Sports Facility Development Plan (10 years) - Brimbank City Council

Community Strengthening Policy (2011)In May 2011, Council adopted the Community Strengthening Policy as a high levelpolicy to guide Council’s commitment to community strengthening in Brimbank.The Community Strengthening Policy acknowledges key strengths, challenges, andgaps in the Brimbank community and addresses how Council can better supportindividuals and community groups to increase civic participation and ensure robust,accessible, and democratic local organisations.The Policy addresses community planning and development, leadership andfacilitation, the delivery of community-strengthening activities, advocacy andreview, and evaluation. It is based on the premise that many aspects of Council’soperations can support community strengthening and that the best outcomes willbe achieved by coordinating this effort with the efforts of Brimbank’s manycommunity groups and local service providers. In developing this policy, Council isemploying community strengthening as a way of exploring more engaged, ‘joinedup,’and networked approaches to governance and policy-making.Community strengthening strategies being pursued by Council involve supportingand investing in:community engagement processes and mechanisms enabling community membersto discuss and identify local concerns, goals, directions, priority actions, andindicators of progresspartnership initiatives linking local communities with public, private, and civilsociety agencies and organisationscommunity infrastructure needed to strengthen local community networks (e.g.cultural, sporting and recreation facilities, meeting places, transport andcommunication links)community building needed to strengthen local community networks (e.g. capacitybuilding, leadership development, information sharing and volunteering supportprograms)SPORTS FACILITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN13