Community Building in Regional Australia
Leader-Elliott L1*, Smiles R2* and Vanzo L1*
1. Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
2. Regional Arts Australia, Port Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Many of the community organisations that sustain cultural life in regional
Australia are run entirely or mostly by volunteers. They are a vital part
of the nation’s cultural capital and they increasingly need skills
in planning, marketing, obtaining resources and building networks to survive.
A specially designed program to train community-based volunteers in
these and other essential skill areas was developed and run successfully
through 500 workshops in 125 Australian regions over 2003–2004.
Funded by the Australian government and led by NGO Regional Arts Australia,
the Creative Volunteering project has succeeded in developing community
capacity and active citizenship in the regions where it has operated.
Critical success factors included training content and format designed
to suit the needs of volunteers in small, often isolated communities;
selecting trainers for their ability to work with community organisations
and with people from diverse backgrounds; building on the skills and knowledge
of all participants; encouraging active involvement and structuring workshops
so that participants were encouraged to collaborate with people from other
organisations. Administrative systems and training were both designed
to allow different modes of operation to suit each state, while ensuring
quality was maintained. Strong partnerships between regional arts organisations,
registered vocational training organisations and Flinders University were
central to success.
Creative Volunteering has strengthened existing organisations, and encouraged
extensive community networking between organisations and individuals.
New cultural and other community activities are planned or underway. The
program has proved suitable for a wide range of community organisations
as well as small businesses.
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