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Community leads in innovative StreetLife Program

The collaboration between Latrobe StreetLife and six township communities in Latrobe City were showcased at the official launch of the StreetLife Township Survey Program

By Latrobe City Council - 1st June 2001 - Back to News

The outcomes of an extensive collaboration between Latrobe StreetLife and six township communities in Latrobe City were showcased at the official launch of the StreetLife Township Survey Program at Kernot Hall Morwell, on Thursday.

In jointly launching the outcomes, Ms Kaye Darveniza, Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier, and Latrobe City Mayor, Cr Brendan Jenkins, hailed the project as a great success in community led development within the region.

"The StreetLife Township Survey Program is designed to assist communities in the development of a unique theme and image for their township, complementing existing community and business development as well as identifying opportunities for future growth," Cr Jenkins said.

"This project is of enormous benefit to the Latrobe community and Council. It provides us all with a greater understanding of how each community sees itself and its future. As such, we can all work towards a common goal and assist each other in realising the full potential of the region," Cr Jenkins said.

The program, facilitated by Latrobe StreetLife, involved extensive community consultation via township meetings, a township survey and a photographic assignment. Meetings were held in each of the six townships to provide background detail and context for the program.

Latrobe StreetLife Coordinator, Ashley Creighton, said that all attendees and community residents had been invited to complete a township survey which asked them to identify assets within their community, and areas for improvement within their community.

"In addition, we asked them to identify an image and theme for the township which they perceived to be appropriate. Information provided from each township was collated and categorised to identify an image for each township," Mr Creighton said.

"Survey participants were also asked to provide information on perceived positives of all other townships within the region, whether they visited other townships, how often, and the purpose of the visit. This has provided invaluable resource material which alongside the development of a theme and image will help to raise awareness within the region about neighbouring communities. Increased internal awareness has enormous economic and social benefits for individual townships and the region as a whole, including increased business and visitor attraction, tailored targeting and promotions, as well as sensitive and complementary infrastructure development," Mr Creighton said.

"A photographic assignment facilitated by a township association within each community also formed an integral part of the program. The township associations recruited people from within their community from a diverse range of backgrounds to take photos of the township which they felt represented the positives, and areas where they saw need for improvement. The information from the photographic assignment was also used to develop a theme and image for each township."

Councillor Jenkins added that the Latrobe StreetLife Township Survey would provide citizens of Latrobe and Council with a launching pad to further promote the region, and plan future development and activities in the townships so that they would be of greatest benefit to the community.

"The community has led the way in determining the future of their township and taking ownership for the future direction of their township. It has helped Council to access community views on a large scale and this will be invaluable in future decisions on infrastructure and community development projects," Cr Jenkins said

"This is stage-one of a longer-term process. We have presented the outcomes of the community’s assessment here today. Through our feedback survey, we now want to gauge community response and receive further input," Cr Jenkins added.

"This project highlights that there is indeed a new energy within our region. Our community, our youth, our lifestyle and our business are leading the way. We are a vibrant community forging ahead and spreading the word about this great region. Latrobe has a new energy," Cr Jenkins concluded.

The StreetLife Program is funded and supported by the Department of State and Regional Development and the Latrobe City Council. Latrobe City’s Economic Development Unit and Planning and Development Unit are currently seeking funding to continue the township survey to incorporate the remaining six townships within the region and target community projects within each of the townships.

For more information on the Latrobe StreetLife Township Survey, contact Ashley Creighton at Latrobe City Council on 1300 367 700.


Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: latrobecity@gippslander.com



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