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.