Success stories
Here communities share their stories about programs that have been created as a result of successful grants and funding applications. Let us know your story.
Advance Program
Advance in Action
The students at Bayside Secondary College in Altona North are now safer and better bike riders, thanks to the Advance program. John Nguyen of 9C said the program which involved bike safety and creating a pamphlet on how to ride to school safely for younger students had taught them that if "we all work together, we can do anything faster and more effectively." Read more.
Community Support Grants - Strengthening Communities
Laverton together delivers a better place to live
When Henry Szukata joined Laverton Secondary College as Principal he was struck by the students’ lack of pride and the school’s sense of isolation from the community. Graffiti in the area shouted out from the walls, with terms such as “Lavo povo” reflecting the students’ feelings. The community garden Henry tried to establish had its plants and greenhouse vandalised not once, but twice. And the school was deserted after hours. Now, the situation couldn’t be more different. Read more.
Community Enterprise Grants
Community rallies behind Rosewall cafe
On a sunny autumn morning in Corio, Geelong, Kathleen Devlin prepares the day’s soup. It’s pumpkin, the customers’ favourite. She’s right – by lunch time there’s a queue of people lining up for a chat and a generous serving of her famous soup. Kathleen is a volunteer at the Rosewall Café, a community enterprise which has been running for nearly 12 months. It is an outcome of the Corio/Norlane Neighbourhood Renewal Project. Read more.
Community Facility Funding Program - Major Facilities
The home court advantage
Until recently, netballers like Christine Melnikas from Macleod had to travel far from home to play the sport they love. But thanks in part to Sport and Recreation Victoria, Macleod is now home to one of the best netball stadiums in Melbourne. Sport and Recreation Victoria invested $500,000 in the $5.9 million Banyule Netball Stadium. Read more.
Country Football and Netball Program
Tallygaroopna tallies up new change rooms
The changing rooms at Tallygaroopna Football Netball Club near Shepparton have been standing for around 20 years and are best described as dilapidated. Fortunately, in 2005 the Club was successful in its application to the Victorian Government for funding to replace the change rooms, receiving $50,000 from the Country Football and Netball Program. Read more.
FreeZa
Kiyanna's stepping stones
Kiyanna became a member of the Maroondah Youth Advisory Group (YAG) that forms her local FReeZA committee just this year. The FReeZA program, which is funded by the Office for Youth, supports committees of young people – like the one Kiyanna belongs to – to organise and manage fully-supervised drug and alcohol-free live music gigs and cultural events for young people across Victoria. The Maroondah committee is currently planning their Halloween event where 500 young people and five live bands are expected to party hard. Read more.
Living Libraries
Hume global learning village library services
For over 100 years, local libraries have given Victorian communities access to a wealth of knowledge and a world of stories. But communities change and libraries are changing with them. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the City of Hume. Read more.
Tranpsort Connections
Southern Mallee and Wimmera Transport Connections
A new bus network in Victoria’s north-west is reconnecting socially isolated residents with the community. Read more about Southern Mallee and Wimmera Transport Connections
Victorian Volunteer Small Grants
Volunteers help drive tourism in the Macedon Ranges
It’s one of the biggest car rallies in Victoria - the Macedon Ranges Grand Tour. For the past three years more than 120 vintage and classic car owners have taken to the roads to soak up the rich landscapes of the Macedon Ranges. But it’s more than just a car enthusiast’s idea of a great weekend. To the communities of Gisborne, Woodend, Daylesford and Kyneton, the tour is an opportunity to promote the region’s true country hospitality. The sheer number of volunteers epitomises the type the country hospitality on offer. Read more.
Women's Community Leadership Grants
Grace Elikana
Grace Elikana left Sudan with her husband and child in 1991. They fled to Kenya, where they lived and worked as refugees and had three more children. They wanted a better life for their children. Friends who had made it to Australia told them that it was a peaceful country. Read more.
Web Site Updates
DPCD's websites are progressively being updated to reflect the changes following the establishment of the
department. This means you will continue to see some references to the Department for Victorian Communities
(DVC) as changes are being made.
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