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The project, originally titled 'Should I Stay or Should I Go', was developed as result of ongoing drought hardship in the
community, and increased pressure on families to source income off the farm. The Shire of Chapman Valley's 'Love the Rural Life'
community skills development project will provide skills identification and
enhancement workshops and forums to rural and farming families in the Chapman Valley community, and develop a
database to pool community skills where by community organisations, businesses, enterprises, and groups can utilise to fulfil
opportunities. An online and print directory of opportunities will also be compiled and distributed locally.
Many community members, in all communities, are unaware of the skill sets that they possess and often refer to themselves as unskilled
due to having no formal qualifications for these skills. This project will work to enhance the individual's awareness of skills that they possess providing a base to build upon.
Outcomes:
The project will deliver the following outcomes
(1) Build community capacity and capability through identifying and developing the skills of community residence.
(2) Increase the individual's confidence and skill levels for them to engage as active citizens in the community in either employment or voluntary capacity.
(3) Build partnerships and relationships across the broader regional community through utilising local, regional, and
national training organisations and bodies, and creating result focused outcomes such as a community skill set
database, directory of opportunities to engage, and skills recognition.
(4) Provide early intervention to strengthen the community to become self-reliant to combat economic, social, and environmental decline
in the local community. During the recent drought, it became evident across rural Australia that many people began looking else where
for employment and residency. These social, economic and environmental setbacks will continue to have detrimental effects on the community.
Some of the effects include- forced closure of schools, closure of small local businesses, decrease in sporting and community group memberships,
less economic sustainability for the LGA to provide essential services to the remaining community, and potentially a decline in social
engagement from the community.
Strengthening Families:
This project assists in identifying and developing personal skills, which will help build positive family relationships,
as members of the community will feel valued and develop self-confidence. The project will also work to enhance the community willingness
to work together through times of hardship and support each other to resolve local issues and problems which will only
strengthen and unite individual family units as people will have a sense of place and pride within the community.
Helping the community become more resilient and self reliant
Communities are very diverse blends of people who are often are an untapped resource. Often many people are unaware of the
potential within the community to help themselves and others. This project will unlock the people resource of the community to help
build a more resilient and self- reliant community. This will be achieved through the identification of skills which currently exist,
building upon these skills, and then using these skills apply to local opportunities.
In a summary the project takes intentional action to enhance the personal and collective capacity of its residents and
institutions to respond to, and influence the course of social and economic change to improve all aspects of community life
Helping volunteering, mentoring, training to build leadership skills
The project will directly link people
in skills training to boost community engagement and involvement. Through training and skills recognition it is envisaged
that there will be an increase in community members volunteering and leading initiatives, as well as engaging in other opportunities
that may present (i.e. employment)
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