Community Capacity Building
St Luke's works with communities to increase their ability to support their members. This approach recognises the significance of the social, environmental and economic environment in the wellbeing of all community members.
We have a unique experience in working with the lowest socio-economic communities and in rural towns, and the ability to engage the most marginalised people in community building activities. We have found ways to assist people to take significant action to improve the wellbeing of their neighbourhoods.
St Luke's Community Capacity Building offers:
- a way of working in partnership with communities
- the opportunity to identify what works in community
- the opportunity to prevent social problems
- a way of mobilising existing resources in the community for the benefit of all families
- opportunities for intersectoral partnerships with individuals and families, businesses, local, state and federal governments, health, education and recreation sectors and service clubs.
- opportunities to facilitate people to contribute to their communities and participate in civic life.
- opportunities to share our learnings about community building with other workers.
- information about our region and about the success and nature of St Luke’s services
- the opportunity to identify what works in community
Neighbourhood Renewal
Neighbourhood Renewal, an initiative of the Department of Human Services, is a place-based response to disadvantage that involves government working in partnership with local communities to address disadvantage and inequality and create successful, thriving places where people want to live.
In late 2002, Neighbourhood Renewal projects began in Long Gully and Eaglehawk, two suburbs of Bendigo. St Luke’s is working in partnership with these communities, the Office of Housing and Bendigo Community Health Services to build community skills, resources, safety, pride and confidence. Both projects have engaged with the communities to develop community action plans, which are lists of priority activities for the year ahead. (Download the Eaglehawk [link: http://www.stlukes.org.au/services/community_building/documents/EaglehawkCommunityActionPlan.pdf] and Long Gully [link: http://www.stlukes.org.au/services/community_building/documents/LongGullyCommunityActionPlanfinal.pdf]Community Action Plans.)
Sustainability Street
Sustainability Street™ works in conjunction with Neighbourhood Renewal to assist groups of local residents to work together to build the most sustainable households and local area that they can. The program includes community development, education, training and support.
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Communities for Children
Communities for Children aims to improve the health and well-being of children in the birth to six years age group. The program recognises the importance of strong healthy and vibrant communities and their role in the lives of young children and their families. It offers a wonderful opportunity to support and facilitate change at the grass roots level and to build the capacity of each community to promote the health and well-being of young children.
The program’s priorities are:
- Healthy young families—improved ante natal and post natal health, improved child physical health and development
- Supporting families and parents—strong parent/child relationships, improved parenting competence and style, improved family resources and capacity including gaining employment, improved family functioning
- Early learning and care—improved child cognitive development and competence, improved child social/emotional development
- Child Friendly Communities—communities inclusive of all families and cultures; improved community interest and capacity to own and respond to early childhood issues, community members, its facilities and institutions work together to improve early childhood health, development and well-being
- Family and children’s services work effectively as a system—improved coordination of services and institutions to support the improvement in early childhood health, development and well-being.
In Bendigo this project is being facilitated by St Luke's in partnership with Bendigo Community Health Services, Bendigo District Aboriginal Co Op, a Consortium of local schools and the City of Greater Bendigo. In Swan Hill and Robinvale it is being led through a partnership between St Luke's and Mallee Family Care.
For further information visit www.facs.gov.au
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Connecting Confident Communities
http://www.cgold.com.au/connectingconfidentcommunities - is one of 11 demonstration projects working to build community and funded by the state government.
Connecting Confident Communities is located in the Central Goldfields Shire and supports various activities initiated by the local community, which include:
- developing leadership of young people
- exploring options to enhance local access to public transport
- participating in the development of the Maryborough Education Precinct
- creating an arts policy for the local shire and generation of community arts activities
- supporting small community building projects through, firstly, a small grants scheme (round 1) and then adding in kind support as well as funds (round 2).
- conducting seminars that develop greater understanding of nature and benefits of community building.
St Luke’s helped establish this project and has participated on the management committee and in the Community Innovations Action group.
See these sites for more information:
Community Building Resource Service
Building Stronger Communities