WASEMA Friendship Cafe Induction 

Welcome to WASEMA Inc and your role as a Community Development Worker for our WASEMA Friendship Cafes.

You can find details of our Purpose, Mission and Vision in our Strategic Plan and our structure in our Organisational Chart

To learn more about your role we have outlined a list of tasks, tools and supports for the role below.

WASEMA FRIENDSHIP CAFES

Preparation

Shazia Khanum is the Project Officer of the WASEMA Friendship Cafes

Email : projectofficer@wasema.org.au

Contact Number : 0404 708 570

Shazia’s role is to support and collaborate with you.

Oversee and monitor progress of each WASEMA Friendship Cafe

  • Supervise and mentor Community Development Workers and Office Administrator
  • Support Community Development Workers to plan term activities and events
  • Enter data on DEX, and supervise data entry on a regular basis
  • Prepare DEX reports
  • Assist Community Development Workers in reporting data on a regular basis
  • Adhere to budget forecasts
  • Meet project plan deliverables and report as per Activity Work Plan
  • Prepare reports for Department Social Services as required
  • Prepare reports for MUSTER Grant Committee and WASEMA Operation Sub-Committee
  • Organise monthly meetings with Community Development Workers, Office Administrator, MUSTER Grant Committee representatives
  • Regularly attend and present at network meetings on behalf of WASEMA Inc.
  • Report to MUSTER Grant Committee and attend meetings on a regular basis as directed from time to time
  • Maintain relationships with venue representatives where WASEMA Friendship Cafes are operating
  • Develop new, and maintain existing partnerships
  • Engage stakeholders
  • Develop sustainability plan
  • Submit and support grant applications to individual WASEMA Friendship Cafes
  • Demonstrate a sound understanding of WHS/Risk Management processes

Should Shazia not be available please contact ?

You will be provided with details on the Activity Work Plan and the key deliverables.

The deliverables are part of the MUSTER GRANT (A grant provided to WASEMA from DSS)

The Mutual Understanding, Support, Tolerance, Engagement and Respect (MUSTER) initiative is a sub-activity of the Strong and Resilient Communities Activity – Community Resilience and Inclusive Communities grants. MUSTER aims to build cohesion and create a sense of commonality around everyday issues (i.e. issues that are tangible and meaningful in day-to-day-life) to further understanding and acceptance of diversity.

The objectives of the MUSTER initiative are:

● To build community resilience through increasing the ability of communities to connect and support each other through both opportunity and adversity; and

● To empower communities to identify and provide local solutions to local issues and support their people to improve their wellbeing.

The intended outcomes of the MUSTER initiative are:

● Communities will be strong, resilient and cohesive including in tough times and emergencies;

● The transformation will take place at the community level with changes made in the systems and structures that help to shape people’s lives; and

● Communities will be better connected, and people will participate socially and economically and thrive in well-functioning communities.

WASEMA Inc aim is for the MUSTER grant to provide for a project that provides a safe, welcoming environment for women in the South East Melbourne region to connect with others, share experiences and learn new skills.

Deliverables (there are 24 deliverables in total)

  • You project officer or a delegated representative of WASEMA will go through these with you

As part of your role, you will have access to WASEMA’s Secure storage system called AWS.

Once you have been inducted, a manual will be sent to you outlining how to access this system.

You will receive a sign in and secret code. (This is not to be shared with anyone and is only to be utilised for official WASEMA business).

Once you have access to the AWS you will see a bucket – WASEMA Friendship Cafes, click on this. Within the folders you will see the name of your cafe. Click this to access the files within.

This storage is to be used to save all official WASEMA data for your CAFE.

*If you are having difficulty setting this up please contact admin@wasema.org.au explaining the problem and the appropriate person will be in contact with you.

As part of your role, you will have access to an official WASEMA email address and email signature.

This email is Generic so it can be passed onto future CDW’s. It is only to be utilised for official WASEMA business.

Once you have been inducted, you will receive an onboarding email, with the details of how to access your official WASEMA email and your sign in and password. The sign in and password is not to be shared with anyone.

The email is to be utilised for all official WASEMA business.

*If you are having difficulty setting this up please contact admin@wasema.org.au explaining the problem and the appropriate person will be in contact with you.

Nora Shi is WASEMA Inc’s Volunteer Coordinator

She can be contacted on

Email : volunteercoord@wasema.org.au

Nora’s role is to recruit volunteers for the organisation. Nora will develop job descriptions, source and recruit appropriate volunteers within the WASEMA membership and from outside the organisation based on the needs of the organisation.

She will work closely with those within the organisation to determine volunteer roles.

Please contact Nora if you are seeking a volunteer.

As part of our deliverables for the MUSTER Grant, volunteers play a large part in assisting you to deliver the outcomes.

The requirement is 4 Volunteers per cafe.

Confirm with your Project officer if you have the 4 volunteers you need to help you. If not contact the Volunteer Coordinator to recruit the required volunteers for you. The aim of these volunteers is to work with you cohesively in a team and for shared delegation of tasks, so you may focus on the key deliverables of the project.

Delegated tasks may include

  • Support with finding speakers / presenters
  • Collaboration on development of the Session Plan
  • Seeking new participants
  • Posting to social media
  • Completing an online report whilst your session is running
  • Activities within the session
  • Taking attendance

All volunteers must apply to be a Volunteer of WASEMA and undergo our Volunteer Induction and meet our compliance requirements.

We always welcome new volunteers, if you know of someone who has an interest in volunteering, ask them to complete an Expression of Interest Form.

We have 9 WASEMA Friendship Cafe’s located in 3 Local Government Areas of City of Greater Dandenong, City of Casey, Cardinia Shire Council

For each of the Cafes you can find their details here

You will be supplied with a number of tools, these may include

  • A laptop/tablet
  • A phone
  • A sim card

You will be required to complete an Asset Form.

All equipment is to be used for official WASEMA business and returned if you are no longer with WASEMA.

At the start of each Term, each Cafe creates a Term Plan with an outline of the Topics for each Session.

A template can be found in your AWS file.

A list of Topic Suggestions can be found in your AWS file.

Each week a Session Plan is created, utilising the topics you have set in your term Plan.

You can also add new topics as appropriate to your weekly session.

A template can be found in your AWS file.

Most cafes are run at set times during the week.

On Zoom from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm (with the participant session running from 10 am – 12 noon)

Tuesday – Springvale, Endeavour Hills, Bridgewood (Officer)

Wednesday – North Dandenong, Straithaird (Narre Warren), Cockatoo

Thursday – Wellsprings, Brentwood Park (Berwick), Emerald

Subject to approval from the Project Officer a cafe may be able to deviate from the set time and run an evening or weekend session.

Set up a “Scheduled event” in Zoom for each weekly session.

You will need a copy of the Zoom invitation as this is used in the weekly flyer.

Details on how to use Zoom are located in your CAFE file in AWS.

WASEMA Inc has a Website.

WASEMA.org.au and a page for each WASEMA Friendship Cafe

The website is used as a communication tool for the organisation. We encourage you to share this with your contacts and participants.

We welcome new members to WASEMA. They can join by filling in their details in our JOIN link.

WASEMA Inc has a central Database where our organisational contacts, stakeholders, members and participants are stored.

Once you have been inducted, you will find the manual on how to access and use the Database in the AWS online storage system.

You and your volunteers play an active role in keeping the database up to date and adding new data into the system. It is also used to keep notes on correspondence.

Within the AWS folder you will find a file with the sign in and password for the Database. This is not to be shared with anyone.

The database is subject to confidentiality and privacy policies and is only to be used for official WASEMA business. It is not to be copied or shared with anyone else.

As part of your weekly delivery, you may need to seek appropriate speakers to present at your session. (Volunteers can also help with this)

To find potential speakers please access our database where you will find a list of past speakers.

You can also use our Community Service Directories to find a range of community organisations who may welcome the opportunity of being a speaker at a Cafe.

Each cafe’s page on the website provides a link to their Service Directory or use the link below

List of Directories

A flyer is used to communicate details of the WASEMA Friendship Cafe topics.

The template can be found in AWS in Word Format.

Please use the same format for each Cafe to keep the look and style the same.

A presentation document is useful is sharing with participants of the Cafe.

A template can be found in your file in AWS.

Please keep the style and layout the same as this keeps it consistent across all Cafes.

WASEMA has a central database called Hubspot.

The database is used to find participant details for your cafe, to connect with a range of stakeholders and to be used for email, calls and marketing.

Our privacy policy explains how this data is used. It is only to be used for WASEMA related tasks. It is not to be downloaded or copied or used privately, nor shared to other parties unless the person has given approval and it is directly related to WASEMA’s service delivery.

Connect with new potential participants

Finding participants in your Area

Key ways to connect you to potential participants include

Flyers -provide a flyer to the local community (if you are delivering, ask for the email address for the community group, so you or your volunteer can send an online version to them). Deliver/send community/neighbourhood house, schools, kinders and playgroup in the area. Deliver/Email to local groups/businesses – Rotary, Lions, U3A, Sports groups, CFA, Police Station, Health services, Local Supermarket, Hairdressers, Bakeries, Beauty salons, Aged care facilities. Place on local notice boards. Deliver/Email to the Community Development Officer at the local council.

A copy of the template for the flyer will be in your AWS file

Networking – connect via email/phone with local organisation that align to WASEMA. These include other women’s groups, the local op shop, church / religious groups, Rotary and U3A are also an option and could be a place you could do a “presentation”

A copy of a template presentation will be in your AWS file

Facebook / Social Media

A social media account has been set up for your Cafe. Use this to connect to local groups in the area

A copy of the template for Facebook Posts is in your AWS file.

Word of Mouth

Visit with local businesses or community groups and present on the value of WASEMA and encourage participants to share the details of your WASEMA Friendship Cafe.


The best way to connect with the community is to introduce yourself to local groups and offer to do a small speech to them. This could be via Zoom if they are working virtually. You could also visit with their group. If you are not available you may wish to ask one of your volunteers to do this.

A Powerpoint presentation has been created on the Friendship Cafes and is located in the AWS.

You can access the Community Services Directory here. These offer details on all the local organisations in your area.

List of Directories

Volunteers play a vital part in WASEMA and are important to the WASEMA Friendship Cafes.

Volunteers come from the local community and so it is important to engage volunteers, ask them for their suggestions and input into how to connect to the local community.

Volunteers may also wish to run a part of the session, which may encourage volunteers to connect their family, friends and community to the Cafe.

Once someone wishes to join your cafe, it is important you ask them to register online on your WASEMA Friendship Cafe page.

To find your Cafe click the WASEMA Friendship Cafes

Using the database you will be able to access your list of current and new participants and send a weekly flyer to your list.

Details of this will be provided in the training.

You will have your own WASEMA Friendship Cafe Facebook Page and Group. This group is managed by our Social Media Coordinator. Please add your post to this official page only and share from here.

You will be provided with access administration to the What’s app group for your WASEMA Friendship Cafe. This group is used to promote the session and also communicate with the participants. Participants often use this to communicate amongst themselves.

Delivery

If you are running your session Virtually , please open your Zoom Session using the sign in provided at 9.30 am.

If you are face to face (at a venue) please be at the venue by 9.30 am and set up ready to run the session from 10 am.

Admit participants to the Venue.

If you have Zoom participants (either virtual or hybrid – both face to face and virtual) the system has been set with a Waiting room. Please click the “admit participants”

Make sure all sessions are recorded as soon as the session starts.

Explain to the participants you will be recording the session.

All recordings are uploaded after the session to the AWS.

Complete attendance. Note all participants names.

Each Cafe has an online reporting form which can be found on the website under – Cafe name, Cafe Report. A volunteer can complete this while the CDW runs the session.

The WASEMA Cafe registration form is an important form and is required for all new attendees. This can be found on Each Cafe’s page.

Click this link to find your WASEMA Friendship Cafe

The information gained form this form is used to complete “Dex” reporting.

You would have created your presentation for your session. This may be a powerpoint, which you can share with people on Zoom (if Virtual). Or through the Audio Visual equipment at your venue if face to face.

Engage with your participants, ask them questions and what topics will interest them.

Which is on the individual pages of the WASEMA Friendship Cafes.

A feedback form is provided, asking participants to provide their feedback on the session.

After the session it is important you upload your session, attendance, presentation and any report to the AWS.

Follow up your session with an email or link on What’s app to the online feedback form and provide a copy of the presentation. This could also be completed by a volunteer.

Some participants are not able to attend. It is important to follow up these participants by phone. You could also ask a volunteer to complete this.

Evaluation

Complete your weekly cafe report and provide this to your Project Officer.

If your volunteer has completed the online form and submitted it, this copy will be sent to you. You will still need to provide the project officer with details of your phone calls and connections with stakeholders in your report.

Complete your Dex report and Score for DSS. This should be completed in the same week of the session.

You should go online in the same week of your session and complete your log of hours.

This can be found at the following link

If you have purchased anything for the WASEMA Friendship Cafe (after approval from the Project Officer), please complete a reimbursement form provided.

There will be ongoing training in relation to the WASEMA Friendship Cafes as well as WASEMA policies and procedures. Please provide feedback to your Project Officer on any training you may require.

Complete your Monthly report on the WASEMA Friendship Cafe operations and provide this to your Project Officer.

A template for the report can be found in the AWS.