Neighbourhood houses head to George Town for Connected Communities

On Wednesday 27th September, the network of 35 Neighbourhood Houses across Tasmania and other community groups will gather in George Town for the Neighbourhood Houses Tasmanian annual conference. Participants will travel from the far-flung corners of the state – from Geeveston, Woodbridge and Dunalley to Zeehan, Burnie and Fingal, and places in between, for the Wednesday to Friday shindig.
Over the three days the NHT Connected Communities Conference will provide the 150 plus House staff, volunteers and community members access to presentations and workshops, as well as the chance to network with each other, and with like-minded community groups and services to share knowledge and swap stories.
This year NHT is proud to be hosting a range of presentations to be led by business productivity expert Debbie Mayo-Smith, author and family psychologist Steve Biddulph, together with social worker and founder of the community development agency LIFT Enterprises Susan Allan.
A diverse range of workshops offered over the 3 days will cover everything from First Point of Contact training (how to respond to people when they come through the door) to exploring Restorative Practices (how to have the tools to resolve conflicts at the local level), with topics including:
how to facilitate groups
working with and engaging men
Emerging Voices – stories of community leadership training and the impact on families and community
Please follow this link for the full program
http://nht.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Program-for-bags.pdf
The Conference also gives community organisations that support the work of Neighbourhood Houses a venue to share their information and resources at the Expo held on Thursday 28th September. Organisations represented
include Red Cross, Social Action Resource Centre, Aurora and NILS, among others.
On Friday 29th September several Neighbourhood Houses will be presenting 5 slides in ten minutes during the 5 in 10 presentations showcasing their projects and achievements in the past year. These include the Food IQ Project by East Devonport and the DIGnity Supported Gardening Project, which is a combined effort between the Okines and Dunally Houses.
Over 2016-17, the Network has evaluated and
measured the outcomes of their activities. The data
that Houses have collected is a rich source of information about the difference that Houses make in and for their communities. For example:
 In 2016-17, over 1 250 volunteers contributed an average of 145 hours every week per House; that’s the equivalent of 3.8 full time positions per community!
 Over 680 000 contacts by community members across the network over a year. An average of 477 contacts at each House per week;
 74 % of participants are more confident because of their contact with the House;
 81% of participants report they feel safer;
 82% have increased their knowledge and skills; and
 86% said they have increased their participation in community because of being connected with a House.
The Conference is a wonderful opportunity for the Houses to share their stories and gain new knowledge of what is working in communities around the State. They will have the chance to meet volunteers and staff facing similar community issues to them, and build meaningful relationships to support each other throughout the year. It is always great to talk to someone who “gets” what you’re dealing with.
It’s also a lot of fun – socialising at the George Town Neighbourhood House on night one, and on night two our Conference Dinner will have a dress up theme in
honour of George Town…. “G – No Strings Attached”. We shudder to think what people might do with that theme!
Houses are grass roots, real places and our conference is no different!
Please check out our video to understand just what Houses are about. http://nht.org.au/video/
www.facebook.com/neighbourhoodhouses
John Hooper, Executive Officer, Neighbourhood Houses Tasmania