About Virgin Unite
Virgin Unite is the non profit foundation of Virgin Group. We unite people to tackle tough social and environmental problems with an entrepreneurial approach. Our aim is to help revolutionise the way businesses and the social sector work together – driving business to be a force for good.

How our staff lend a hand
Apart from fundraising the team at Virgin Money Australia support Oasis in a number of ways. We know cash is important but our unstoppable determination to bring about change is equally as important. Here’s an example of some of the more unique ways our staff help out:

One great item for one great reason
Image and appearance is top of mind for young homeless men and women. When new Oasis graduates are ready to get into the job market and go for interviews, they often don’t have suitable (if any) business attire to wear. In 2010, our staff rallied together and organised work clothes drives, to make sure Oasis graduates look the part, and feel the part, so they can reach their full potential. Our staff also launched the ‘winter woollies’ donation drive, collecting over 600 items to help homeless young people. A simple way to bring a little warmth to homeless youths during those cold winter weeks.

The Champions program
The Champions program brings together Virgin staff and formerly homeless youth to mentor each other and become a voice for this generation - to create passionate, articulate advocates to reduce the impact of youth Homelessness in Australia.

Bonded by a determination to see youth homelessness become a thing of the past, the Champions have developed into a social enterprise, raising funds for innovative and cutting edge programs that fill in the gaps for at risk youth and tackle the issues on a larger scale. For more info, check out www.virginunite.com.au

Monthly breakfasts
Every month, our staff headed to the Oasis Crisis Centre in Sydney’s inner east to cook breakfast en-mass for displaced and homeless Sydney youths.

No interest loan scheme
Once a young homeless person is able to get their life back on track, the first thing they need is some start-up capital, but the last thing they need is mounting interest. Virgin Money are supporting the rollout of no interest loans for the young people Oasis support by offering financial literacy assistance to loan recipients. No interest loans are sourced from a community pot of funds and Virgin Money provides the know-how to ensure money management and repayment plans are stuck to.

Financial literacy training
Virgin Money staff lend their time to conduct short financial literacy courses. Whether it’s learning about the true costs of a car or a how to set a budget, our staff lend their knowledge and time to make sure the young people from Oasis are in good shape to face up to real world finances.

Oasis traineeship
We've developed a traineeship programme with the aim of placing one Oasis graduate every year in part-time employment with Virgin Money Australia, as well as supporting their TAFE studies. Our vision is to become a perpetual provider; giving young Australian’s a brighter outlook on their employment prospects and opening the door every year to young trainees entering the workforce. We are pleased to announce that Nathan Murphy has been appointed as our first trainee and started working with us in late 2010. His talent and drive made him the ideal candidate and we are thrilled that he is now part of the Virgin Money family.

If you're interested in finding out more about the amazing work Oasis do and supporting them, check out their website.