BENTLEY COMMUNITY FOCUS INC

Transcription

1 BENTLEY COMMUNITY FOCUS INC 2016 ANNUAL REPORT

2 Foreword I am delighted to be a part of the Bentley Community Focus committee and our involvement in Bentley and its surrounding communities. 2015/16 has been another productive period for Bentley Community Focus We ve shared many stories, much fun and plenty of incredible food with more than 2000 attendees from 21 different nationalities over dozens of events. On behalf of the Act Belong Commit Bentley Harmony Day BCF Committee I d like to thank the City of Canning, Housing Authority, OMI, Department of Social Services, Healthway, Ishar Multicultural Women s Health Centre, The Salvation Army, Arche Health, Fusion and Bentley Primary School for their funding and invaluable support that made this year s Harmony Day such a great success. This event was also made possible with the support of the wider community and the wonderful group of volunteers from Wilson Christian Church, Love Bentley, International Forum for Reconciliation and Peace, Full Gospel Assembly and the Bentley Community Garden. A special thanks to our local community for their overwhelming support. We have had a successful year of community engagement, events, activities and partnerships We made a lot of new friends this year; with members of our community and with like-minded organisations. Some of our newly formed partnerships from 2016 include Queens Park Lions Club, Richmond Wellbeing, the Community Directive network and the Canning River Café and we ve got plans to expand our activities even further next year. We ll be launching a new website early in 2017, and of course we ll look forward to seeing everyone at Harmony Day 2017! Bentley Community Focus enters into a new phase in Housing Authority has advised that they will be scaling back the level of involvement Creating Communities has with BCF in the future. They will instead re-direct their services towards activities that will re-activate the Bentley site and build social enterprise with the existing and future Bentley community. This does not mean that there will be any compromise with the depth of BCF s commitment to the community and we will continue to deliver great initiatives for local residents. For more information on Bentley Community Focus or how to get involved contact info@bentleycommunityfocus.org.au Frank Lanza - Chair 1

3 OUR MISSION Bentley Community Focus is a Non-Political, Non-Denominational, Not-for-profit, Volunteer based Incorporated Umbrella organisation servicing The Bentley Regeneration Project Area (BRA), the wider Bentley community and its surrounding suburbs. OUR VISION We collaborate with residents, like minded community groups, local service providers, NGOs and local businesses within our community to enhance social inclusion through cultural sharing, service provision, the development of sustainable community networks and other positive initiatives. OUR AIMS To identify, facilitate and support programs and activities that meet local community needs, including coordinating annual community-based cultural events in Bentley and its surrounding communities. To continue to advise the relevant authorities about required community facilities and programs related to redevelopment processes in Bentley and its surrounding communities. To support the establishment and growth of community gardens in Bentley and its surrounding communities. To champion positive change and stories about the local area. To secure funding and partnerships to implement programs and activities in Bentley and its surrounding communities. 2

4 2015/2016 HIGHLIGHTS Bentley Community Garden The Bentley Community Garden brought people together through the joys of working in the garden, with a series of garden skills development workshops throughout the year and sustainable harvest group skills workshops for food crop enthusiasts. The Community Garden has formed great partnerships with local community organisations including Playgroup WA, Great Beginnings Child Care and Fusion Youth Services. Passata Making Day Each participant took away 6.5 litres of Passata. They all had smiles on their faces and feedback was very positive regarding the whole experience with requests to repeat. I loved sharing the tradition. Two of the participants signed on as garden members on the day. Maria. Harmony Day 2016 The Act Belong Commit Bentley Harmony Day was the most successful held by Bentley Community Focus so far with over 1,200 attending, 39 stalls from government and community groups, performances from local schools and cultural groups representing Hungary, Russia, China, Africa, Indonesia, Latin America, Indigenous Australia and Cook Islanders. Entertainment included a Fusion youth games area, traditional Chinese language classes, Brazilian Samba and Southern African Afro-Roots Music. Those that attended this year enjoyed a range of cultural food choices that were almost as diverse as the community we live in. Planning and preparations are under way for Harmony Day 2017 being held on 18 March next year. I enjoyed the cultural dance performances...reminded me of a community feast from my childhood A happy day for my family. Muhammed local resident. 3

5 Food Lovers Guide Project Building the community and celebrating diversity are two of the chief aims of the BCF, and a strong theme this year was sharing culture. And what better way is there to share culture than by sharing food? Our Food Lover s Guide to Bentley Project, (commenced in 2015) managed in partnership with Ishar Multicultural Women s Health Centre, brought together locals from all over the world to share their favourite traditional dishes in a series of 5 cooking workshops/events. We collected the results in our Culture on a Plate cookbook (launched in March 2016), a round-the-world tour of delicious local fare. The project culminated in a long table lunch at the Harmony Day event with an increased number of community run food stalls offering a free meal for attendees. We partnered with the Red Cross in the Joining the Dots Welcome Dinner Project, which invites newcomers to Australia to dinners hosted by established Australians a fantastic way to connect with people during what is often a very stressful time. The first dinner attracted over 60 people and the second (being held in August 2016) is set to attract more than 200 people demonstrating the growing popularity of these events. My Place, Your Place, Our Place This quality publication was a collaborative project between Bentley Community Focus, Housing Authority, City of Canning, Library Service (Bentley Library) and Bentley Primary School. As one of the objectives of Bentley Community Focus is to champion positive change and stories about the Bentley neighbourhood the opportunity for some of the local children to tell their story in the form of a community picture-book was brought to fruition in the first part of this year. Bentley is my place. It is the place where I live, go to school, play and explore. Bentley is our place. Gardens grow here, there and everywhere. Bentley is a place for everyone. Bentley Primary School Year 5 Housing Authority generously supported this with a $5,000 donation which funded an Artist designer and printing costs to produce the picture-books. The Branch Librarian at Bentley Library, Alison Smyth, provided project management and facilitated 4 workshops with Artist/designer Nola Allen at the Bentley Library where the lively collage artwork and text was produced by a group of Year 5 students from Bentley Primary School. The story is based around the theme of their school garden and the community garden in Bentley and highlights the diversity of cultures in the Bentley Community. 4

6 The book was launched at Act Belong Commit Bentley Harmony Day and is available for purchase from Bentley Primary School. Dig In Dinners Bentley Community Focus will partner with local organisations to run a series of communal dinners during the first half of the 2016 financial year. These dinners are designed as an informal and fun opportunity for social interaction and to experience growing and cooking fresh produce into nutritious meals. Eight dinners are planned to be held in the Scout Hall adjacent to the Community Garden on fortnightly Saturday evenings. Prior to each dinner, participants will enjoy spending time in the garden gaining vital horticultural tips and harvesting produce for the dinner. Over 20 local people with a fabulous mix of cultures, ages and abilities attended the first dinner on 25 June. Jose Ciciliamma from Richmond Wellbeing entertained the guests with stress balls and provided information on the organisation s services. The project was funded by an Australia Post Our Neighbourhood Grant of $5,500 also with generous support from City of Canning and Canning River Café. The dinner would not have been possible without the fantastic dedication and commitment by Maria and her Community Garden team. The dinners promote a healthy lifestyle and create goodwill amongst the local people of our suburbs Colleen local resident. I suffer from anxiety live alone and it s a real challenge for me to meet different people in a large group... a great way for me to get back out into the community. I m doing more cooking now at home. I hope BCF also has them next year. Tony Bentley resident Some of our community chefs preparing the first Dig in Dinner 5

7 Website Our website, located at is under development as a result of successful grant funding through Department of Social Services A number of pages have been designed and content development is in progress. 6

8 Activities This comparison graph shows the level of activities in the 2014/15 and 2015/16 periods (workshops, projects, events) together with the associated engagement of new community groups or organisations Events Publications Engagement News Articles 2014/ /16 Funding The graph below illustrates for 2015/16 period: Total value volunteers hours: This is based on the total number of volunteers hours 4,845 comprising of average hours per person for each initiative. Equating to $193,800 calculated at an average monetary value of $40 per hour for community members and stakeholders. Total in-kind support: $24,900 e.g. City of Canning infrastructure support, printing and advertising, project materials, waived venue hire, waived facilitator fees etc. Total grants: $63,103 e.g. external funding City of Canning, Department of Social Services, OMI, Richmond Wellbeing, Australia Post etc. Financial Support Total $ value of volunteer hours Total $ value in-kind support Total $ Grant funds Please note: Some figures have been estimated/averaged based on records and Committee feedback. 7