The key steps involved in building strong and connected communities are provided below as a useful starting point for developing your activity. These steps provide an indicative guide; it is important to tailor your approach to your local community.
A whole-of-community approach to prevent alcohol and other drug-related harm is recommended. Building strong, resilient, connected and harmonious communities takes time, and requires the active involvement of the community. A whole-of-community approach involves working with community partners to deliver multiple and mutually reinforcing actions.
Be mindful that one-off, isolated events are not effective at creating change.
Your activity may include some or all steps below, depending on the capacity of the LDAT and partner community organisations.
Through the support of your community partners, conduct consultation and planning with your community to inform the design of your strong and connected communities activity.
There is no one right way to build strong and connected communities. What works for one community may not work for the next, and so it is important to consult with your local community to design your approach. This will help ensure that the actions your LDAT takes are what local people want and need – and that it will be supported by and beneficial for the community. This will also help you identify what already exists within the community and what can be strengthened and built on.
There are a number of things to consider when planning your community action.
Be mindful that communities can be defined in different ways. Will you target a geographic community, where people share a physical space? A community of interest, where people share identity, values, beliefs and social norms?Or a virtual community, where people interact via technology?
Communities of interest may include:
What environment, or setting, will your activity be delivered in?
Environments may include:
Details about how local action will be managed and what processes will be required also need to be considered.
Some questions to consider may include:
Engage the community to put strong and connected communities on the public agenda:
1. Raise awareness amongst influential groups
2. Identify relevant community organisations you might partner with to deliver your activity
3. Establish key contacts/gatekeepers within those organisations to champion the issue within the organisation
4. Promote the benefits of strong and connected communities on individuals, families and the broader community
5. Take time to explain how community cohesion and connectedness protects against alcohol and other drug-related harms
6. Establish ‘what’s in it’ for the community organisation.
A critical role of LDATs is to engage with their community to support them to put strong and connected communities on the public agenda and to assist them to achieve it.
Tips for engaging the community:
Useful resources: Community consultation.
Increase community participation and social connection by:
1. Working with your community partners to plan a range of activities to increase participation and social connection e.g. youth sports, arts or music activities, peer support activities, drop-in child care facilities and community events to welcome newcomers
2. Run information stalls at relevant community events or at shopping centres to provide your community with quality information about the importance of social connection, relevant health issues and preventing alcohol and other drug-related harm
3. Developing a series of promotional activities to raise awareness of the benefits of strong and connected communities and how to become involved
4. Use local media to reduce stigma, or to promote healthy local activities and services to increase local involvement
5. Connecting community to local services e.g. counselling services, telephone helplines, employment services and job-seeking support services.
LDATs can have an influential role in increasing participation and social connection. This may involve providing these directly, or working with partners to provide these opportunities through the work they do.
Consider action to increase social networks, build social connection through arts or sports participation, promote civic engagement and volunteering, increase people’s sense of belonging, and promote a culture where people support one another to engage in low-risk drinking practices and where drunkenness is not encouraged.
Examples of action that could increase community participation and social connection include:
Work with the community organisation partners, local council and other relevant organisations to:
1. Improve local facilities for young people within the community
2. Work with multicultural groups, faith leaders and diversity groups to develop ideas for shared space that celebrates diversity in the community
3. Work with local council to rejuvenate public space to create shared space that can be used by multiple generations.
LDATs can play an important role in improving the overall amenity of local facilities and communal spaces. Improving amenity should involve the local council and other partners, however LDATs may take a leading role in identifying and coordinating an activity.
Consider activities that create safe and inclusive environments, introduce new or improve existing local facilities, increase use of public spaces, and create shared spaces that can be used by multiple generations. All of these can build a greater sense of cohesion within a community.
Examples of action that could improve the amenity of local facilities and communal spaces include:
Measure the success of your strong and connected communities activity: