As it has been for millennia, people are at the heart of collaboration. After all, enjoying positive impacts in our communities is rarely solo work.
It’s the shared visions of collaborating organisations, clubs, local government, and communities that form Newman Futures that deliver positive impacts for the people of Newman.
Organisations such as Newman Neighbourhood Centre, 54 Reasons, The Y, Newman Women’s Shelter, and Ashburton Aboriginal Corporation reach different community members, but together, they’re impacting the Town of Newman.
“Working with other organisations and partnering with them is integral to what we do. If we’re all running in different directions, we’re not maximising the potential of our combined services,” said Peta Baer of the Newman Neighbourhood Centre.
“It’s so important that we come together and collaborate so that we can provide the best outcomes to the community,” said Peta.
The seemingly impossible come to life when we can amplify different voices in and outside the room and shine a light on pathways of possibility.
Sharon Greenwood of 54 Reasons has witnessed this and resonates with the importance of collaboration.
“We work with many other agencies, and some of our most important work is the meetings we’re part of that provide a context for inter-referring across other organisations,” said Sharon.
“The way I see it, we each have different gifts to bring to the table and share. When we understand what we have, we can serve others better,” Sharon added.
Jordan Eustace of Ashburton Aboriginal Corporation has also seen the positive impact of working together.
“Collaborating with others helps us to provide the resources that others need and assist the community as a whole. Of course, we don’t need everything to provide a holistic service, but we do need to understand what other organisations offer to source all the missing pieces that work together to form a full picture,” said Jordan.
“Those relationships take time to form, but the whole community wins when we work together,” Jordan added.
Arina Aoina of Newman Women’s Shelter is impressed with the depth of collaboration.
“The level of collaboration in Newman is sophisticated and prioritised by all sectors of the community. There is a strong commitment to doing things together. ,” said Arina.
“COVID deepened those ties in some ways. It forced us to rely on each other and support one another so that we could deliver better outcomes together,” said Arina.
Newman Women’s Shelter demonstrating their commitment towards a shared future by signing the Cultural Compact back in August, 2021.
Collaboration builds trust. Not only between the collaborating groups within the community members who can see different groups working together for their benefit. The result is a deeper trust in the heart behind the work and more sustainable impacts.
As part of their role in Newman Futures, Creating Communities has championed the power of collective impact in delivering positive outcomes for the Newman community.
“Through the Newman Futures project we’ve seen the impact of collaboration on the success of project delivery,” Creating Communities’ Collective Impact Lead, Jess Barker said.
“For many years, these projects were considered desirable, but through collaboration they’ve come to life. It’s rewarding to see those shared outcomes realised,” Jess said.
“When we dream together and are willing to embrace some joint aims, we’re able to collaborate and jointly hold a common passage to progress,” Jess said.
Possibility and opportunity are on the other side of collaboration. And the winner is the communities with which we work.
Sammi Ryder of The Y summed it up nicely.
“When we get together and work together, we get things done, and our impact is far greater,” said Sammi.
Newman Futures. Sustainable, positive impact. Together.
