Illawarra Regional Community Development Consortium

What is a neighbourhood centre?

A neighbourhood centre is a friendly and safe place to drop in and talk to someone.

You can get support in times of difficulty.

You can get helpful information.

You can find out about other services to help you.

You can connect with people by joining a group at the centre and learn new skills.

You can connect with people by getting involved in activities to get things done locally.

You can connect with people to work to improve the lives of people in your community.

You can volunteer in programs to connect with people and give back to the community.

You can be involved in the neighbourhood centre by becoming a member and voting for the management committe at the Annual General Meeting. You can learn leadership skills by having a position on the management committee.

A neighbourhood centre is small independent centre. Although the centre may get some funding from a government department, it is independent of government policy. The Centre has a constitution with rules about how it is managed. Each year it has an annual general meeting to elect the management committee made up of people from the local community.

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How can I get things happening in my neighbourhood?

The neighbourhood centre can support you to get things happening in your neighbourhood.

Groups
You might want to start a group that meets at the centre. This might be, for example, a support group or a chess club or a craft class. The neighbourhood centre can help you with advertising the group and with meeting space.

Activities
You might want to start an activity at the centre – for example, a youth program or a mother’s group or a men’s shed project. The centre can help you with advertising, with meeting space and perhaps with resources such as materials or use of a computer. The centre may be able to put you in touch with someone with expertise or other services who could help.

Community action
You might want to start some community action to solve local problems, for example, a new, safe street crossing, or a protest against proposed development, or a campaign for more local jobs. The centre can help you with meeting space, use of a computer, or help you contact your local Members of Parliament or the media.

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How can I connect with other people to get things happening?

You can use the neighbourhood centre as a way to connect with people in your community. Because the centre is trusted by the community, people are more likely to be interested in what you are doing.

The centre is a good meeting place to prepare and plan activities.

You may be able to talk to groups of people already meeting at the centre.

The centre may have noticeboards or a newsletter to publicise events.

You may be able to use the telephone or email at the centre to communicate with people.

The neighbourhood centre will be able to connect with local networks such as women’s services or services for disabled people, Indigenous groups, groups from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, artists and performers, and other community organisations,

The neighbourhood centre is a good place to meet with workers from government departments or politicians.

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How can I run community activities successfully?

The neighbourhood centre is a good place to find support and resources to help you run community activities.

The centre can provide a meeting space and publicity.

Workers at the neighbourhood centre may be able to put you in touch with like-minded people.

The centre may be able to find someone to support you such as a “buddy” or mentor.

Organising a community activity involves these stages:

• Being clear about the purpose of the activity
• Planning the activity so you can achieve it realistically
• Finding resources such as meeting places, transport, childcare, support and funding
• Getting people involved
• Getting over setbacks and disappointments
• Keeping people involved
• Winding down the activity
• Evaluating its success
• Going on to something else

The centre may be able to tell you about helpful contacts such as community organisations, or networks who are interested in what you are doing. These may include people with similar interests in other localities

The centre may be able to put you in touch with some training. Some examples might be: communication skills; computer skills; media skills; or advocacy and lobbying.

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