Bring Everyone Together for a Yarn
Get everyone in the community involved, from local elders, different family groups, service providers, government agencies and anyone else! Together, unpack your vision for your community, and what is stopping that from being a reality. Think about local strengths and assets, and unpack local challenges and potential solutions
Starting Community Conversations
Share what you’ve learnt about Justice Reinvestment with other community members. Invite them to discuss local perspectives on strengths, challenges and a vision for change.
Why We Start With Conversations
Conversations are the first step in understanding the landscape of a community, and in bringing everyone along for the journey after we’ve learnt about JR. This is an opportunity to delve deeper into what justice reinvestment means at a local level, and to start imagining a brighter vision for the community. Organisations, programs and individuals may start identifying the positive assets that already exist, the barriers that prevent their vision being a reality, as well as unpacking local challenges and potential solutions. It is an opportunity for everyone to have their voice heard, and for patterns to start emerging.
Who Needs to Be Involved
As Justice Reinvestment is a whole-of-community response, it’s best to get as many people involved as you can from an early point. In each community there may be some key organisations or individuals who will be integral to the success of a JR journey. This may include:
Local Aboriginal Elders and families
Young people
Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations
Not-for-profit community and social services including youth, family support, housing, FDV, AOD, mental health
Local champions and community figures
Local Government departments including youth, safety, community development
State Government agencies including Department of Communities, WA Police, Department of Education, Department of Housing, Department of Health, Community Alcohol and Drug services
Different Formats for Community Conversations
The way you structure conversations will likely look different depending on the participants. Some format examples include:
One on one conversations with individuals or organisations
Powerpoint presentations with government agencies
Meeting in a park with all community invited
Holding a lunch at the local cultural centre for Elders
Paid youth participation sessions at the local youth centre
