ABOUT US
Who is Project Displaced?
OUR STORY
What started as a simple desire to help people in his network get a job has grown into a movement of more than 70 people who support displaced workers across all industries and all locations,
for free.
Where it all began…
Sydney-based Anthony Cohen spent a lifetime in the airline and hospitality industries. With 16+ years clocked up working for Qantas, Ant had just started a contract with The City Tattersall’s Club when COVID-19 changed the world. Within a few weeks he and his partner, an orchestral musician, lost their jobs and their futures. But, rather than letting the COVID-19 crisis swallow them, it inspired Anthony to take action.
“We set up Project Displaced to help our community through this terrible and very sudden crisis,” explains Anthony. “After both my partner and I lost our jobs, I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing, so put a call out on LinkedIn to see if there were any roles available.”
No-one is alone. Not if they are prepared to reach out for help.
WE WERE
BLOWN AWAY
The job offers came rolling in
Within hours, Anthony had received information about more than 3,000 roles available to help people out of work. They came via private Facebook groups. The support for airline, arts and hospitality employees was overwhelming.
It quickly became apparent that something of this scale needed a whole new model. So, over the next weekend, Anthony created a full-service job board and Facebook community; offering employers the ability to post jobs for across Australia, and allowing job seekers to register and apply for jobs, all completely for free.
What started as one man’s call for help became a global blanket of support
Within days, people from diverse industries and countries as far away as the Netherlands, the USA and our cross-Tasman neighbour, New Zealand, were contacting Anthony to ask how they could become involved. Soon after, qualified professional recruiters and career coaches, offered their support.
The movement had begun.
This one-on-one, professional support is now the foundation on which Project Displaced operates. A team of qualified career coaches, recruiters, HR managers and mental health specialists have joined forces to do what they can to help: completely for free. Together, through confidential career coaching sessions, they ‘pay it forward’ by giving the time and expertise they have gained, to help other people.
What happens next is up to you:
Project displaced was built out of crisis, but it will continue as long as it is needed. It embraces the kindness of people who know that they can help, want to help, and realise that they’d want to get this kind of help if they were in the shoes of those out of work, but it needs your help to survive, and to reach the people who need it the most.
Today, Project Displaced welcomes financial contributions and volunteers from all walks of life. You don’t have to be a counsellor or coach to help us. Get involved behind the scenes to help keep this project alive by supporting us with your time, donations from your current employer, or your expertise. We are currently looking for these types of people to help us.
WHAT'S YOUR NEXT MOVE?
The results:
Today Project Displaced helps more than 400 hundred people every month from across Australia – from every industry and every type of role - gain confidence, become career-ready, and become open to new possibilities and opportunities.
But, more importantly, if you know someone who has lost their job – please point them to our website.
No-one is alone. Not if they are prepared to reach out for help.