The Port Douglas Community Service Network Inc is celebrating Neighbourhood Centre Week 2022 with a free Community Open Day from 10am – 2pm this Thursday 12 May and the whole community is invited.
Neighbourhood Centre Week, 9-15 May 2022, celebrates the role and impact of neighbourhood and community centres in local communities across Australia. The Port Douglas Neighbourhood Centre is one of 143 centres in Queensland.
Neighbourhood Centre Week, happening across Australia from 9 to 15 May 2022, is a nationwide initiative to celebrate the role of over 1,000 Neighbourhood and Community Houses and Centres. This year’s theme is ‘Building resilience by bringing people together’.
In Queensland, this year’s theme is ‘Local Community Resilience’. The theme highlights the importance of local approaches, relationships and knowledge that centres use to support their community. The theme also celebrates the exceptional resilience of communities, that have faced multiple disasters, and continue to work toward their recovery.
“We are super excited to be bringing our community together to celebrate what makes the Port Douglas Community Service Network Inc such a special place for so many locals and visitors alike” Manager, Emma Travers said.
Ms Travers said the event would be filled with many different activities “Across the day we have a Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country, Jumping Castle, Live Music, Petanque, Tai Chi, Sausage Sizzle, Chatty Café, Indian Cooking Demonstration, Live Animals courtesy of the Wildlife Habitat, a family history workshop, beading workshop, and our Op Shop the NicNak Shed will be having a sale. If you’ve always wondered what we do here at the Neighbourhood Centre this is the perfect opportunity to come and check us out.”
Nicole Battle, President of the national peak body Australian Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Association, said this year’s Neighbourhood Centre Week theme was about re-emerging and rebuilding a harmonious and resilient community after the lockdowns that saw so many Australians isolated.
“Neighbourhood and community houses and centres have truly demonstrated their weight in gold over the past two and a half years. While so many other services closed during the lockdowns, Queensland neighbourhood centres in particular stepped up by providing 680 tonnes of emergency food relief, worth $13.6 million in value. The value of Queensland centres must not be underestimated, as for every $1 invested by the Queensland Government, the sector produces $4.81 in community value.
Queensland’s recent Parliamentary Inquiry into Loneliness and Social Isolation emphasised the importance of Neighbourhood and Community Centres across the state. Neighbourhood Centres Queensland, Em James stated, “Now as we begin to re-emerge from COVID-19 restrictions and the recent floods, we are looking to rebuild those strong social connections that many people lost, building a stronger, more resilient community than ever before.”
