Lisa Rudd is strongly focused on Social Justice; especially in relation to youth, children, families and communities. Lisa has organised Social Justice events that aim to teach young people the very basic message of Social Justice - that everyone deserves a fair and equal “go at life”. Lisa believes that everyone has the fundamental right to feel safe: safe at home, at school, in the workplace; safe in their communities and safe on the streets. Lisa's work as a Police Community Liaison Officer with the South Australian Police Department (SAPD) focused on localised, community based, crime prevention strategies. Lisa spent twelve months training with the SAPD and has a certificate in Justice Studies; Lisa also worked closely with women and children who were facing situations of domestic violence and many other victims of crime.
Lisa strongly identifies with Mick Dodson’s statement:
Social justice is what faces you in the morning. It is awakening in a house with adequate water supply, cooking facilities and sanitation. It is the ability to nourish your children and send them to school where their education not only equips them for employment but reinforces their knowledge and understanding of their cultural inheritance. It is the prospect of genuine employment and good health: a life of choices and opportunity, free from discrimination.
Mick Dodson,
Annual Report of the Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander
Social Justice Commissioner, 1993
Lisa seeks ways to utilise community based projects and the arts to identify, explore, express and address issues surrounding matters of social injustice.
Social Justice and Collective Impact have been at the base of Lisa's community development work. Her work has focused on social inclusion; mental health, cultural development, improved employment opportunities, increased access to education/training, food security, increased sense of well-being, community connectedness and the bringing together of people from all walks of life to work collectively to bring about positive, sustainable, change. Lisa has worked with communities that have faced seven years of drought, the impact of the global economic down turn and the Black Saturday Bushfires and she has witnessed, through this work and her work as a police officer, the detrimental ramifications of social injustice and crime on individuals and communities.
Lisa’s made these comments regarding her work with the SAPD: “I worked in the precinct of Elizabeth known for its extremely high crime rates. The majority of residents in this area were marginalized and faced the consequences of low socio-economic status and its many related issues. I specialised in assisting victims of domestic violence and victims of sexual offences as well as working with prisoners - many who suffered mental health disorders, substance addiction and who had been subjected to difficult childhoods. This experience provided me with an understanding of how to liaise with those facing the challenges of alienation through social exclusion”.
Social Justice for those building a new life in Australia: Lisa has established school and community based programs for culturally and linguistically diverse groups including new humanitarian entrants from Sudan, Congo, Afghanistan, Burma and Nepal. Lisa was approached to assist in addressing issues regarding declining participation in after school homework programs for students from overseas. Lisa assisted in redeveloping the program so there was a whole of school and community approach. The new programs focused on bringing all students together in an attempt to overcome problems relating to the segregation of new humanitarian entrant students who were facing issues regarding integration and acceptance into school and community. Literacy and numeracy learning were embedded in various interesting activities such as cooking, community garden and art activities that appealed to a broad cross-section of the school students. The program culminated in a weekend “Tasmanian Tours Camp” to further introduce students to Australian ways of life and increase bonds between students of different cultures and heritage.
Lisa is aware of the benefits that can be derived from exploring and acknowledging the many histories and cultures within a community; these processes can assist in identifying project direction and help to create insight and understanding into issues and opportunities. Community consultation and involvement acknowledges people and their role in society; these processes can then lead to people’s increased sense of well-being, personal safety and connectedness to community.
Pictured below is the All4One Social Justice Day that Lisa organised for Bagdad and Kempton Primary Schools. The day was filled with dance, art, Social Justice Workshops and performances.
