A local vision for everyone to get involved in shaping what it means to be ‘a local'.
A new place approach
Locally-led Stirling is a process to drive deeper connection at a local suburb level to listen and respond with a local focus. We bring neighbours together to forge deeper local connection, invest in local stories and inspire opportunities to work together as a neighbourhood engagement team to shape what it means to be “a local.”
The City of Stirling engages with residents and local communities to create unique and liveable neighbourhoods that reflect the character of their local area. Our City is diverse, with a unique mix of cultures, lifestyles and abundant opportunities spanning its 30 suburbs. What makes a great place is complex, and there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to creating unique and liveable neighbourhoods and places.
While we can change the fabric of spaces – the look, colour and feel – the character of our local suburbs can only be shaped by community involvement. Therefore, we need to find ways to get people involved and take ownership for shaping their local area. Our approach seeks to understand the local stories Koora (past), Yeyi (present) and Boordawan (future) and respond to Ngalang Maya (our place).
At the heart of a Locally-led approach is an understanding that local people know what is important and what works locally. It supports two-way conversations that responds with a local focus rather than a specific project or issue-based focus. Community engagement in this way helps drive deeper connection, participation, and engagement at a local level to shape our service delivery and achieve our shared priorities.
Our purpose
- Create bump-in spaces for local people to forge deeper relationships
- Extend the invitation to ensure everyone can participate in shaping local stories
- Rethink how we deliver services locally and partner with local people to champion and co-create innovations that make the neighbourhood better.
Our process
From community consultation, the City knows neighbours want to get to know each other and take part in something together, but often wait to be asked or invited. Our process helps overcome this barrier by triggering an instinctive feeling that galvanises people into action. A Locally-led process is an act of community engagement promising a new way to make our neighbourhoods better. Building local connections, local stories and local actions helping the City to achieve our community’s vision of becoming ‘A sustainable City with a local focus’ as outlined in our Strategic Community Plan.
Our outcomes
Our theory of change is that a Locally-led process generates outcomes in three areas:
Connection / engagement bump-ins: People experience improved circles of connection in their local area
Belonging: People’s experience of belonging is directly connected to the relational aspect of working together to shape their local area
Satisfaction: People feel satisfied with their local neighbourhood.
If you are looking for ways to get involved in your neighbourhood, please contact one of the City’s Local Engagement Officers on (08) 9205 8555 to find out more.
