With the festive season almost upon us, it is an important time to reflect on what it means to be part of a healthy, happy and cohesive community. Community plays a vital role in our wellbeing, providing a sense of place, purpose and belonging.
Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation is working to build community resilience that supports us all to adapt to the social and environmental changes we are experiencing now, and prepare for those changes ahead of us.
As our ageing population continues to grow, we need to create age-friendly communities that address the social isolation and disadvantage often experienced by older people. New technology is helping seniors to build and sustain connections to their community, however with the increasing growth of businesses going online, they also need real-time assistance to access online support services.
Climate change poses new health challenges that will disproportionately affect certain members of our community, including older people, young children, people who are on low incomes or unemployed and those experiencing disadvantage or marginalisation.1 Communities need to strengthen their resilience and be prepared for extreme weather events, which place greater demand on public health and emergency services.
Community resilience depends on social cohesion, where all people can actively participate in community life, building relationships and skills, encouraging intercultural understanding and a sense of belonging. Melbourne is a wonderfully multicultural community, however we need to aspire for greater trust and respect to eliminate discrimination.2
From all of us at Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation we’d like to wish you a very happy holiday season, as you celebrate the many festivals we embrace in Melbourne at this time of the year.
Catherine Brown
Chief Executive Officer