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From 'me to we'
We live in a complex world and during challenging times, we all do our best to manage our own busy lives, and our relationships with family, friends and others around us.
Possibly one of the biggest and most positive shifts we have observed has been during the pandemic. So many people (and not just the usual people!) have been stepping up, reaching out and helping others, in both small and big ways.
Checking in on a neighbour (in person, a phone call or online), helping with shopping, dropping off a meal, volunteering (unofficially, and for some who can, officially), has become the norm for many.
Despite busy lives, many have moved from ‘me to we’ - and they feel better for it.
Some of us are living in an extended supportive community, where reaching out to others has become part of our daily lives.
However this not everyone’s experience.
There are just over four weeks before we celebrate 20 years of Neighbour Day, on Sunday 27 March, and now is the perfect time to think about what you might do to mark this anniversary of connecting communities.
This time on the Verandah we share a new Neighbourly Blog from Resilient Sydney about how metro councils are connecting their communities; we remind you about our free webinar; introduce you to two new Very Neighbourly Organisations, as well as showcase a swag of ideas and resources to help you connect.
Also, don’t forget to Tell Us Your Story! Entries close 12MN Sunday 27 February and there are cash gift vouchers to be won.
So grab a cuppa and join us on your virtual Verandah!
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Our friends at Resilient Sydney kindly wrote a guest blog sharing their experience with Sydney metropolitan councils and Neighbour Day.
“In the third year of a global pandemic, there is no better time to beat the COVID iso and make every day ‘Neighbour Day’. A group of councils working with Resilient Sydney have been getting their communities better connected through a diverse range of actions to promote the Neighbour Day campaign to metropolitan Sydney communities.
Extreme weather events and the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated challenges for Sydney communities. International research and our combined lived experience of the last two years confirms that staying connected is vital for communities during and after disasters, as strong community connections and neighbours help people help each other to get through a tough time. Everyone needs good local connections in an emergency.”
Read the full blog here.
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What we've learnt
Relationships Australia invites you to attend a free 1-hour webinar Wednesday, 2pm, 2 March 2022, exploring what we have learnt through the growth of Neighbour Day - from its beginnings as a reminder to check on your elderly and vulnerable neighbours, to its current role as a social and public health campaign.
Presenters from the Australian National University Research School of Psychology and Relationships Australia will outline the effects Neighbour Day has had on hosts, participants and the wider community, with a special focus on our work supporting communities throughout the pandemic.
Places are filling fast!
Please join us! Register your interest here.
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Very neighbourly
This month we warmly welcome two NEW Very Neighbourly Organisations that make connection and inclusion an everyday thing.
Crisis Heroes is a free community online platform empowering everyday Aussies to get or give help in minutes. Community heroes helping those in need. Need help with shopping, supplies, food, mail, business or emotional support? Crisis Heroes can help.
Dignity empowers people at risk of or experiencing homelessness to prevent, respond to and end their homelessness. They provide supported temporary accommodation, longer-term housing, food relief and facilitate multiple programs that strengthen communities.
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Tell Us Your Story
Entries close 12MN Sunday 27 February!
To reflect the Connecting Communities for 20 years theme for Neighbour Day 2022, we invite people to tell us their stories of connections in recent times, or perhaps over the years. These social connections may be one-off moments or regular and lasting interactions that create one to one relationships or become the starting point for an ongoing group.
Our annual Tell Us Your Story competition is open for entries. The national prize is a $400 gift voucher, with $100 gift vouchers for the winners of each state and territory.
Entries close 12MN Sunday 27 February 2022 and we will announce winners in early March, sharing stories each week up to Neighbour Day. Find out more here.
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Days to connect in person or virtually
There are good (and often important!) reasons to connect every single day.
Here are a few days to help get you started.
And remember, every day is neighbour day.
February 18 – March 6 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras – The 2022 theme UNITED WE SHINE signifies that when we band together, we shine brighter. It is a rallying call to stand up against hate and inequality, reminding us that when we rise as a collective, our message of love and inclusion is heard louder.
February 25 Business Clean Up Day - Businesses doing their part to promote a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. A fantastic way to be seen as a community leader and engage with your staff, customers and the local community. This date is to be confirmed.
February 27 Tell Us Your Story competition. Last day to share your story of connection by entering Neighbour Day's annual competition with great prizes to be won!
March 2 Relationships Australia free Webinar – Neighbour Day Connecting Communities for 20 years - What we’ve learnt.
March 5-13 Parks Week is about hundreds of organisations across Australia and New Zealand holding events to celebrate the vital role parks play in creating liveable cities and thriving communities. Parks Week 2022 will focus on the how spending time in our parks and open spaces positively influences our wellbeing.
March 14 - 25 A Taste of Harmony celebrates diversity in Australian workplaces by encouraging colleagues to share food and stories from different cultural backgrounds.
March 15 -22 April Passover - A Jewish holiday where people recite special blessings or prayers, visit their synagogue, listen to readings from the Torah, and eat a ceremonial meal, which is centred around the Seder Plate and red wine or red grape juice.
March 17 Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, "the Day of the Festival of Patrick"), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385-461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
March 18 Close the Gap Day - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are still dying 10 to 17 years younger than other Australians. For that reason, more than 40 national organisations came together in 2006 to form Close the Gap - Australia's largest ever campaign to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
March 18 Ride2SchoolDay day encourages children to become more active and healthy in and out of school. Children participate by walking, riding or scooting to school.
March 20 International Day of Happiness - Do something, big or small, to take part on 20 March and bring happiness to others. Everyone wants to be happy - and life is happier when we're together. So let's celebrate our common humanity. Join the community and be part of this special day.
March 20-27 Multiple Birth Awareness Week – Multiple Birth Awareness Week is a celebration of families raising twins, triplets, and more. The day also aims to raise awareness of the challenges that go hand-in-hand with raising these children.
March 21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination - Celebrated on the anniversary of the 1960 shooting of 69 anti-apartheid protestors, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is a reminder to continue breaking down all forms of racism and racial discrimination.
March 21 Naw-Ruz (New Year) Baha’I - is the Bahá'í and Iranian new year. It occurs on the date of the vernal equinox, and symbolises the new life of spring.
March 21 World Poetry Day - The United Nations describes poetry as another facet of the dialogue among cultures. World Poetry Day is a celebration of the contribution made to society by poetry. Why not pen a neighbourly poem?
March 26 Earth Hour – 830pm - Earth Hour is an international sustainability movement, where individuals and businesses are encouraged to turn off all lights for an hour. Earth Hour aims to increase awareness of the impact we have on our world through the use of fossil fuels and electricity.
March 21-27 National Playgroup Week - Playgroups perform an important role in providing parent and carer support and in promoting the value of play for young children. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the wonderful work undertaken all over Australia by dedicated parent and carer volunteers to keep playgroups running. A great way to connect!
March 21-27 Harmony Week - Celebrate our cultural diversity by living the Harmony Week message everyone belongs in your workplace, community, school, sporting group, local councils and state governments. From the traditional owners of this land to those who have come from many countries around the world. By participating in Harmony Week activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians from diverse backgrounds equally belong to this nation and enrich it.
March 21-27 Neurodiversity Celebration Week - Neurodiversity Celebration Week currently has over 600 schools taking part across the UK, Australia, Canada and the US. The campaign aims to change negative perceptions about autism and learning differences. It also aims to encourage schools flip the narrative from focusing on the challenges and difficulties that neurodiverse students face, to also focusing on their talents and strengths.
March 27 Neighbour Day - Neighbour Day is Relationships Australia’s social connection campaign. It aims to support and enable sustainable respectful relationships across communities, while also helping to address loneliness across the nation. Celebrations can occur at any time throughout the year however Neighbour Day is noted annually as the last Sunday in March. Why not do something neighbourly to celebrate Neighbour Day: Connecting Communities for 20 years!
March 21-28 Cultural Diversity Week (VIC) – Multiculturalism is a core part of the Victorian identity, character and way of life. As home to people from all corners of the world, Victoria is a place where anyone can contribute and belong. This year's Cultural Diversity Week theme pushes the boundaries and asks: What does multicultural Victoria look like in 2030? Through a hybrid offering of in-person and digital events, they invite participants to ask the big questions, spark constructive conversations and envision the future of Victorian multiculturalism.
March 25 – 3 April NSW Seniors Festival is the largest festival for seniors in the Southern Hemisphere, reaching up to 500,000 seniors each year. If you are over 60, NSW Seniors Festival gives you the chance to make new friends or get together with old ones at an array of local community events, many which are free or heavily discounted.
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Keeping you & your neighbours safe
We recommend that people make themselves aware of the public health authorities’ advice and only do whatever neighbourly actions that are safe to do.
Visit https://www.health.gov.au/ to stay up to date and informed, so that you can keep your neighbourhood healthy.
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