The Wyndham Community Safety Grants are part of the wider Empowering Communities Grants Program. Wyndham City received funding to deliver the program through the Victorian Government’s Building Safer Communities Program in 2021.
The Empowering Communities Grants Program is designed to support local communities design and lead innovative projects and activities to address the causes of crime and improve perceptions of safety.
Empowering Communities funding aims to:
- build the capability of the community to understand crime related issues and design and implement effective crime prevention approaches
- strengthen relationships between community stakeholders to work in partnership to deliver crime prevention activity, and leverage community capacity to deliver sustainable outcomes beyond the funding period
- engage and mobilise the community to address issues of local concern
- build the evidence base for successful community development initiatives that address crime and safety issues
Empowering Communities sets out key stages and activities through which Wyndham City Council works in partnership with the Local Action Group and State Government to ensure a strong community – led approach:
- Establishing a Local Action Group (LAG) bringing together community expertise with a shared interest in improving safety in Wyndham
- Delivering five localised community consultations and an online survey to identify local safety concerns and identified solutions to reduce crime and improve perceptions of community safety
- Undertaking further targeted consultation and analysis of crime and social data to ensure broad community input
- Developing a common goal, key safety priority areas, problem statement, a process to distribute the $370,000 and an evaluation method to measure overall success
The successful recipients for the Wyndham Community Safety Grants will be responsible for delivering the community safety projects and activities. Wyndham City will help boost networks between those interested in addressing local issues that impact on crime and safety through the Wyndham Community Safety Grants and by also creating a register of individuals and organisations who may not want to apply for a grant but may be interested in helping deliver the initiatives.
This will be called a Community Partners register. Community Partners will help support successful funding applicants (Funding Organisations) to deliver their community safety projects and activities.
WYNDHAM COMMUNITY SAFETY GRANTS
The opportunity to apply for Wyndham Community Safety Grants was available in June 2023. The funded Community Safety Projects and Activities were announced on 7 September.
The grants that were on offer were between $50,000 to $100,000. Overall, there was $370,000 in total to be distributed to successful applicants (Funding Organisations). The funding streams related to:
- Building a sense of community - helping neighbourhoods feel safer; promote interfaith/ intercultural understanding and improve community connections.
- Empowering children and young people: helping children and young people feel safer and provide opportunities, skills or insights to help them make positive life choices.
The successful recipients included:
- Wyndham Community & Education Centre
- Karuna Compassion in Action Incorporated
- Blue Light Victoria Incorporated
- Youth Junction Inc and
- Festival for Healthy Living, Royal Children’s Hospital Community Development (auspiced by The Village Festival of New Performance Inc)
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Recipient |
Wyndham Community Safety Grants Project/ Activity |
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Wyndham Community & Education Centre
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Horizons: Empowering Multicultural Youth for Success The grant will be used to empower youth from diverse backgrounds (15-24) to cultivate a strong sense of identity and belonging. This initiative forges partnerships with community partners including community sports clubs, faith groups, schools and parents to address key life challenges, driving tangible outcomes that transform lives and amplify young individual aspirations.
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Karuna Compassion in Action Incorporated
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Wyndham Karen Youth The grant will be used to enhance the involvement, cohesion, and networking of young people (ages 12-25) in the Karen refugee community residing in Wyndham. It will aim to encourage interaction between Karen youth and various religious, societal, governmental, and cultural groups to promote their overall health, well-being and development (physical, mental, social and emotional).
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Blue Light Victoria Incorporated
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D – A – S – H (Dynamic, Active, Safe & Healthy) The grant will be used to deliver the DASH (Dynamic, Active, Safe and Healthy) program, which is an 7-session interactive school-based program for Years 5/6 students and their families, building resilience and holistic wellbeing, focusing on safety and creating connections with police, community supports and each other. DASH provides unique learning opportunities and has proven success in strengthening school engagement and increasing connection.
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The Youth Junction Inc
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Youth Umbrella Project - Wyndham The grant will be used to deliver the Youth Umbrella Project (Y.U.P). This is a 'call to action' to provide targeted youth service interventions that reduce risk and increase resilience for disadvantaged young people involved in the justice system living and supported in Wyndham. A wrap around case management model will create practical, purposeful and sustainable outcomes.
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Festival for Healthy Living, Royal Children’s Hospital Community Development (auspiced by The Village Festival of New Performance Inc)
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The Wyndham Festival for Healthy Living (WFHL) The grant will be used to deliver a multi – arts workshop program by local artists and wellbeing professionals, to six community groups/schools, with a large proportion of children from African background. The program will culminate in a free combined schools/community wellbeing festival, improving cultural perceptions, reducing stigma, raising mental – health awareness and celebrating participants’ achievements.
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COMMUNITY PARTNERS
We are pleased to have 20 Community Partners register their interest to join this initiative prior to the official launch of the commencement of the Wyndham Community Safety Grants projects and activities.
The Wyndham Community Safety Grants applicants were required to demonstrate in their funding application how they have connected with at least one Community Partners.
For the duration of the project period until mid-2024 interested Community Partners are welcome to assist and contact funding recipients directly.
WYNDHAM EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES LOCAL ACTION GROUP (LAG)
The LAG was established in June 2022, bringing together key services and community members. The LAG is responsible for connecting the initiative to the broader community and overseeing the implementations.
The following organisations and stakeholders are represented:
- Local residents representing the diverse community
- African – Australia Family Parenting Support Services Inc.
- The Huddle
- Kids First Australia
- WEstjustice
- Neighbourhood Watch
- Victoria Police
- Department of Justice and Community Safety
- Wyndham City Council
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS
CONTACT WYNDHAM EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES
Empowering Communities in Wyndham is coordinated by Wyndham City Council. For inquiries, please reach out to the Community Strengthening Team:
- Email: community.development@wyndham.vic.gov.au
- Phone: 1300 023 411
