Sustaining Rural Communities Conference 2012 set for Evening 18th 19th and 20th April 2012 at the Crossing Theatre in Narrabri  please put this in your diary and check the website www.sustainingruralcommunities.com.au  for updates on speakers and program.

Aboriginal Business Mentoring Program

Thanks to Roxanne Smith for details of this interesting business development initiative from NSW. Certainly a comprehensive support initiative. Click here for flyer.  

From the Bank of Ideas Newsletter

All Together Now: How Co-operatives Are Born Again as Communities Help Themselves

Many thanks to Alan Greig of the Mercury Centre for this wonderful article on the role of community cooperatives in Australia. Besides being a great overview, it gives details of three communities who have used the model to return a hardware service to the town (Casterton, Victoria) , establish Australia’s first community owned renewable energy farm (Hepburn, Victoria) and create a community health service (West Belconnen, ACT).  This article is from the Bank of IDEAS Newsletter

Click here to read.

Shepparton Community Development Conference

The City of Greater Shepparton (Victoria) are organising an amazing community development event in September entitled “Inspiring communities- Building the Community from the Inside Out”. It is guaranteed to be quite an unconventional event.

Click here to get more details.

Babinda a Rural Town

Babinda is one of the great small towns of Australia. It has a long tradition of local residents being pro active in designing and implementing initiatives to ensure their positive future. The Babinda Taskforce and local Community Bank are just two examples. Battered by Cyclone Larry in 2006 and Cyclone Yasi in 2011, and the news that their historic Sugar Mill will close with the loss off 60 jobs. The town has responded with its characteristic gutsy nature.

Click here to read about their story.

Confirmed Speakers for Conference

Hey,
We have confirmed speakers for the 2nd Sustaining Rural Communities Conference to be held at the Crossing Theatre 5th and 6th April 2011.

Tony Windsor - Independent Member for New England
Jock Laurie - President of the National Farmers Federation
Mal Peters - Chair of Regional Development Australia Northern Inland
Monica Attard - ABC Journalist
Register Now, at the website, Conference is Free
for more information contact kate.schwager@cottoncrc.org.au

Sustaining Rural Communities Conference Website

New Website and new date

Tuesday the 5th April and Wednesday 6th April at the Crossing Theatre in Narrabri.

Check the website out.

Regional and Remote Grants Round - Support available for the 100 Events for 100 Years Initiative

UNIFEM Australia will run an open grant round for events held in regional and remote Australia between November 10th 2010 - December 1st 2010. Successful grant applicants will receive up to $1000 to support their event. Grants will be determined based on the selection criteria.

For more information, please email julia.bowes@unifem.org.au
or visit: http://www.internationalwomensday.org.au/

RAS Foundation Grant for all under 35

The RAS Foundation is again offering young people in rural and regional NSW the opportunity to secure $25,000 to deliver a new and innovative community project.
 
Applications for The $25,000 Question are now open. To enter, simply tell us how you would use $25,000 to address a need in your local community. 

For the first time, this year’s grant will be open to all young people under 35 years.  (In the past it has been limited to The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl or Rural Achiever entrants.)
 
As an applicant you must identify a need in your local rural or regional community, come up with an idea to address this need, and partner with a community organisation to create a project plan.
 
It is easy to apply. See the website for details: www.rasf.org.au 

Applications close on 14 January 2011.
 
Please contact the RAS Foundation on 02 9704 1234 or foundation@rasf.org.au with any questions.
 
An advert promoting this exciting opportunity is attached. I would be grateful if you could pass this information to anyone you know who may be interested in applying.

The Beanstalk Organic Food

The Beanstalk is yet another amazing Newcastle/Hunter community initiative involving 150 residents. The Beanstalk was established in 2004 by three friends who were concerned at the lack of access to healthy and safe food for the community. Most people they knew cited affordability as the reason they could not eat organically. There was also very little support given to farmers practicing environmentally sound agriculture in the Hunter region, with certification and transportation costs the main issues for small farm businesses. A dialogue began with a farmer and The Beanstalk was established. From its humble beginnings on a veranda to its current location in East Newcastle, the organisation has flourished. Members now have access to affordable, healthy and local produce and it supports at least four local and sustainable farmers each week. In their words – “This benefits the Hunter Valley farmers, our urban community and ultimately, our earth”.

The objectives of the Beanstalk are:

1. To develop direct links between the sustainable organic farming communities and the urban communities of the Hunter Valley
2. To offer farmers fair prices and support them through difficult periods
3. To build consumer awareness of sustainable agriculture and empower the community to consume ethically
4. To minimise resource consumption and packaging
5. To foster community skill sharing
6. To create a viable and sustainable community organisation.

For more information, visit their great website - The Beanstalk Organic Food is an initiative that could happen anywhere!

Big Help Mob

this youth initiative of Youth Tree, an organisation based in Perth. Big Help Mob is a 100-strong rent-a-crowd of young people who get together to do superhuman acts of awesomeness for non-profits and communities in Perth. In their words -"One day it's planting 10 000 trees in a few hours, the next it's renovating a community centre or cleaning up a place that's been forgotten and trashed. Nothing is too big for Big Help Mob and we're not afraid to get our hands dirty... all 200 of them. Once the hands-on mission is accomplished with near-lightning speed, we celebrate with enormous, ridiculous flash mobs in public, using our superpowers to draw attention to good causes that need it."
For more information, check out the following websites Big Mob Help  and Youth Tree.

Tinghar Doing it Tough

The NSW town of Tingha has a very colourful history, but today faces many socio economic challenges. Once supporting 8000 residents, the town’s population is less than 1000. Statistics show it is the third most disadvantaged town in Australia, and it experiences three times the national unemployment rate. BUT this is a town focused on implementing the most successful regeneration model in Australia. Its renewal efforts is driven by Tingha Regeneration Incorporated.

To discover more of their interesting approach Click Here. In particular, discover more of their unique Code of Common Unity which ensures all community meetings are focused and productive .

Inspiration, Collaboration and Community Revitalisation

This was the theme of a great two day youth/community development worker training course organised by Michelle Baden from Berri Barmera Council on behalf of the Riverland and Mallee Youth Sector Network in South Australia. Facilitated by Peter Kenyon from the Bank of I.D.E.A.S., 40 workers spent two days exploring innovative and fresh ways to a collaborative approach to rural community revitalisation.

Click here to see summary of program. For more details contact Michelle on 0438805759 or youthofficer@berribarmera.sa.gov.au.

Friday Flicks - Building Social Capital

Click here for a great example of building social capital from Townsville, Queensland - Friday Flicks - free community movie nights under the stars with a free barbeque. All about getting to know neighbours.

Beechworth Ghost Tours

One of the best heritage tours discovered lately is Beechworth Ghost Tours created by the youthful Adam Wynne-Jenkins. His historic guided walking tours begin every night after dusk in the former Mayday Hills Lunatic Asylum in Beechworth, Victoria.

In the words of Adam – ‘Our ghostly tours will share with you tales of the eerie past, spine tingling stories that will have your imagination working overtime.’ Adam has certainly created an incredible rural enterprise.

Check it out next time in North East Victoria or check out Adam's website.

Click on the following links (1) (2) (3) for three great newspaper stories about Adam.

Kickstarter

Here are details of a great internet site where artists, writing, journalists and entertainers can pitch their ideas and seek investors. Ideas could be replicated in any country or region.

Click here to check it out.

Opotiki Young Person's Mural Project

Thanks to the Newsletter of Inspiring Communities in New Zealand for sharing the wonderful story of a youth Mural project in the the community of Opotiki.

Click here for details on the Project, and a great PowerPoint presentation collection.

Mary Valley Scarecrow Festival

Thanks to Libby Ozinga from the Sunshine Coast Council for alerting us to another great initiative from Mary Valley. Click here to see and read about the finalists in this innovative arts and tourism regional project involving towns in the Mary Valley.

Left Right - Fascinating Youth Organisation

Left Right is Australia's first independent and non-partisan think-tank of young minds. Their vision is for a society that seeks and embraces the ideas of young people. Their mission is to involve young people in public policy.

Click here to discover more about their programs.

To Inspire the Young in your community

Looking for a dynamic young person to address and motivate a group, consider James. Click here to read more about his potential services. Also, click here to check out his inspirational column on two people who inspired him in his life…we need more of these stories.

Click here to view James' bio.