Welcome to Dr Donna Goldie, Coordinator Learning and Information Services - LibrariesTownsville Libraries; Benita Parsons, Community Learning Leader (Libraries), Port Adelaide; and Caroline Jones, Manager Community Learning, City of Canning. We look forward to hearing about your work in this and coming newsletters.

Thank you to Judith Jensen who has retired from her position at Townsville Libraries to work in small business and pursue other interests.  Judith enjoyed immensely her time coordinating the Libraries’ Learning Community and fostering a learning community in Townsville.  She valued the opportunities she had to travel and spend time with others in the learning communities sector and those of us who know Judith enjoyed working with her. She remains passionate about learning and its value to communities.  

Thank you and congratulations to Jac Gomez-Torres. Jac has been seconded to another area of Wyndham City Council for six months. Jac has contributed so much to the ALCN and I have valued her enthusiasm - she has helped the network in so many ways and we look forward to her return!!!
 

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Introducing the City of Port Adelaide Enfield

Written by Belinda Parsons

The City is located in the north-western suburbs of Adelaide, about eight kilometres from the CBD. It is bounded by the Cities of Salisbury in the north, Tea Tree Gully and Campbelltown in the east, Walkerville, Prospect and Charles Sturt in the South and the Gulf of St Vincent in the west.

The Traditional Owners of the land on which the City of PAE stands are the Kaurna People of the Adelaide Plains. It is upon their ancestral lands that the Port Adelaide Enfield Council meets.
 
The City of PAE is one of the largest Councils in metropolitan Adelaide, covering an area of about 97 square kilometres. The city is divided into seven wards that span across 51 suburbs.
 
Our city is home to some of the State's finest historical buildings and landmarks, together with a wealth of parks, cultural facilities beaches and recreational areas.

Council Demographics

At the 2016 Census, the City of Port Adelaide had a population of 121,230 people. The population has grown by 7.5% since the 2011 Census.

Some key statistics from the 2016 Census:
Median age = 37 years
Persons born overseas = 33.3%
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Persons = 2.3%
Median weekly individual income = $551
Median weekly household income = $1,141
 
Other statistics:
University attendance – 5%
University qualification – 20%
Trade qualification – 18%
Language at home other than English – 32%
 
SEIFA Index of Disadvantage for City of Port Adelaide Enfield in 2016 was 936.
 
Formal and Non-formal Learning Infrastructure of the City
Non-formal.

• 5 City of PAE Library Branches
• Mens’ Sheds
• Playgroups
• 2 Community Centres
• University of Third Age
• Port Environment Centre

Formal

• Many preschools, kindergartens, and childcare centres, mix of private, and public.
• 21 Primary Schools, 9 High Schools, 2 K-12 Schools
• One Special School (students with disability, high needs)
• Some High schools link to vocational training and provide flexible learning options.

TAFE /Colleges

• Tauondi Aboriginal College
• Regency TAFE
• Australian Maritime and Fisheries Academy

There are no university campuses in the City, the nearest is Mawson Lakes campus of University of SA, only a few kilometres over the Council boundary to the North.
 
Learning city developments
 
City of PAE Libraries has a Community Learning team to deliver a range of learning opportunities for families, parents, school students, adults. The vision for the library is PAE Libraries are innovative and responsive community facilities that collaborate with locals to provide services that foster growth and improve the lives of individuals and the broader community. 
 
Programs aim to improve Literacy, Prosperity, Vibrancy, Wellbeing and Civic Participation. Library programs range from Baby Bounce, Toddler Time, Storytime and Active Storytime, after school sessions in craft and sustainability, coding, Anime club, Yarnfullness. Book clubs, Scrabble and Gardening clubs also keep residents active and connected. There are two STEM specialist staff, one Makerspace and a Media Room.
  
STEM programs include science and maths for preschoolers, after school guided projects in STEM Squad, a Repair Café, Internet of Things interest group, Arduino, woodwork, electronics.

The Library also has several Digital learning specialists and deliver a range of small group sessions and classes to support the community with access and skills to engage with their phones, devices, computers and online services. More advanced sessions include podcasting, coding, 3D printing and modelling.
 
Libraries partner with waste education and other facilitators to engage with the community on reducing waste and living more sustainably.
 
Libraries provide free support to job seekers including a resume advice service, courses on written job applications and interview skills. The Makerspace held a 12-month program in 2021 to teach creative skills and also how to run a market stall, and then held a beginner’s market at the end of the year. Entrepreneur courses to help start your own business are also offered. The Adelaide Business Hub, based in Port Adelaide and supported by Council, offers co-working space and many courses and advisory services to local businesses.
 
The City of PAE delivers a range of support programs for youth with a particular focus on Learning and Earning. The Health and Wellbeing team promote the 7 Ways to Wellbeing, which includes learning.
 
Council also supports the Port Environment Centre, for individuals and families to learn and actively care for our environment.
 
Volunteers have been trained in citizen science, working with Council to support data gathering on bird populations.
 
Community Centres are also active in supporting community learning with English language classes, dance, martial arts, yoga, music, arts and crafts.
 
Key activities in the learning city field
Late in 2021, an observational honeybee hive was installed at one of the Libraries. This has been a journey of learning itself and sits within a program of community education about Pollinators.
https://www.cityofpae.sa.gov.au/explore/libraries/programs-and-events/pollinators
 
The City of PAE is also a partner in the Northern Regional Consortium Employment Pathways Project with the City of Salisbury and the City of Playford to deliver shared Adult Community Education for jobseekers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
https://www.cityofpae.sa.gov.au/explore/libraries/programs-and-events/build-your-skills-adult-education-programs
 
The Council have partnered with Writers SA to develop a Living Landscape Writers Festival in April 2022. https://www.cityofpae.sa.gov.au/explore/events/writers-festival
 
Loanable Devices
A COVID-Recovery project in 2021 was to purchase a fleet of devices (tablets) that could be loaned to community members who could not afford their own technology.
 
Adult Literacy Class
In mid-2021 a small group class commenced at Port Adelaide Library for adults with low literacy, and English as their first language. This has filled a gap in learning opportunities in the region.
 
Key priorities for future development
The aims for 2022 are to progress plans for an Aboriginal Cultural Centre and offer more regular learning opportunities for our local Aboriginal community.
 
The City of PAE also has a focus on improving the evaluation and outcomes measurement of learning programs offered.
 
We are working to improve technology offered in community facilities to address the lack of access in private homes. This can support telehealth, small business, co-working and students.
 
Broadening our Makerspace offering to more than one site is also a goal, as is promoting the value of reading to our community, to create a city of readers.  _____________________________________________________

Introducing the City of Canning
 

The City of Canning has been developing as a Learning City for five years, commencing within the library service in 2017 and expanding to encompass all community facing aspects of the Council in subsequent years with a focus on business development, community learning, sustainability and community development.

The community learning program area has been undergoing substantial growth following a focussed review period. Participation has grown by 48% compared with 2 years ago, a significant achievement, particularly in light of restrictions resulting from the COVID pandemic. The programs have been balanced utilising the UNESCO four pillars of education model, with increasing community consultation and engagement to drive our understanding of priority needs within the community. A strategy measurement and evaluation framework has been developed by the UWA Centre for Social Impact and will be implemented over the next six months, resulting in an increased ability to undertake evaluative analysis and outcome demonstration.

Key areas that will guide our future focus will be to build on the strong foundations of our existing programs and reorientate where we can maximise opportunities to build community capacity. This will be through enhancing our current engagement with community-led practices, further investment in relationship and partnership development, expansion of our volunteer activation, development of models for fostering the establishment of communities of interest and piloting a localised “journey mapping’ with an initial focus on mental health and wellbeing.

On a personal note, it has been exciting to work at Canning during this period and to take part in the maturing of our engagement with the Learning City approach. I am proud of our achievements and look forward to broadening our networks within the learning cities community and gaining a greater understanding of how others have delivered on this model.
 
Note: Caroline, on behalf of the City of Canning, has already been very active as part of the PASCAL Network and you can read more about the demographics and non-formal, formal and informal learning opportunities in Canning on the PASCAL website.

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Brimbank City Council 

Brimbank Writers & Readers Festival (BWRF)

Thursday 17 March – Saturday 26 March 2022

The Brimbank Writers & Readers Festival (BWRF) is an annual event that encourages a love of reading and literature, celebrates creativity and diversity, and promotes lifelong learning in Brimbank. There is no charge to attend the 10 day program of workshops, author talks, panel discussions, writing, storytelling and more.

Now in its 17^th year, this highly anticipated event on the community calendar features a multi-format program of free events, touching on themes including culture, art, sustainability, race and relationships, and provides a platform for local voices and stories to be heard.
This year’s line-up includes:

Opening Night: Bachar Houli in conversation with Paul Bateman
‘Palazzo Di Cozzo’ Screening and Panel Discussion
The Social Slam
An Evening with William McInnes
And so much more….

Check out the fantastic program and register for events here: https://www.brimbanklibraries.vic.gov.au/writersfestival

The City of Canning

The City of Canning is holding a Sustainability Conference on May 11 and 12, 2022. The theme of the conference is Changing Your World – showcasing Sustainability Innovations and Technology. 

"The Changing Your World Conference is a showcase of innovation in the broader sustainability space, connecting community, innovators, industry, researchers and government; co-creating solutions and celebrating successes."

For more information visit the Conference website here:

Melton City Council

Free WorkSafe White Card Training is off to a stellar start!

The Community Activation & Learning team commenced a series of free WorkSafe White Card training workshops aimed at employment seekers across the municipality. White Card training (also known as construction induction training) is the mandatory work health and safety training required prior to undertaking work on a construction site in Victoria.
28 participants from diverse backgrounds completed the 1-day training sessions held at Fraser Rise Children’s & Community Centre on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 January. The team also assisted 14 participants to connect and register with the Jobs Victoria employment service after the sessions giving them a better chance of finding employment in the construction industry.

Further training sessions are planned to take place over March & April 2022, with the aim to attract participants from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Interpreters will be available to students who speak a language other than English to ensure they are able to achieve the required learning outcomes.
This project is funded through a Melbourne Airport grant targeting City of Melton residents and aims to provide real employment opportunities for those attending and gaining the qualification.

For more information visit the Melton Learning Directory website: https://meltonlearning.com.au/whitecardtraining/

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News about Learning Cities from UNESCO UIL

 A reminder that the 5th UNESCO International Conference on Learning Cities, (27 to 30 October 2021) hosted by Yeonsu (Republic of Korea), produced many outcomes, publications and presentations to guide the learning city movement going forward. Take the time to read the following documents:
 

Note also the announcement on the PASCAL International Observatory that following the Introductory Meeting of the Membership Jury for the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in January,  PASCAL Board member and convenor of PASCAL’s, Connecting Urban and Rural Learning Initiatives, Learning City Network, and Hon. CEO of the Australian Learning Communities Network,  Dr Leone Wheeler was elected as chairperson of the jury. Other members of the jury from PASCAL include Professor Idowu Biao, one of the key contributors to PASCAL’s Learning Cities Networks from Cotonu in Benin, and Professor Michael Osborne, Director of PASCAL (Europe) from the University of Glasgow. PASCAL is very pleased that these members of our learning cities community are part of this important jury, and PASCAL looks forward to further collaboration with UIL in the coming year.

Reading of the Month

For further information contact:

Dr. Leone Wheeler
Hon. CEO, Australian Learning Communities

Mobile: 0456 038 236.  Email: [email protected]
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