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Learn more about the new community-initiated research projects we're co-designing with our three new partners. We share findings from a recently completed SESU project about supporting adult learners from migrant or refugee backgrounds with their digital and literacy skills. Additionally, some tips on how to prepare for our next round of community applications opening early next year as well as our latest news, upcoming events and more.
We're very pleased to announce the successful organisations from our 2025 community application round. We've started co-designing our projects and look forward to activating them soon. Congratulations Brown Nurses, Hope Horizons and Catholic Social Services Victoria!
Brown Nurses is a nurse-led, community nursing service funded independently to provide community-based care to vulnerable people in Sydney, Australia. Founded as Our Lady's Nurses of the Poor by Eileen O'Connor in 1913, the Brown Nurses is one of Australia's oldest continuously running not-for-profit, community nursing services. Brown Nurses has a long tradition of working with and supporting vulnerable populations. As a Catholic health care provider, they work to deliver and enliven their mission to ensure clients' dignity and self-worth, build trust and provide hope, compassion and equitable access to care.
Through their partnership with ACU, Brown Nurses hope to evaluate their nurse-led model of care and use project findings to optimise clients' experience of care, personal wellbeing, and engagement in and connection to community. This project aims to report on the Brown Nurses' person-centred services and intends to share this unique nursing care model with other health care services working with vulnerable populations.
Meet the Project Team
This project in partnership with Hope Horizons examines the integrated cancer care services offered at the Jenny Black Cancer Wellness Centre, which opened its doors in 2017 in Toowoomba, in regional southwest Queensland. Hope Horizons provides allied health and wellbeing services at no out-of-pocket expense to those living with cancer, and their families and carers - aiming to diminish the impact of cancer and improve quality of life by addressing their physical, psychological and social and practical needs in a non-clinical setting. This research will speak with people affected by cancer, staff and service providers connected to the program to understand its outcomes. It is hoped that this evaluation study will inform advocacy on integrated and holistic treatment services for people living with cancer.
Meet the Project Team
Catholic Social Services Victoria (CSSV), as the peak body for Catholic social services across Victoria, is partnering with ACU and working with their member organisations to understand how the cost of living and housing crisis is impacting social service workers' ability to access affordable housing. By collecting aggregated salary data across the sector and surveying staff, they hope to understand workers' housing costs and concerns, and the factors influencing their decision to remain in or leave the sector. CSSV hope to use the findings to advocate for policies that support the wellbeing and housing needs of workers in the sector, assist workforce recruitment and retention, and ensure social services continues to be effectively delivered in difficult times.
Meet the Project Team
Carringbush Adult Education and ACU co-designed and delivered a recently completed research project to understand the teaching practices and digital resources intended to promote strong engagement and independent learning in Carringbush's EAL learners - adult beginner learners with complex needs, little to no formal schooling, low literacy and low digital literacy. The majority of Carringbush learners experience numerous barriers to learning, which were compounded by the arrival of COVID-19 in early 2020 and the need for Carringbush to adapt their EAL programs for online delivery.
We invited two groups of Carringbush learners and their teachers to share their experiences, via surveys and focus groups, of online teaching and learning both retrospectively during the pandemic-induced changes in 2020, and later in 2022 and 2023, after face-to-face classes had resumed. The findings revealed that the face-to-face learning modality provides greater opportunities to engage meaningfully with both the didactic and social elements of language learning. While learners valued the flexibility afforded by online learning, the majority of Carringbush learners reported that they preferred face-to-face learning in a classroom with others more than online learning. The report also found that effective online teaching requires a different pedagogy. Online classes changed the class structure and introduced new barriers to teaching and learning English, including difficulties seeking and providing individual help in the online classroom, and learners' lack of digital or online etiquette. Despite these obstacles, after two years of online classes teachers noticed an overall increased confidence and satisfaction among their learners, and themselves in their ability to teach and learn online.
The report makes numerous recommendations based on these findings, including the provision of ongoing digital mentoring for learners, strategies to support ongoing teacher professional development in online lesson design and delivery for EAL adult beginner learners, and the sharing of resources and professional development within Carringbush and the sector.
As part of the online 'Order of Malta Study Program', ACU has produced a suite of short formation videos that present the Order's history as a living source of identity and service. These videos were developed by Professor Darius von Güttner-Sporzyński, historian and Canberra Campus Dean.
The series invites members of the Order to see history as formation, not reminiscence, and to read the Order's charism, Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum - upholding the Faith and the service of the poor, across time and place.
Structured to mirror the course flow, topics range from the Jerusalem hospice and the birth of the charism, through the emergence of the dual mission, to international growth, sovereignty on Rhodes and Malta, exile, and modern hospitaller/humanitarian work.
Each video is designed to deepen reflection on the Order's mission today, culminating in 'A living legacy', which encourages members to carry the tradition forward in practical works of mercy.
Speaking of the videos, Daniel Kwok, Vice President and Coordinator for Formation for the Australian Association of the Order said: 'These resources strengthen the Order's shared charism by grounding present service in the story that formed its members.'
Today, the Order counts over 13,000 members and a global network of more than 150,000 staff and volunteers. Its mission of Tuitio Fidei et Obsequium Pauperum continues through hospitals, humanitarian aid, and diplomatic service in more than 120 countries.
Understanding this modern presence is an essential part of formation, showing how the Order's ancient charism remains active in today's world.
Would research benefit your programs or services? The SESU supports organisations to expand their research capacity by undertaking partner-initiated research projects. If you work with communities experiencing disadvantage or marginalisation or are working to advance the Catholic tradition, we'd love to hear about the research that matters to you.
Applications open on Monday 9 February 2026, and close on Friday 13 March. We'll be sending our more information in February, but in the meanwhile we invite you to:
Think about how your research aligns with one of our research themes
You are encouraged to submit an application aligned to one of SESU's research themes. You can still apply if your research isn't aligned with one of these themes, but we do note that we can't guarantee that we'll be taking on projects that fall outside of these themes.
Choose the best application stream for your project
You may put forward applications for one or both application streams:
If you're considering submitting an application, review the application guidelines to help you determine whether your project is a good fit for the SESU.
'Preparing Educated Citizens during Uncertain Times' was this year's theme for ACU and DePaul University's Conference on Community Engagement and Service Learning.
Making community engagement and service-learning more meaningful - not just for universities, but for the communities and governments we work with, was a topic at the centre of our conversations. We talked honestly about current challenges, including growing political divisions and tensions in our world. The conference was a welcome opportunity to share ideas, to be proactive and collaborative in the aim of making a difference, even when times are tough.
We were excited to share two of SESU's research projects at the conference - the papers were:
Do you have volunteer opportunities or programs that ACU students or staff could support you with? Or do you have clients who may not have completed a formal education and would like to? ACU Engagement supports partnerships with community for positive social outcomes. Read on to engage with some of ACU's community engagement programs.
ACU is committed to providing our staff the opportunity to contribute to their local communities, especially in ways that benefit people experiencing disadvantage or marginalisation. We provide staff the option to dedicate five of their workdays in support of non-profit and community service organisations.
To discuss the support you need, please contact the ACU Engagement team.
The Clemente Australia program creates opportunities for people in our communities to access university-level liberal arts education. In our commitment to our most marginalised groups within our communities, ACU is partnering with Management & Training Corporation (MTC) Pty Ltd to deliver Clemente as an alternative pathway to higher education within a correctional centre environment.
At Parklea Correctional Centre in Blacktown, NSW, a pilot Clemente program has been delivered onsite with the support of dedicated staff and volunteer learning partners. Together, we have built a non-judgemental, collaborative learning community that values aspiration and fosters strong study support networks. These networks are helping students strengthen relationships both inside and outside Parklea and encouraging them to explore new possibilities for their future.
We are delighted to share that 27 students are currently participating in the Clemente program at Parklea, with the first graduates set to receive their Certificate of Liberal Arts at the end of 2025.
Join us as a learning partner
Volunteers are at the heart of Clemente's success. Learning partners work alongside students to help them achieve their goals, and both students and volunteers benefit from the experience. Our learning partners come from diverse backgrounds-education, community, and business-and bring rich life and career experiences to the program.
Partner with Clemente
Strong, sustainable partnerships with community organisations are critical to Clemente's impact. Together, we expand program reach and meet student needs. ACU invites community, government, and business organisations to partner with us through contributions of time, talent, influence, and resources.
Join as a Student
Clemente welcomes people aged 18-85 from all backgrounds who have experienced barriers to education. If you know someone who would benefit from restarting their learning journey, or if you'd like to discuss student recruitment, please contact the Clemente team to connect with a program near you.
Want to learn more?
Whether you're interested in becoming a partner, volunteer, learning partner, or student, we'd love to hear from you. Contact the Clemente team today.
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