent. However, studies have shown that mothers are the ones that do the heavy lifting in single parent households. That’s 15% of all Australian households or one in seven.
In comes, the Council of Single Mothers and their Children (CSMC). They are a membership-based community organisation. Run by single mothers FOR single mothers, they have been championing members rights and lobbying government and policymakers since 1969.
They also provide a heap of resources for single mothers – navigating Centrelink (understanding the new childcare subsidy changes) and other government departments can be a nightmare. Also, there’s resources on housing, money management, community forums and even a section on small business.
“I loved the podcast! It’s so great to get you & Chris’ expertise. I will send it to my coms person… [&] have some solid ideas to integrate your advice.” Jenny Davidson, CEO, CSMC
Community Mobilisation through digital channels
CSMC have a strong charter and they do good work. It is said ‘Never get between a mother bear and her cub.’ It is a good saying. A mother will fight for her children. A group of mothers will fight for their community. The number of community movements and change organisations that were started by mothers who simply wanted to make the world a better place for their children is well documented.
And here is where digital channels have made it easier than ever before to do this. Don’t underestimate the humble Facebook Group or the simple WhatsApp group chat. These platforms give communities the power to diseminate information instantaneously and to organise effectively.
The old school email newsletter can also be updated to provide easy to access information and news. Embed a podcast or a video and the content of the newsletter is 100 times easier to get to. For example, you can make dinner, do the laundry and do the school drop-off – all while listening to a podcast.
Single mothers can join them here.
Potential donor? This is the link you want.
If you just want to find out more, then click here.
