A GROUP in Sebastopol is seeking to become a more tight-knit suburb thanks to an initiative led by staff at the Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre.<\/p>\n
The effort is part of the Connecting Sebastopol endeavour which is being undertaken with the help of the State Government\u2019s $5 million Spotlight on Sebastopol program.<\/p>\n
The initiative saw the creation of the Sebastopol Community Newsletter in October last year, and recently led to a meeting early last month between community members, groups, and business representatives.<\/p>\n
Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre community engagement officer Emily Macdonald is heading the project and said there\u2019s a need for a more tight-knit Sebastopol.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are so many different businesses, organisations, and schools here and we don\u2019t all necessarily know about each other and what we\u2019re doing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no central site or group that helps connect all the groups in Sebastopol so this is a great way to connect each other and create that community spirit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had 25 people in the first meeting. Everyone got a chance to talk about the different work we\u2019re doing and looked at ways we could connect for projects.\u201d<\/p>\n
The initial meeting included representatives from Ballarat Community Health, Sebastopol\u2019s Men\u2019s Shed, Fire Brigade, and Historical Society, as well as the Little Wonders Early Learning Centre, and Kazan Central Asian Kitchen.<\/p>\n
With funding for Connecting Sebastopol to cease from December, Ms Macdonald said the follow-up meeting will be aimed at establishing a community association to carry the program into next year and beyond.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re hoping to get a group of people together who are passionate about the area and want to continue on this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat means organising these meetings and gathering the Sebastopol community. It\u2019ll be up to them on when the meetings take place.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe aim is to set up an incorporated association and we need at least five people. They can then apply for funding and grants and to continue the great work in Sebastopol.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Connecting Sebastopol initiative was a State Government election pledge in 2018 and other projects have included a website and a video series highlighting the suburb\u2019s history, tree planting and restoration of a walking trail.<\/p>\n
The next Sebastopol community meeting is being held at the Ballarat South Uniting Church on Tuesday 31 October.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A GROUP in Sebastopol is seeking to become a more tight-knit suburb thanks to an initiative led by staff at the Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre. The effort is part of the Connecting Sebastopol endeavour which is being undertaken with the help of the State Government\u2019s $5 million Spotlight on Sebastopol program. The initiative saw the creation […]<\/p>\n