CONNECT Warrnambool

Project Summary

CONNECT is an integrated online hub that is the first of its kind in Australia. Open 24/7 it is accessible to all … And while it has an address; it is a meeting place without walls or doors.

A connected community is a resilient community. CONNECT utilises the power of online communications to provide a new way to meet, communicate and connect – both in good times and when challenges arise.

CONNECT is designed to make it easy for residents and groups to share information, ideas, events, opportunities and get to know each other better.

The website includes a custom-built community directory with hundreds of local groups, clubs and organisations; and Facebook provides them with a huge platform to share and distribute information to the wider community.

Background and Situation Context

CONNECT began as Great South Coast Recovers, which was envisaged as “a website and network that enables councils to capture and develop volunteer resources, donations, list club and service resources and act as an information point for local communities in the time of a disaster” (Resilient Community Program Grant Application).

The initial plan to achieve this was to purchase an existing website product, Recovers, which registers people and groups in order to enlist them in emergency recovery efforts. This procurement was to be followed by a community and organisational engagement and awareness program.

Research in the early stages of the project however, indicated that:

• creating something that is only used in an emergency context means it could potentially be un-used for years;
• this limited use would present difficulties such as ongoing awareness of the site, how to use it and forgotten login details; and
• engaging people in emergency information in isolation from something they’re already doing or interested in is very challenging.

Research also indicated that connected communities with capacity to support each other bounce back more strongly after an emergency and so from this initial setback, a concept emerged to build an online meeting place to allow people and groups to connect everyday - not just when things go wrong.

Activities

A resilient community is a CONNECTED community. CONNECT has been custom designed to be flexible and innovative and can be altered to respond to local events as they happen. It engages the whole community, including groups and individuals not usually involved with emergency management, and continuous use will build familiarity and embed CONNECT as the ‘go to’ point during recovery. It can also be harnessed for sustained resilience and well-being, rather than being left, to taper away outside recovery and renewal processes.

Building the Product

As the CONNECT concept took shape, the components that would work together as a cohesive and powerful ‘whole’ were identified:

• A vastly improved community directory that not only provides information about group and club activities, but also captures their skills, interests, resources and volunteering opportunities;
• A volunteer resource hub;
• An emergency information hub
• What’s on’ links to calendars of events;
• A Facebook platform as a virtual community noticeboard to find out about local activities and events, get involved in community projects, or ask questions and share ideas.

It delivers

• A substantially improved and more searchable database of clubs, groups and organisations for use by the community.
• An online updating function for community organisations to maintain and update their own profiles.
• A database for emergency agencies (including Councils) to locate community assets, equipment, skills and other resources during emergency recovery (e.g. marquees, temporary furniture, equipment, registered kitchens, first aiders, volunteers etc.).
• New searchable fields including skills and interests; and membership and volunteering opportunities.
• A single, credible source of local emergency alerts and preparedness information via direct links to Emergency Management Victoria, as well as agency websites and social media - including CFA, SES, VICPOL, DELWP, VicRoads.
• Capacity to highlight current and local messages.

A social media platform included

• clubs and organisations can communicate with each other and with residents;
• ideas are shared, questions can be asked and responses sought from other members of the CONNECT community;
• opportunities to get involved in local events, activities and volunteering are encouraged and promoted;
• new residents can find out about what’s happening/available;
• good news and positive stories about living in the local area are sourced and shared;
• a ‘can do’ attitude is supported;
• helping & supporting each other is encouraged.

Outcomes

• CONNECT Warrnambool website hosting the new Warrnambool Community Directory - with 220+ local clubs, groups and organisations on a self-managed, automated database, capturing for the first time the infrastructure, skills, resources and capacity these groups could offer the community in times of emergency.
• CONNECT Warrnambool Facebook Page - a new communications channel designed to let community groups and individuals 'get to know each other better' – 5000+ followers (2018)
• CONNECT Annual communications plan which includes promotion of CONNECT's capacity to promote events/activities/good news, health and wellbeing campaigns, and seasonal emergency preparedness messages.
• From July 2017 – February 2018 posts which promoted emergency preparedness, awareness campaigns by emergency agencies and weather warnings achieved the following regional reach and response within 50kms of Warrnambool.

Reflection

Connect Warrnambool is a unique platform which took significant resources to build, launch, nurture and develop a brand and trusted reputation. It offers a model for others to consider and potentially implement. As a pro-active tool, it has built community connection and engagement so that the reach of the platform can be utilised on when challenges arise. It aims to ensure the community are informed, aware and connected.

Launched in mid-September 2015, the platform has received strong support from groups and organisations, and a very positive response from individual users. Connect Warrnambool Facebook page has grown to have more than 5000 followers (20% of the total target Warrnambool/sub regional audience active on Facebook). Engagement and reach of the Facebook platform now exceeds 20,000 individuals per month.

A challenge has been that due to its success other municipalities have shown interest in implementing the CONNECT platform but funding is not available to support its establishment and launch in new communities.

Additional Project Details