A community-led program focusing on what's strong, not what's wrong, is helping to lift the profile of Launceston's Northern Suburbs - one idea at a time.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Asset Based Community Driven Efforts model applies a bottom-up approach to communities in an effort to identify their assets, rather than their weaknesses.
An initiative of the Bank of I.D.E.A.S, those assets are then leveraged in a way designed to create long-term, positive outcomes for the community and to empower those living within it.
The roll-out of the program in Launceston marks a first for Tasmania.
Now, following on from success in Rocherlea in 2017 and Ravenswood in 2018, the ABCDE model has its sights set on Mowbray.
Facilitated by the City of Launceston council, a community workshop will take place on Monday, July 22 to help kick off the program's next stage - the establishment of a learning site.
City of Launceston council's director of development services Leanne Hurst said after meeting Bank of I.D.E.A.S founder and director Peter Kenyon and hearing about the ABCDE program, she knew it was something Launceston needed to be a part of.
"It just sounded fabulous, this idea of embedding the principles of ABCDE into local communities and establishing local learning sites," she said.
"It was timely, because we were about to commence the Northern Suburbs revitalisation strategy, which is a big part of the City Deal commitment.
"So we saw that as a really good way of getting started and having those conversations with the community, that we hadn't necessarily been very good at doing before.
"The beauty of the learning sites is there's some tangible stuff that can happen quickly, that the community can do itself."
Established in 1989, the Bank of I.D.E.A.S has since worked with more than 2000 communities throughout Australia and overseas.
With the aim of facilitating fresh and creative ways of stimulating community and economic renewal, the ABCDE learning sites exist to help residents act on and celebrate their assets.
City of Launceston youth development officer Claudia Taylor said deciding where to implement the model aligned itself well with initiatives already being carried out by the council.
"I think because of the Northern Suburbs revitalisation strategy, we were really focused on continuing this sort of work within the area," she said.
"We had a bit of data to guide us as to where we should be focusing the project, for the consecutive years, so it served as real stepping stone.
"I think what it offers is a different way of working. Rather than what's wrong, how can we fix it, it's more about what's working and how can we make it even better in improving liveability."
The model has already left its mark on Rocherlea and most recently Ravenswood, with multiple projects run in collaboration with the Northern Suburbs Community Centre.
This included supporting the men's and community shed, a celebratory event held in conjunction with Ravenswood's skate and community space opening, and even a taste of Los Angeles.
As community connector Sarah McCormack explained, one member of the community had always wanted a Ravenswood version of the big Hollywood sign.
So as part of the ABCDE program, they helped make it happen.
"Sharon [Leonard] had lived in Ravenswood for more than 50 years and always wanted that sign," she said.
"So many organisations and schools came together to help turn it into a reality. Now it sits in a in a beautiful area and it's really owned and celebrated by the community.
"That's a story that doesn't always gets told, or for whatever reason, might be overlooked."
The grassroots approach will continue in Mowbray as part of a 12-month project coordinated by the council.
The framework is asset-focused, citizen-centric, place-based and relationship orientated.
Ms Taylor said the learning site model gave communities the necessary tools to become connected, caring and inclusive, while also allowing the council time to help facilitate positive change.
"The project gives council the opportunity to focus 12 months in one suburb, rather than trying to do it across the whole local government area," she said.
"So there's that concentrated energy and the time to really establish those connections. We can't be everywhere at the same time.
"But what we want we want to do is leave the communities we have worked with for those 12 months, with the capacity to continue it themselves."
Ms Hurst said engaging with the community and allowing residents to have their voice heard was a key element of getting the program off the ground.
She said it also helped the council form a tangible link with the community - something that had been missing before.
"With the previous projects, we really asked the community what they think their assets are," she said.
"So we started by connecting with as many people as we could and asking them what they really cared about. It could be people, places, organisations, the natural environment or the culture.
"Then we asked them, through a series of eight touchstones, if they could do anything in their suburb, what would it be.
"So we really asked people to think about what they care about, and what positive change they would love to see."
By building community resilience Ms Hurst said the approach ensured community outcomes would evolve, with plans to continue implementing the ABCDE model throughout Launceston.
"I'm like the caddie and they're the golfers," she said.
"My role is to support the community to realise all those wonderful things and then help them facilitate it to make change.
"It helps people feel like they are apart of their suburb and that they have a voice.
"Then hopefully, they can sustain that type of work after the learning site.
"So we don't do anything to or for the community, it's all by the community - really a grassroots approach."