The Compass Story
The Compass Institute Inc. is an award-winning For-Purpose organisation, dedicated to providing support for people with intellectual and/or physical disabilities. At Compass, we believe in the extraordinary potential of human beings and are driven to create a world where EVERYONE can have the opportunity to create the life of their choice.
Many people implicitly associate disability with liability, and then assume that passive welfare is the solution. Our philosophy is to take an asset-based approach. We focus on unlocking each individuals’ unique potential through rich and meaningful learning and personal development programs, skills-based training and a multitude of vocational opportunities through Compass’ wide range of social enterprises.
IT FEELS GOOD TO BE SEEN
Celebrating 20 years of supporting people with disabilities to thrive.
Our Enterprises
Compass Connections Café in Nambour offers a full breakfast and lunch menu, along with tasty treats all made in-house with LOVE and served with a smile and lots of laughs by our amazing team of Trainees and café staff! Compass Connections Café Maroochydore is centrally located in Baden Powell Street and offers a full breakfast and lunch menu, along with tasty treats all made in-house with LOVE and served with a smile and lots of laughs by our amazing team of Trainees and café staff! Located in the picturesque Maroochy Bushland Botanical Gardens, Compass Garden Café offers an oasis of relaxation accompanied by coffee, tea, milkshakes and the warmth of our Trainees and team. Be sure to try Deharn’s famous home-made scones! Located at Compass Farm, Harvest Kitchen is a commercial-style kitchen that offers catering services to the Farm and also produces a wide range of beautiful home-made condiments including jams, chutneys, pickles, sauces and flavoured salts, which are sold to the public as speciality hampers. Produce can also be found in our Garden Café and Wabi Sabi Creations. Located in the heart of Nambour at C-Square, Wabi Sabi Creations is a unique store selling hand-crafted creations made by Compass Trainees from across our many campuses – from pottery, to woodwork, paintings, hampers and more – you won’t be disappointed! Rakes and Panes is a property maintenance service that covers lawn and garden maintenance along with window cleaning. Our Trainees, along with Compass Farm Trainer Jack, are only too happy to service your residential or commercial property for you at competitive rates and of course – always with a smile!
News and Stories
A number of local businesses and community groups have come together to help transform Nambour’s Compass Connections Café into a funky food, coffee and art destination with the ultimate goal of elevating how disability is seen within the community. Compass Head of Business and Growth Sandra Brodie said the Connections Café opened six years ago… This April, Compass delivered its first ever Autism Awareness Campaign, designed to “Shine A Light” on Autism Spectrum Disorders and to raise funds in support of Compass programs and services that support local people with ASD. This campaign was powered by local electricity provider, LPE, and included a range of events and activations across April… Division 10 Councillor David Law, along with Compass Founder and CEO, David Dangerfield, has officially opened the Compass Institute’s new retail social enterprise in Nambour, “Wabi Sabi Creations”. Wabi Sabi Creations is a unique social enterprise selling hand-crafted pieces made by local people with disabilities in a supported environment, who attend one of the many…
THE NEW LOOK COMPASS CONNECTIONS CAFÉ – A DESTINATION WITH PURPOSE
COMPASS DELIVERS INAUGURAL AUTISM AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
Compass launches new retail social enterprise showcasing disability talent
