the little red car
TRANSCRIPT
The little Red Car
Achieving effective health promotion engagement with a geographically
dispersed population.
Greater Western Sydney
Presenter: Gavin Prendergast
Two and a half million peopleStretches over 9,000 square kmsComparable to Melbourne in size
LHDs
History
Parramatta OfficeWentwothville officeTransition from bricks and mortar and a teamTo one worker one car
New obstacles/challenges
Immense geographic areaIsolationACONs history
So what are the principles of community development?
Building the knowledge and abilities of individuals, through leadership , services and supports, and skills development
Creating relationships among community through which they share emotional, psychological, and material support and can mobilize for collective action
Strengthening community institutions—from formal public institutions and private enterprises to informal networks, associations, and religious, civic, or cultural groups—so they can respond to local concerns and promote general well-being
Creating links between institutions so they can work collectively to improve the community
ACON strategic plan
It was time to rethink how we operate in the West
PARTNERSHIPS AND PERMISSION are vital
We moved away from the model where acon was central to the west, now we play a collaborative role.
How I operate today
•Utilise existing groups•Interagencies•Community Groups•Local Health Districts
Use existing premises• Churches• Councils• Clubs and pubs• SOPVs
Be visible at events
• Social dances• Pride picnic• IDAHO• Gatherings
Be heard
•Radio show•Social media
Benefits of partnership work
•Existing trust •Cheaper•Less time intensive
Fostering deep relationships
•History with the locals•Improved relationship with the community•Higher public profile
•Pool resources and skills
Lessons learnt; Key to sustainability and connection
• Wait to be invited in• Work collaboratively• Use existing networks• Nurture these relationships• Utilize social media
The following principles are used as a guide when thinking about community development
Inclusiveness – Provide the wider community with opportunities to meaningfully
participate ininformation gathering, planning, direction setting and decision making regarding
outcomes that affect the communities’ development. An ultimate goal is that communities would drive this process.
Collaboration – Establish and foster partnerships that aim to achieve positive
outcomes for all residents. Council aims to assist communities in finding solutions to issues that are important to the lives of individuals, families and communities. This includes developing networks between people, encouraging different communities to work together and building relationships with and between those different communities.
Capacity building – Support and strengthen individuals, families and
communities to identifyneeds and develop solutions at a local level. This may involve advocacy,
empowerment, education,awareness raising and distribution of resources to individuals and communities. Equity – Ensure that opportunities and resources available to the community are
distributed in a justand equitable manner according to community needs. In addition, all
communities should have theright to access all Council services and resources without discrimination.
Community building is not an abstract concept; it contains concrete elements.
Based largely on the experiences of the last decade, practitioners and other change agents have defined community building as encompassing the following core activities:
We need to ensure individuals, communities and networks are connected with one another by:
• Providing opportunities for people to meaningfully participate in decision
making processes that affect their community. • Supporting individuals and communities through the provision of
resources and fostering of partnerships between individuals and within communities.
• Assisting with the development of strong and resilient communities that
have the ability to identify and meet the communities’ needs, achieve self-reliance, contribute to solutions and support their own advocacy efforts.