Don’t forget to nominate for the Can Do Community Awards
26/08/2003
Communities throughout Australia have less than a month to nominate their local project for the 2003 Can Do Community Awards before the 12 September deadline.
With literally thousands of communities across Australia working on innovative and successful local projects, award organisers want to give each and every one the opportunity to promote their work and have the chance to win $10 000 for their efforts.
The Awards are the Australian Government's way of rewarding communities that come up with creative ways to solve their own local issues. Like last year's national winner, the 'Cummins on Track project' in South Australia.
The Cummins community was virtually dying, with banks and local businesses closing, and transport service stopping, the future looked bleak. But the community wouldn't lie down, by using its railway heritage to advantage the township, Cummins has created several successful enterprises, one of which is an annual event that attracts around 4000 visitors to the town.
They now have their own Community Bank, some businesses are expanding and new ones have opened while the Cummins' Area School has more students and boasts zero unemployment for school leavers three years running.
Can Do is an initiative funded under the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy which showcases real life examples of innovative and community-based initiatives.
Prize money this year has increased to $10 000 for each state and territory winner of the general categories and the overall national winner will receive an extra $10 000.
There are also two new Awards this year. An Early Intervention Award for initiatives
targeted at youth suicide and prevention of crime and drug dependence and a special Award for Media reporting on community revitalisation and Can Do initiatives at a local level. Winners in these new Award categories will each receive $10 000.
Minister for Family and Community Services, Amanda Vanstone will announce the winners at the National General Assembly of Local Government in Canberra on 25 November this year.
Individuals and organisations can now register for a nomination kit on the Can Do website.