December 2023

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

December Issue

Welcome to the latest issue of the Greater Whitsunday Communities E-Newsletter.

Greater Whitsunday Communities acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we live, and work and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and future.

We can hardly believe another year is coming to an end already! The speed in which the time has flown by over the past 12 months is a testament to how busy this year has been. This was reflected at our recent AGM, which highlighted the many great projects and initiatives that Greater Whitsunday Communities has undertaken over the past year. The Annual report demonstrates the hard work and commitment of our small team- Read the 2022-2023 Annual Report here>

We will be continuing our focus on regional housing, youth and governance support in 2024 and will be reaching out to and supporting all 18 localities over the Greater Whitsunday Region.

We thank our members, funders, partners and collaborators for their continued support and alliance with Greater Whitsunday Communities. We wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas and New Year, and look forward to engaging with you again in 2024.

The Greater Whitsunday Communities Team

Looking back and moving forward | A recap of the Better Together Housing Workshop

On the 7th of November, Greater Whitsunday Communities hosted to an evaluation and review workshop for the Better Together Housing initiative facilitated by Coast 2 Bay Housing. This gathering brought together members and collaborative partners of the initiative, creating a platform for open dialogue aimed at shaping the future of the program in Mackay. Read more>

Project Update | GWCoM Suicide Prevention Project- Moving towards implementing Pathways Connect

As the delivery partner for the Greater Whitsunday Council of Mayors (GWCoM) Suicide Prevent Project, Greater Whitsunday has engaged a consultant to progress the implementation of the proposed Pathways Connect codesign pilot model Read more>

Activating local initiative through collaboration | Greater Whitsunday Housing Project

Following the Greater Whitsunday Housing Summit on 15 August, GWC has been pursuing a number of local collaborative initiatives that were identified at the summit including the Housing Alliance Project, affordable workers accommodation and facilitating a local working group. Read more>

Exciting News | Certified Social Traders

Greater Whitsunday Communities is proud to announce that we have recently completed our certification as Social Traders. Certification as a social trader holds significant advantages due to the nature of social enterprises, which are established with the primary goal of generating impact through trade. Read more>

Pilot Program | Fostering Young Community Leaders

In the spirit of fostering active youth engagement and community leadership, Greater Whitsunday Communities were involved in a collaborative effort including the Mackay Regional Council, Mirani State High School, in the development and implementation of a Youth Community Leadership Program. Read more>

Speaking up with the regional voice | Our role in the Isaac Navicare pilot for Mental Health

Since 2021 , GWCommunities has been involved with Wesley Medical Research and QUT in undertaking a three-phased project to develop and deliver a new model of mental health care to address the rising demand for mental health services in rural and regional Queensland. This involved a co-design process of engagement with the Isaac mining communities to determine a pilot model of care. Read more>

Connecting women to health information and services across the regions | Community Health and Information Days

In September and October, we tackled women's health needs head-on, undertaking two community health and information events targeted at women in Mackay and Cannonvale. These events contribute to building a stronger, healthier community by addressing not only physical health but also the social fabric that binds us together. Read more >

Isaac Project | Resilience Maturity Scorecard

Greater Whitsunday Communities has been working with CSIA over the past 18-months on the now publicly available FREE, easy-to-use, and secure Community Services Disaster Resilience Maturity Scorecard and Playbook. We are now supporting community organisations across the Isaac Region to complete their Scorecard and utilize the resources in the Playbook. Read more>

Other Greater Whitsunday Community News

Learning and sharing | GWC goes to the Queensland Community Development Conference.

Senior Coordinator Dorne Wallace and Project Worker Lauren Pattie attended the 2023 Queensland Community Development Conference in October where they shared their learnings from recent projects and gained new knowledge and networks.