ABOUT US

From High Wycombe to Pickering Brook, Hacketts Gully to Wattle Grove, the Shire of Kalamunda is full of amazing people, groups, places & things.  

Did you know that Lesmurdie has a surf club, how Bickley got its name, or that someone down the street in Forrestfield can help you learn French?  90% of us want to connect more with our neighbours.  All We Need is Right Here is a community initiative to help people to discover, to connect and to celebrate our people, groups, places and things.

We want to help make visible to residents all those assets – that is our people, groups, places and things – which make the Shire of Kalamunda so unique, and connect them to people in meaningful ways.

Why? 

International and national studies focused on what makes healthy, inclusive and prosperous communities highlight the importance of communities being able to know their assets and opportunities and being able to connect and build upon them. This type of approach is called Asset Based Community Development (ABCD An Overview).

Too warm and fuzzy for you?  Well, people in communities that excel at these things have many more chances to:

Save and make more money through collaboration and a stronger local economy (thought you’d like that one!);

Meet and work with more people who share similar interests;

Feel more connected and safer in their neighbourhoods;

Persevere through hardship;

Learn more and have fun!

What? 

The Shire of Kalamunda with its population of 50,000+ and 17 diverse geographic communities is incredibly asset rich but has never been systematically asset-mapped.  This asset based community building project was first proposed at a community forum convened by the Forrestfield and Districts Bank where participants identified a need for better networking and activating of all the assets of the community already in place.  The project aims to:

identify and celebrate the personal, organisational, cultural, physical, business and networking assets, capacities and passions of communities within the Shire; map, link and promote these assets and passions to enhance community connection, community involvement, social capital, resource sharing, volunteerism and networking; and identify opportunities and initiatives for connected people, places and things to create positive community outcomes across the Shire.

Our Mission Statement

To discover, connect and act upon celebrate all the wonderful assets, resources and opportunities we have within the communities of the Shire of Kalamunda.

Our Vision Statement

Healthy, connected, inclusive and resilient local streets, neighbourhoods and communities throughout the Shire of Kalamunda.

Our Goals

To map and make visible the human, organisational, cultural, physical and networking assets and capacities of communities in the Shire.

To discover what residents care and are most passionate about.

To empower, enable and facilitate residents to act upon what they care about.

To link and promote these assets and passions to enhance community connection, community involvement, resource sharing, volunteerism and networking.

To identify opportunities and initiatives for the connected assets and passions to create positive community outcomes.

To promote greater awareness of resident, group and community experiences via the collection and presentation of stories.

To build stronger links and relationships between the diverse range of Kalamunda Shire communities and organisations.

Our Guiding Values

Community inclusiveness and engagement – valuing and respecting the contribution of all our community members, regardless of age, gender, ability, ethnicity, cultural background or length of residency.

Partnership and collaboration – local organisations committing to cooperate, collaborate and network to ensure maximum positive outcomes for our community.

Positive growth mindset – fostering community attitudes that embrace change, proactive ‘can do’ behaviours, optimism, hopefulness and the belief in our community being architects and builders of their social and economic future.

Asset and opportunity focus – building upon local assets, capacities, creativity, diversity and existing initiatives; and facilitating opportunities and experiences that enable all our residents to see and experience their community as a place of potential and opportunity.

Respect for the environment and sustainable practices – respecting our natural environment, wildlife and heritage and ensuring that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Collaborative and mindful consumption – promoting sharing, bartering, lending, gifting, and swapping of skills, things, spaces and other resources, as well as continuing to give strong consideration to sustainable practices and local economic initiatives.

Celebration – encouraging pride and times of celebration relating to our community’s’ heritage, uniqueness, cultures and achievements.