Positive impacts of CAN WA working with the Shire of Coolgardie

Positive impacts of CAN WA working with the Shire of Coolgardie

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Introduction

Heterogeneous Australian communities are strengthened by the robust network of social links, human services and a range of local interest groups that respond to certain local needs. The question of what constitutes these kinds of communities and how they are governed and maintained is of key interest when it comes to outlining the impacts of the relationship between the not-for-profit organisations and the local government on the local communities (Boris, n.d.). Within the context of Coolgardie, a non-for-profit organization called the Community Arts Network WA (CAN WA) employs a community-based approach in drawing the youth and other members of the community into task-focused arts, workshops, dance, music, story-telling pieces, narratives and performance theatre (Palmer & Moorhouse, n.d.). These are in addition to several other arts-based and performance activities, such as producing broad community events, in addition to the intrinsic value of providing art and performance to indigenous and non-indigenous individuals living in Coolgardie. The local government has statutory responsibilities to ensure community development. With the assistance of CAN WA, the task is greatly achievable since the non-profit organization has greater sense of state of local communities and their needs. This essay shows that impressive outcomes of attaining social inclusion are achieved when the local government and the not-for-profit organisations work together in delivery of service

Positive Impacts of CAN WA working with the Shire of Coolgardie

Engaging communities towards cultural developments

CAN WA, takes a proactive role in the ongoing task of engaging the community, in collaboration with the Shire of Coolgardie, in cultural development. This daring step has been significant for the overall healing of the local cultures across the entire Australia. Founded in 1985, CAN WA is a non-profit organisation that has since supported communities through facilitation of cultural development and community arts, so as to promote community welfare (Palmer & Moorhouse, n.d.). The wide community engagement stimulates creative talents in arts, generates fascinating artworks and delivers substantial community services that promote community buoyancy, cohesion and networks (Whitaker & Drennan, 2007). CAN WA, generates huge benefits and synergies to the community working with the local government of Shire of Coolgardie. Although this is unusual, since the organization is focused in arts, it is a positive step towards promoting arts and culture, in addition to supporting certain community aspects, such as indigenous youth engagement (Figure 1) (CAN WA, 2008).

Improving social interactions

While working on behalf of the local government, it is reasoned that CAN WA activities are intended to bring together the geographically-isolated community members (Palmer & Moorhouse, n.d.). The organisation also seeks to encourage the interacting of indigenous and non-indigenous members of the community, as well as other people from different cultural background. Those living within the Shire come from different cultural background, such as New Zealanders, Croatians, Africans, Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, Indians, Samoans and Filipinos. Next, it presents opportunities of social, as well as personal development, through training, education and employment. Last, it seeks to help the local communities to take part in community life and local government activities. In its community development strategy, CAN WA has also used arts to help create social spaces to enable people to meet, watch and participate in art and performances and establish degrees of intimacy (CAN WA 2011).

Promotion of social cohesion and equity

Due to the increased service delivery pressures, given the rapidly growing populations, there is a need to establish resilient and cohesive communities (COSS, 2012l Mayberry et al. 2006). Despite the focus towards promoting arts and culture, an obviously impressive aspect of CAN WA’s is the manner in which it has applied art, performance and creativeness in engaging the indigenous communities, in addition to drawing the non-indigenous communities together. This specific role has been substantially useful in making it possible for the Shire of Coolgardie local government to promote varied dimensions of equity in providing community services, such as ethnicity and race (DHS, 2012). Within the context of Western Australia, the unrelenting and undesirable gap in access to healthcare and outcomes by ethnicity and race has raised many questions on social justice, fairness and equity, because of the history of discrimination in the country and the struggles of the society to free itself from the remnants of de fact and legal segregation (Rentschler et al., 2008).

Facilitating social change

CAN WA’s technique of employing arts to promote social and community change has functioned in a range of ways in building healthier communities (Ruane, 2007). In partnership with the Shire of Coolgardie, it has promoted social networks, as well as linked individuals with their wider social environment. Examples include the capacity to act autonomously and to work effectively in heterogeneous groups, through the use of interactive and creative arts meant for public exhibition (Palmer & Moorhouse, n.d.). Taking another perspective, the CAN WA can also be viewed in organic terms. To this end, they serve as the forerunner of the local government in social affairs. Therefore, its activities stand out as one of the most basic means of forming social relationships that link communities and local government together (Joassart-Marcelli, 2009).

Promoting civic participations

CAN WA plays a critical role in offering avenues for civic participation, in addition to representation of local government interests in the heterogeneous society (Palmer & Moorhouse, n.d.). To this end, it aggregates diverse interests and values, which it represents to the local government, through lobbying of the local government or political advocacy (Smith, 2012). Civic participation can strengthen the community’s capacity, since the arts play an essential role in promoting the social wellbeing of the communities (Ruane, 2007). In fact, there is evidence suggesting that application of arts in economic stimulation, rural revitalisation and capacity building (Mchenry, 2011). In particular, the role of local government and CAN WA, in civic participation, has been focused on achieving community sustainability.

Achieving social capital

Fostering social capital implies creating social networks that are supported by reciprocity and trust, hence transforming into an essential component of policies that trigger social inclusions. Through participatory arts in various places in Coolgardie Shire — namely Coolgardie, Kambalda, Widgiemooltha and Kurrawang –, CAN WA has provided people living with these communities with an opportunity to express their cultures, through the performance arts and artwork. Indeed, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that social capital is significant for the overall wellbeing and inclusion of communities and individuals (Ruane, 2007).

Taking on a civil-society approach, which examines the roles that non-profit organizations take in creating social capital and interaction to their underlying communities, it is perceivable that CAN WA has engaged in creating social networks and relationships to connect the individuals with each other. According to Will and Baker (2013), such relationships, promoted by the non-profit organisations, establish trust and corporation that is necessary for effective functioning of politic, society and economy.

Educating the youth and the community

CAN WA, has also played advocacy roles in educating the communities and encouraging them to advocate for community development, through active participation and possibly on the community initiative (Ruane, 2007). CAN WA believes that improving the education levels and skills development is a crucial policy approach to combating social exclusion, specifically with the hope of improving employability of the residents of Coolgardie, Kambalda, Widgiemooltha and Kurrawang (Palmer & Moorhouse, n.d.). Studies have indicated that individuals with higher education levels are likely to exhibit greater levels of social trust (Ruane, 2007).

Promoting public policy

CAN WA’s is a politically active organisation. Its influences are also evident in taking part in politics indirectly and developing structures to promote policy agendas and involvements in non-partisan political campaigns. The organisation has engaged in building community engagement in community development and public policy, through the storytelling component of its performing art activities (Figure 1) (Palmer & Moorhouse, n.d.). Through storytelling, CAN WA has translated public policies from empty utterances into languages and performances that both indigenous and non-indigenous people in Coolgardie Shire can meaningfully understand. According to Palmer and Sonn (n.d.), the basis of using performance in promoting public policy to the people is due to the fact that performance allows moving beyond conversing about community to act. Additionally, it is relatively easy to articulate certain policies through acted performances than it is to encode them in words for certain people to understand.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 1: Map of art illustrating use of arts in social inclusion

When it comes to civic activities, CAN WA informs and influences the local domestic economic and social policy, such as nonpartisan demonstration of projects. In particular, CAN WA involves in the change since it aims at gaining more visibility for its projects and ideas, as well as pursue the role of advocates when it comes to ideological agendas (Palmer & Moorhouse, n.d.). CAN WA, also attempts to influence public policy, through demonstration of efficacy of various approaches in the issues of population and economic development. To this end, they may perform experimental programs and assess outcomes, which they communicate to the local government. They also have direct influence on policy agendas.

Challenges CAN WA faces

The growing complexity of community needs, within Coolgardie Shire, is a major challenge towards achieving the CAN WA objectives. However, this has often been overlooked in program funding. Where CAN WA provides support for community project needs, stability and sustenance of financing. These inconsistencies have often affected CAN WA’s budgeting plan as more funds and longer funding cycles have often been necessary to face the complexities. Based on a CAN WA’s survey of its staff, the organisation found that its members of staff complained about the complexities associated with the new realities they met on the field, in response to new culture or cultural barriers.

The ability to come up with a degree of cultural literacy or to translate a work across many languages in Coolgardie Shire has been a major challenge, specifically in translating public policy agendas, through performing arts (Figure 1). To make sure that the message reaches the entire members of the heterogeneous society, including the Indigenous languages, there has always been the necessity to understand its references, in order to put it into context. To this end, CAN WA staff and artists have been faced with the challenge of going an extra mile to learn the languages, idioms and repertories of representation that motivate contemporary work. This is a challenge for CAN WA, specifically since those living within the Shire come from different cultural background, such as New Zealanders, Croatians, Africans, Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, Indians, Samoans and Filipinos.

Gender issues have also posed as a barrier in empowering the society in Coolgardie Shire as whole. For instance, the lacking support for women who practice art, specifically among the indigenous community in the area is an emerging issue at present. According to CAN WA, women face many obstacles in their efforts to participate in the arts sector, specifically in some Indigenous cultures where the women are the designated child-carers and homemakers. In the same vein, women who are the main care-givers to their elderly relatives face an added barrier in participating in the CAN WA arts programs.

According to CAN WA, working in contact zones, such as remote locations in Coolgardie Shire is difficult and may leave the workers exposed to risks. From a survey of its staff, CAN WA stated that its members of staff stressed on the disappointments and anxieties they experienced working in different contact zones. Additionally, the community conditions may at some instances overburden the members of staff involved in the community development project, hence triggering a sense of disempowerment or disappointment (Families Australia, 2007).

While CAN WA has always showed readiness to pursue public policy advocacy on behalf of the membership or government, it has often felt constrained as there are other contracted government public service providers. Hence, cases of tensions arising have in some instances been noted.

Conclusion

Impressive outcomes of attaining social inclusion are achieved when the local govern and the not-for-profit organisations work together in delivery of service. These include engaging communities towards cultural developments, improving social interactions, promotion of social cohesion and equity, facilitating social change, promoting civic participations and achieving social capital.

Therefore, the interaction between non-for-profit organizations and the local government of Coolgardie Shire is both dynamic and complex and involves shifts in political administration, economic and social policy. Its overall impacts have been conciliatory and positive rather than divisionart and antagonistic. This has however depended on mix of CAN WA activities and relationship with the local government. Of course examining the CAN WA activities in the aggregate calls for overgeneralisations. This makes its extensively divergent and diverse contribution, roles and interactions in the Coolgardie Shire the local government less clear or obvious.

References

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