COMMUNITY STATIONSTOOLKIT

“ Alone we can do

so little, together

we can do so much”

Helen Keller

1

Community Stations Toolkit

Dear Community Stations Organiser,

This toolkit has been pieced together to help you apply the ground-breaking Community Stations Project at your local train station.

Even though train stations can have hundreds of people passing through at any given time, they can still be a place of isolation and disconnect for many. If individuals don’t share a psychological connection or sense of belonging, then there’s no community to be had. TrackSAFE wanted to change this vibe and introduce a more positive exchange by bringing

people together in the hope of altering station ambience. The ultimate aim of Community Stations is to turn train stations into hubs of activity and a place of belonging as opposed to sites that can tragically be associated with self-harm.

Community Stations involves community engagement activities based around culture, music, the promotion of mental health and support services, as well as coffee and food. A simple, yet effective way of dissolving feelings of loneliness and segregation to be replaced with positive feelings, dove-tailed with mental health awareness and access to information of support services.

Not only did TrackSAFE engage with rail organisations from across Australia and New Zealand to design the initiative, we also worked with a range of experts including Lifeline, the Police and international researchers in the suicide prevention space to make our vision a reality.

We were proud to launch Community Stations as a Pilot Project during Mental Health Week in October 2016. Due to the great success of the Pilot Project, Community Stations is now rolling out nationally. With the help of this toolkit rail organisations across Australia can devise individual strategies to create community hubs at their stations, aligning customer experience with community sentiment and mental health awareness.

It is with great pleasure I present to you this toolkit to help you bring Community Stations to life at a platform near you. We know you will do this initiative the justice it deserves to make a positive difference in your community.

Yours faithfully,

Naomi FrauenfelderExecutive Director TrackSAFE Foundation

BeBlocks at Ringwood Station. Photograph: Bryony Jackson.Cover: Hayley Tait from Random Acts of Kindness at Ringwood Station.

3

Community Stations Toolkit

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. WHAT IS COMMUNITY STATIONS? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2. ABOUT THE PILOT PROJECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3. EVALUATION BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

4. APPLYING COMMUNITY STATIONS LOCALLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

5. PROMOTION OF MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

6. CALENDAR OF EVENTS/COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Promoting Community Stations

Key Messages

7. STAFF TRAINING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Volunteers

CHECKLIST FOR ORGANISERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Ms Rosalind Spence, Parliamentary Secretary for Public Transport and Roads Victoria, with The Streetsweepers at Ringwood Station.2

Community Stations Toolkit

From BBQs, coffee carts, ice cream vans, mobile libraries, health promotions, cultural events, activities with artists, live music and more, Community Stations revitalize the concept of train stations as community hubs.

Train stations, because of their location and function, provide a central point for people to come together to participate in community life, learn, and celebrate. Community Stations provides an opportunity to host events and support local charities, civil organisations, and volunteer groups to make the station and community a better place. In doing so, the initiative plays a suicide prevention role in making stations less attractive for those wanting to undertake self-harm or suicide.

The Community Stations Pilot Project took place in Melbourne (October 2016 – May 2017) and was a collaboration between TrackSAFE, Public Transport Victoria, Metro Trains Melbourne and V/Line as well as local councils, health services and community service providers.

Taking course over six months, the Pilot involved the transformation of four Melbourne stations – Dandenong, Ringwood, Sunshine and Melton stations – into community hubs with a large range of activities taking place. Activities included live music, book swaps, community gardens, BBQs, free self-portraits, coffee vans, visits from therapy dogs and more. The Pilot saw fantastic initiatives take place that drew the community in allowing members of the public to connect with others, while instilling pride in them towards their local station.

Tracksafe would like to acknowledge the efforts of Maroondah City Council, Sunshine Business Association and Djerriwarrh Health Services, without them the Pilot would not have been possible.

Access videos of the Community Stations Pilot Project at Ringwood and Melton Stations:

Community Stations: Our Journey of Linking Melton South DJ Health

Community Stations Pilot Project 2017Maroondah City Council

2 4ABOUT THE PILOT PROJECT APPLYING

COMMUNITY STATIONS LOCALLY

The University of Melbourne undertook an evaluation of the Pilot, a copy of the Evaluation Report is available on the TrackSAFE website. Pleasingly the Report found that the majority of people who noticed events in stations said that it led them to view their station more positively. More importantly, of those who noticed the mental health promotions, 58 percent said that it improved their understanding of people with poor mental health and 64 percent said it would make them more likely to reach out to someone they thought might be at risk of poor mental health.

The Evaluation Report also concluded that those activities involving free food and coffee were more favourably received and had a positive impact on overall mood. Being the recipient of a kind gesture, such as receiving food or drink at the station, served to elicit gratitude and appreciation from commuters, indirectly improving mood and improved feelings of wellbeing.

TrackSAFE recommends a project team is allocated to organise activities that generate high community involvement and create a positive atmosphere at the targeted stations taking into account the nature of each station and the surrounding community. An individualised approach is crucial for connecting with local community members. It is also vital to tie in mental health awareness activities as part of the action plan.

There may even be an opportunity to strengthen the existing infrastructure at local train stations through the installation of community-created art. An example includes at Melton Station during the Pilot, the community were involved in mosaic workshops as well as painting a public mural and brightening up the nearby underpass and stairs.

TrackSAFE recommends engaging with a number of stakeholders in the community (councils, local artists, libraries, schools, Police etc.) in devising an action plan to generate high community involvement and create a positive atmosphere at the targeted stations. The organisers must take into account the nature of each station and the surrounding community to remain true to the Community Stations initiative.

Performers (L to R): Image 1 – The Great Gizmo at Ringwood Station. Image 4 – Random Acts of Kindness at Ringwood Station. Image 5 – Brass Kids at Ringwood Station.Image 6 – Felipe Cornego and band.

1 3WHAT IS COMMUNITY STATIONS?

EVALUATION BY THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

4 5

6

Community Stations Toolkit

The aim of Community Stations, along with improving ambience and transforming stations into community hubs, is to raise awareness of mental health in local communities, and of the services and resources that are available.

The Evaluation Report of the Pilot indicated that events involving food and coffee were the most noticed, and hence tying mental health promotions to these events is highly recommended. The aim is to catch the attention of those passing through the station with a food or coffee give-away and then have information and/or representatives on hand to provide further information.

TrackSAFE worked closely with Lifeline Australia and R U OK? on the Pilot project; organisers are encouraged to form partnerships with services in their local communities to be involved.

For each Community Stations location a calendar of events is to be developed and maintained. The program is to be shared with key stakeholders to ensure local community representatives and participants are clear about the areas in use and timings. It is recommended the calendar of events be kept as an internal document and not shared publicly.

Promoting Community Stations locallyPre-organised activities that spontaneously appear will reach the right audience. The aim is to offer pop-up activities to regular commuters in the local community. As such, it is recommended that promotions of Community Stations remain localised thus to ensure the activities are enjoyed by locals, rather than people travelling from another destination in the hope of obtaining ‘freebies’.

Key messagesThe key communication messages for Community Stations are:

• To facilitate a range of community, charity and social events and practices at stations for the benefi t of the community,

• Improve community members’ knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes about mental health,

• Create a positive environment at stations which will improve customer well-being.

6CALENDAR OF EVENTS/COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES

5PROMOTION OFMENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS

7BeBlocks at Ringwood Station. Photograph: Bryony Jackson.

Community Stations Toolkit

7 One of the goals of Community Stations is to utilise rail staff to assist in the delivery of events, activities and liaising with community members.

Providing station staff with a background into the Community Stations initiative and providing guidelines to help staff change the rhetoric of the daily routine and reduce feelings of isolation and low self-esteem in individuals is essential.

Additionally, trained station staff who can successfully identify at risk persons for suicidal (or other negative) behaviours and act accordingly is desirable. Such training would help rail staff assess threats and other issues at the station and intervene before an incident occurs.

TrackSAFE in partnership with the Black Dog Institute developed Suicide Awareness Training which is available to rail organisations. Please visit the TrackSAFE website for more information.

VolunteersLook after those people kind enough to volunteer for the initiative. It is a good idea to feed information to volunteers on how to safely go about their activities in stations. Station Managers should provide a briefi ng to volunteers on safety information, restricted areas, where caution should be exercised and where their nearest bathroom facilities are.

Page 8 Performers (L to R): Image 1 – Melton Lions Club running a free BBQ at Melton Station.Image 2 – Therapy dogs at Melton Station.Image 3 – Tina Sparkle at Ringwood Station. Photograph: Bryony Jackson.Image 4 – Victoria Police community event at Ringwood Station.Image 6 – The Streetsweepers at Ringwood Station

STAFF TRAINING

8 9

11

Community Stations Toolkit

10 Free photos with Santa at Melton Station.

“ It just brought the whole

station alight and people

were saying, this is just

so great. People would

stop and chat which they

normally probably wouldn’t

do; they would normally

just continue going home.

Community Stations lends

itself for bringing everyone

together in the one area and

getting to meet new people.”

CR. Nora Lamont

Deputy Mayor

Maroondah City Council

13

Community Stations Toolkit

12

Identify station to hold Community Stations

Analyse and assess station assets/surrounds, (ie state of infrastructure, surrounding areas/gardens to hold activities)

Engage with local community groups and stakeholders to determine activity types

Create an action plan and calendar of activities

Share plan and calendar with internal and external stakeholders

Brief station staff on the initiative

Provide training to station staff where required (contact TrackSAFE should you require resources for suicide awareness training for platform staff)

Brief any volunteers involved in your activities

Publicise Community Stations activities locally

Host Community Station activities

Take photos and share on social media (attention to @TrackSAFE and use the hashtag #communitystations)

Evaluate

CHECKLIST FOR ORGANISERS

TrackSAFE FoundationThe TrackSAFE Foundation was established by the Australian rail industry to reduce near collisions, injuries and fatalities on the rail network resulting from suicide and reckless behaviour. By doing so, TrackSAFE aims to create a better workplace for rail employees. tracksafefoundation.com.au

For further information on Community Stations please contact the TrackSAFE FoundationPhone: 02 6270 4508Email: info@tracksafefoundation.com.au