When I look around my community, I see so much potential to bring people closer together and create a safer environment for our younger generations. I live in Oranga, and notice many things that trouble me, from the small gang presence to constant fights and police questioning every few weeks regarding a fight down the road, or next door. I understand pumping a huge amount of resources into fixing these issues is unreasonable, considering we are such a small suburb of Auckland, and there are much more important issues that need addressing. However I think that through various projects and initiatives, the council and even volunteers can help bring this community together and instill a sense of pride and appreciation.
Browsing the internet I came across a community clean up scheme that was being utilised in Lambeth, London. This was becoming more and more popular, and more residents were approaching the Lambeth Council, showing enthusiasm in cleaning up their community roads and public spaces. It showed direct influence on pride in their communities, and I believe it is a good project for Oranga and even Onehunga and Penrose, to encourage participation and co-operation to develop that pride, and also for developing relationships (Lambeth Council: 2011)
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| Source: Lambeth Council: 2011 |
I thought this project was an interesting and low cost approach to instilling pride in our communities.
Lambeth Council. (2011) Community Freshview [Online] Available: http://www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/TransportStreets/StreetCareCleaning/CommunityFreshview.htm (Accessed 28/04/2011)
