Loddon Shire Mayoral Column
Published on 16 March 2020
Youth Strategy on display for comment
Well supported and energised young people contribute to rural economies, community groups, local governance and provision of services.
At the February meeting, Council voted to release the draft Youth Strategy for public comment.
The new Youth Strategy was developed throughout 2019 using the services of the Conversation Caravan to undertake consultation and engagement with young people in the Shire. The strategy creates a framework to effectively plan for, and consider the future needs of young people living in and returning to Loddon.
The strategy looked at common themes which resonated with young people, including access to education, employment, travel, healthcare, entertainment, connection to friends and families and connection to the land.
Four strategic objectives provide the framework to assist in bringing about the changes asked for by young people, which include strengthening connections, considering young people in decisions and actions, providing engaging experiences and equipping young people for change.
The Youth Strategy is available on Council’s website https://www.loddon.vic.gov.au/Our-Council/Documents-for-public-comment. Written comments on the plan are welcome and need to be submitted by 5pm Friday 3 April 2020.
Deliver excellence to customers
Council is committed to ensuring attractive and vibrant town centres, which includes working with local town traders to help deliver services to attract tourists and visitors to our region.
One activity from our Economic Development and Tourism Strategy is to organise workshops to develop customer service skills in town businesses to impress both visitors and residents.
A customer service workshop will be held on Tuesday 5 May at the Wedderburn Council office to provide an opportunity for local business operators to enhance their business by improving the customer experience.
The workshop will be run by Despina Karatzias who is a passionate tourism professional, published author and business coach with over 15 years’ experience. Despina is dedicated to empowering business owners by delivering inspired training in social media, digital marketing and practical hands-on tourism training.
The three-hour workshop will show operators how to create a truly customer-centric business and empower their teams to provide the best service possible.
Cost for the workshop is $11 per person, including morning tea and lunch. Bookings are essential and can be made until Thursday 23 April with the Loddon Visitor Information Centre.
Women on Farms PopUp Market
As I have mentioned previously, Inglewood is proud to be hosting this year’s Women on Farms Gathering later in March. As part of the activities to showcase the region, a PopUp Market will be held at the Inglewood Town Hall during the registrations.
The mini market will shine the spotlight on local produce and will be located in the heart of the Gathering on Friday 28 March from 1pm until 5.30pm. This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet and shop with producers, makers and creatives from across the Loddon Valley region.
Stallholders already locked in include Salute Olives, Warana Crafts, Bridgewater Berets, Chocolate Chameleon, Krafty Stuff & Things, Wally’s Dog Café, Original Spirit Co, Honey and Beeswax Products and many more.
To enquire about the Market and find out more about hosting a stall, contact Carly Noble, 0439 374 549 and email: parksiderun@gmail.com
Victoria’s new Volunteer Strategy
Loddon Shire has a strong sense of self-reliance and community spirit, and this is reflected in our rate of volunteerism, with around 32 per cent of our population volunteering over a number of community organisations.
The new Victorian Government Volunteer Strategy is aimed at helping Victorians get the support they need to help others and to strengthen the volunteering culture into the future. Volunteers across the state are invited to have their say on how the government supports nearly a million people who give up their time to volunteer each year.
In Loddon, volunteers face additional challenges relating to distance, small population and a heavy reliance on volunteers to provide essential services. Our own Volunteer Strategy was adopted by Council in 2019 and included the engagement of a dedicated Volunteer Support Officer over two years. Her role involves coordinating a Council-supported approach to volunteers, volunteer programs and organisations with a focus on the particular needs of rural communities.
Volunteers, community members and leaders from community organisations are encouraged to share their experiences and views about the challenges and opportunities they face when volunteering in the Loddon Shire.
To have your say online visit https://engage.vic.gov.au/victorian-volunteer-strategy before 31 May 2020
Did you know
One of the best ways to stay up-to-date with news and events in the Shire is by following our Facebook page. The page provides the latest information on coming events, job vacancies, community grants, found animals, the current Mayoral Column, media releases as well as links and shares to other relevant sites.
The page also has regular posts that include useful information to ongoing events such as the library Storytimes schedules, immunisation times, hard waste collections and free waste disposal days.
To stay in the loop, like and follow the page at https://www.facebook.com/LoddonShire/