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CO.AS.IT. Home Page
Mission Statement, History and CO.AS.IT.'s Goals.
Information on CO.AS.IT. Board of Management.
How to Become a Member of CO.AS.IT.
List of Italian Community Services, Statistics, Links & other Information and Resources.
Latest News and Events including the CO.AS.IT. Newsletter.
How to Become Involved with the Italian Community.
How to Contact CO.AS.IT.
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Mission Statement
CO.AS.IT. promotes a collaborative approach to providing quality, culturally and linguistically inclusive services that enable older Italian people to continue living as valued members of the community.

Comitato Assistenza Agli Italiani (CO.AS.IT) is an incorporated peak body for the Italian community in South Australia which was developed to support the rapid growth in aged Italian Australians. The number of older Italians in the South Australian community is growing at twice the rate of the other communities, and faster than groups who came to Australia after World War 11.

According to the Department of Human Services Strategic Directions for Older People from CALD backgrounds figures, over the next decade the Italian community will have the highest level of growth of any segment of the over 80’s community in South Australia. In the 1996 older people from an Italian background made up the greatest percentage of those from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) background at 4.5% of the population aged 55+.

By 2006 that figure will rise to 5.9%. By 2016 older people aged 65 years and over from an Italian background are projected to make up a quarter of the older CALD population and 7.8% of the total older S.A. population. To embrace this challenge the Italian community has established CO.AS.IT. CO.AS.IT. is a collaborative initiative of the SA Italian community to respond to the growing demand for services and is supported and funded by the State Government, Department for Families and Communities. CO.AS.IT.’s strives to play a key leadership role in advancing services for the Italian community in South Australia.

Organisations that have been part of the development of CO.AS.IT. include CIC (Coordinating Italian Committee), APAIA (Association of Pensioners and Older People in SA), ANFE (Association of Emigrants and their Families), Society of Saint Hilarion, IBF (Italian Benevolent Foundation), PISA (Italian Meals and Services for the Elderly) and NIC (Northern Italian Community). Mario Feleppa is also acknowledged as a driving force in the establishment of CO.AS.IT. CO.AS.IT. was officially launched by the then Minister for Social Justice, Stephanie Key on Friday 24 January 2003.

In support of our Mission, CO.AS.IT has defined 7 Goals

  1. Be a central point of information, advice and referral for the Italian community.

  2. Support organisations that provide services to the Italian community to develop community-based services.

  3. Develop partnerships with a range of providers to ensure that Italian older people and their carers have access to culturally appropriate services.

  4. Identify and address current issues affecting service delivery to the Italian community.

  5. Maximise effective volunteer involvement within Italian organisations.

  6. Maximise existing resources and infrastructure.

  7. Promote traditional, cultural and religious values.Italiano

 per l'Italiano clicca qui

CO.AS.IT. is funded by HACC, the Home & Community Care Program
through the Department of Families and Communities.