After many conversations with the community, we’ve begun to co-design a project that improves outcomes for 10-14 year olds. How did we get to this point?
The pilot was set up to explore ways for communities to work together and improve the lives of children, young people and families.
It would unite groups from different sectors to solve a specific social problem and avoid duplicating something that was already being done.
Other than that, it was a blank slate awaiting input from the community.
Listening to you is what drives this project
The first step was to listen and identify:
- Issues the community wanted more focus on
- Who needed to be involved to help solve these issues.
Harwood Institute community engagement tools, questionnaires and open forums were some of the proven models that we used for our conversations and to gather information.
We met with:
- Specialists with evidence-based data
- Children aged 4-18
- Community members (residents, parents etc)
- Business owners
- Community groups
- Local and state governments
- Service providers (including schools).
In addition to surveys and social media, we had direct conversations at playgroups and school gates. We supervised children’s activities and took part in many community events.
To understand stakeholder needs and what’s already being done, we attended programs run by services, engaged businesses and sought out local advocacy champions.
You told us that more needs to be done for 10-14 year olds
There were shared concerns that this is a challenging age for children. They crave more independence and begin the transition to adulthood. There was also a sense of urgency around this issue.
By working together, we can help ensure that they grow up to have good employment opportunities and lead fulfilling lives. We created a framework for achieving this. Read our 5 community goals.
We’ve already put a number of initiatives into action and formed some fantastic partnerships. But this is only the beginning.
Get involved!
We’re keen to hear from anyone who wants to make a difference, has services to offer or an idea that they’d like to brainstorm.
Find out how we can help , or get in touch.