The program, now in its fourth year, sees participants work together to manage community based projects over the course of the program. This year, 18 participants were asked to put forward ideas for projects that would benefit the Greater Shepparton community and could be brought to fruition within six months.

Four groups and projects were decided upon. A summary of the projects are as follows:

“Meet you at The Meeting Point”

The Meeting Point is a free, public, outdoor Wi-Fi park that combines the comfort and amenities of a library or office with the pleasure of being exposed to the elements on a nice day.

Through a community grant provided by Greater Shepparton City Council, members of the Community Leadership Program Mark Berry, Sam Kemp, Dallas Piggott and Tahir Yaqubi have partnered with Furphy Foundry Pty Ltd and Telstra Corporation Ltd to deliver The Meeting Point. Furphy Foundry Pty Ltd has constructed and donated a piece of high quality street furniture that provides a sit/stand work space, a wheelchair accessible work space and recharge points for your laptop or phone. The Meeting Point will be located in the Maude Street Mall near the lawn at the Fraser Street junction, which is in the free Wi-Fi zone provided by Telstra Corporation Ltd. Telstra Corporation Ltd has agreed to upgrade the Wi-Fi in this area to provide a longer and faster service. Another key partner of The Meeting Point is John King Signs, who have provided the decals that are fixed to the benches.

The Meeting Point provides a physical place to connect in the digital world. It is a place that provides a community service that will shorten the digital divide. It invites people from different backgrounds to the same place for different reasons, providing the opportunity to meet and connect.

Why be stuck indoors for a meeting, when you can meet at The Meeting Point?

Ask the Cows

Ever wondered what the Moooving Art cows do when a visitor comes into town? Give them the grand tour of Shepparton of course! Introducing Baby Cow and Mummy Cow, two cows visiting Shepparton and its surrounds. They soon learn that Shepparton is a diverse and accepting community where everyone’s differences are recognised and appreciated. Join them on their adventures to SPC, the Visitor Centre, the Skate Park and more through an illustrated picture-story book. The book, titled ‘Ask the Cows’ is illustrated by local people from the Shepparton region.

You can pick up your copy of ‘Ask the Cows’ for free at the People’s Picnic at KidsTown on Saturday 7 October. Please note this is a limited edition, with 200 copies available to the general public. This children’s book is a project of the Community Leadership 2017 Program, an initiative of the Greater Shepparton City Council.

Shepp Health “When being healthy-ish is not enough”

Shepp Health is a health awareness campaign formed by a team of like-minded professionals qualified in their respective health disciplines, aiming to educate the community and provide awareness pertaining to health education, services and when to seek help. The project will embody aspects of recognising how to manage your health, identify health related changes that require further management and being aware of where and how to seek this information. The project will also enhance health literacy, in specific, focusing on dental health and optometry (eye-related health) in conjunction with personal health management issues. This will be facilitated via an engaging hands-on presentation and a short workshop with local high school students.

The presentations are targeted to year 7 and 8 high school students (aged ~12-14 years old) but can be accommodated to any community group. This age group was chosen to be presented to because they are the right age to be the most responsive to the information provided and are more likely to take control of their decisions.

The aim is for a ripple effect so students will use and share the information with their families, who will in turn be secondary beneficiaries of the project. The benefits of this project will potentially go beyond reducing the amount of unnecessary time and potential cost to the individual. The more individuals that this information reaches, the greater the benefit to the community at large. When the most relevant health service is used from the beginning, the shorter the wait time for emergency patients and stress on already strained health services.

Can I Come too?

The People’s Picnic – Bringing families together will be a social gathering of the Greater Shepparton community. An opportunity for residents and visitors to enjoy good food, live entertainment, a variety of family friendly activities and the company of family and friends at a great Australian tradition; the family picnic.

The weekend date of 7 October was chosen as the date because it is after the AFL Grand Final, the final weekend of school holidays, Daylight Savings has commenced and before the majority of summer sporting programs commence. An 11am starting time allows for a Saturday morning sleep in and a 4pm finish will not interfere with Saturday night activities. SPC KidsTown (renowned for its family friendly environment) is the venue.

The team of Zia Haidari, Jack O’Brien, and Helen and Steve Jeffs chose a family picnic as a basis to highlight the amazing community spirit and willingness to serve the wider community and believed it supported the Council vision to build stronger communities and enhance community participation.