What makes a village – is it the people, the place or the way people interact with places? How has that changed over the past two years? The experience of the COVID pandemic had a serious impact on our city experience, leaving many businesses struggling and people isolated from shared spaces.
As the inner-city villages of Darlinghurst and Surry Hills now embark on reigniting and come back to life, we want to explore how can the connections and spaces discovered during lockdown be celebrated, retained and elevated?
As a business based in Surry Hills, we want to engage with our community to understand these questions. We are hosting a discussion and networking event for our community on Wednesday, 15th June 2022. We want to capture lived experiences to tell the stories of how locals – the community and businesses – make the most of their local spaces, both formal and informal, by asking “What Makes a Village”. Exploring these relationships and interactions with place will strengthen an understanding of all our local spaces and neighbours.
What makes a village?
A “shared space” is any place formal or informal, where people go or use. Do you use shared spaces? Do you know what a shared space is? Do you know your neighbours? Are you passionate about your village? Let’s honour what’s great about our village and come together to share stories, ideas and experiences and meet our neighbours – because together we can make our village stronger.
We will explore all aspects of local spaces at a session at East Sydney Community and Arts Centre. Participants will be invited to bring along and share their snapshots, anecdotes, social media reflections and join in conversations about the places they love.
We want to know what you appreciate most about local spaces, what we need going forward and where things could be better. We will share these insights in a community resource that can continue to stimulate conversations and provide a base for deeper connections in our village.
At the heart, we want to foster a sense of community and help create local connections and to build a more resilient community that Makes a Village.
If you live, work or play in the villages of Darlinghurst and Surry Hills, we want you to come, share and connect with us on 15th June at the East Sydney Community and Arts Centre.
How to get involved:
- Look through your photos and send through picture of your “shared space” photos to [email protected]
- Answer a few quick questions in our It Makes a Village survey
- Register your expression of interest to attend our facilitated conversation and networking event on Wednesday, 15 June 2022
Supported by the City of Sydney Knowledge Exchange Sponsorship Program.