HCAP Supported Community meeting / Projects through
2008

We
hope you all had a great break over the festive period and looking forward to
the year ahead. As we plan for the year ahead, and as some of you will know,
HCAP programme works in numerous areas of community engagement projects and
tenant participation projects. We have
attempted to support these projects within a partnership framework, bringing
together both residents and workers to work on issues that are mutually
important.

In
2006–07 HCAP programme, auspiced by the Factory Community Centre, assisted in
the facilitation of conversations and projects covering a range of community issues
within Redfern and Waterloo.

As
2008 is now upon us, we want to sustain the groups that were established last
year, whilst supporting the development of any new ones. We would hope these
groups would continue to have the involvement and support of a broad range of
residents, volunteers, and workers from across sectors both at senior and front
line level.

We
have attached a list of some of the existing groups below with a brief
description of their aims and some initial scheduled dates for the first round
of meetings. We hope you will be able to lock these dates into your diary and
come and join us as we plan the year ahead. Anyone is welcome to attend – resident,
tenant, and agencies.

We
realise that not all the groups or areas of work will be of interest to
everyone, and ask you to consider becoming involved in any of them that have
the most relevance to you and where you feel your contributions would make
valuable difference in the process and outcomes. We appreciate that everyone’s
time is precious and we would hope that none of these groups become meeting-for-meetings
sake and our focus would be on achieving positive tangible actions for the
collective community.

We
are writing to re-invite members who have supported these areas of work last
year, whilst extending it to anyone who could become involved and offer their
skills, time and expertise to these worth while projects. Any support and input is much appreciated and
is no doubt essential for the success of these various projects.

We
are particular mindful that the post of HCAP may no longer be funded after June
2008 and it is important that any work and projects previously initiated can be
continued where possible through the work of the various steering groups.

If
you would like any more information on any of these individual groups or areas
of work, and would like to become involved, please contact either myself or
Patrick at the Factory. We are also
happy to give copies of reports on any areas of our work on request.

We
are looking forward to working with you in harmonious, productive and exciting New
Year,

Yours
sincerely,
Michael M Shreenan
Community
Development HCAP
Redfern/Waterloo

Precinct/volunteers coffee morning informal peer to
peer support

The
above group was piloted during November/December. It is an informal opportunity
for Precinct Representatives and Volunteers from Redfern and Waterloo to come together and socialise over
coffee and cake, to share ideas, concerns, and gain peer support. This group will meet on the first Friday of
the Month starting on the 1^st
February at 11am (A strictly no-agenda/no-minutes meeting)
BYO food

Agencies informal bar lunches / Network
opportunities

We
want to host informal monthly get togethers on the last Friday of the month at
a suitable local social venue. This would provide the opportunity for workers
from all sectors to come together and catch up with a ‘refreshment’ and bite to
eat informally. Any workers from Redfern
and Waterloo
would be able to attend and it would be a case of buying your own refreshment
and/or food, if you can attend. This
would be purely a social event with the aim of trying to assist in building
stronger relationships, in a fun and safe manner. This is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea
but we will give it a try. (No agendas, no minutes, no speeches)

You’re
invited to join us on Friday the 29^th
February at 1:30pm at the Tudor
Hotel Redfern Street.

Waterloo Green Action Group

Above
group was set up by HCAP in response to on-going concerns about safety issues
around the Waterloo Green area and the high rises in Waterloo.
This resulted in a community safety audit taking place and a whole
Government response which ended in the development of an Action Plan in
response. The above group is remaining
established to try an ensure accountability on the implementation of this
action plan and to evaluate impacts of any actions taken. The group is currently made up of elected
representatives, tenants from the immediate area, and variety of agencies that
have interest in community safety. The
plan was launched in October 2007 by the RWA Seniors Officers Government
agencies group and they are scheduled to have their first public feedback
session has been organised for Thursday February 14^{th 2008} at 2pm

Photo Voice Project/Community Voices Group

Above
group consists of mainly tenants utilising photography and other media tools to
capture people’s views on a host of community issues. They then share stories and experiences in
group from the pictures and turn their work in to exhibitions format. This work
is displayed in variety of settings with hopes to change social planning or
evidence community need for funding purposes. Participants feel it is a great
way to meet new friends, learn new skills whilst talking about issues that
affect their ever day lives in a safe environment before sharing them with the
world.
The group meet every second Tuesday at 2pm from the
12^th February 2008.

Redwaternews group

This
editorial committee consists of tenants from the Redfern and Waterloo NAB who are currently supported by the Factory,
HCAP, and the UNSW CDP project. They publish four editions of the RWN tenant
community newsletter a year which is currently distributed to 4500 households and additionally distributed
electronically. They have recently upgraded to a coloured edition. The group
are currently attempting to seek recurrent funding for this production which
has been successfully circulating for 12 years.
The group meet as and when required at least once every three months – if
anyone interested in becoming involved, please get in touch.

Arts /Recreational activities group

This
group has been meeting under various names and has a variety of members at
different times. Last year they were involved in organising a gala event – a
first ever Redfern Volunteers Award night, a mosaic project, and a huge all day
Christmas party – Summer on the Green. We
also secured funding for short term classes on photography, salsa dancing, a
Swimming 4 Wimmim group, etc

This
year we wish to host more of these successful events and social activities but
organise them more strategically. For
example, a second Volunteer Awards Night, Volunteer market event, Multicultural
Senior’s Event, another summer gala /information event. The group will be brought together to brain
storm a programme of events for the year ahead and we will meet to begin with
on Thursday 28^th February at 2pm – any interested parties are
welcome to attend.

Later Waterloo NAB – ‘sub group’

Last year, HCAP facilitated a Working
sub group consisting of tenant participation/community workers, Department of
Housing staff, and residents to assist the Waterloo NAB
through its ‘reviewing’ the future of tenant participation and community
participation. This lead to a new proposal being suggested by residents as
summarised as:-

Tenant
participation based on a refined and more robust version of the existing
precinct & Housing Standards structure
which would operate as the primary formal relationship between residents
and the local Client Service Team
Community
engagement which would include greater accountability and representation
from all relevant agencies and possibly be based and organised around specific
themes and associated actions eg safety, community events.

The
NAB voted for a suspension of the
Waterloo NAB until the sub working group convene with view to hosting
appropriate engagement events which allow for other interested stakeholders to
come together and discussions with the broader community during the first half
of this year. The Sub group will meet on Thursday
21^st of February at 2pm
to start steering this process and then contact all relevant stakeholders.

Waterloo Recycling Workshop steering group

Over
the period of last year this group worked to secure some seed funding to be
utilised this year. The funding will allow us to recruit a part time project
worker who will support the project volunteers to release its potential and
secure additional funds. The steering
group will meet on Friday 29^th
of February at 10am to
plan the relaunch of this service in early March 2008. Any new supporters and
interested parties are welcome to attend.

Redfern NAB

Elected
precinct Representatives and partner members organisations, group will
recommence the NAB meetings on Tuesday 12 February 200810am – 12noon
at Our Place Poets Corner Shops, Morehead Street,
Redfern. For more information please contact John
Perry, Redfern Team leader Department of Housing.

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