 THE
COMMUNITY POLES PROJECT
a project by Carmen
Stewart for Imagine
the Future Inc
sponsored by Brimbank
City Council.
ITF's
Pole's Project coordinator, Carmen Stewart, with
a power pole painted by Laura
Murphy, 1999.
Introduction
In January 1999, twenty-two young people aged
12 to 20 participated in a project to discuss,
research and creatively represent positive and
unique aspects of life and culture in Brimbank.
The young people participated in discussions,
conducted interviews with residents and workers,
organised a tour to their favourite places in
Brimbank, and participated in a community arts
activity to paint powerpoles in Sunshine. Fifteen
powerpoles were painted with colourful and imaginative
designs on Sun Crescent and Hampshire Road.
The theme of their artwork was 'community spirit'.
The Community Poles Project was designed to
provide young people with an opportunity to
actively participate in the design of healthy
and stimulating public spaces in Sunshine. In
so doing, they were encouraged to focus on the
positive aspects of living in Brimbank and the
things that we can all do to encourage community
spirit and pride. The project was designed and
facilitated by Imagine the Future Inc. Funding
for the project ($5,000) came from Brimbank
City Council's Community Grants Scheme.
Project Participants
 Twenty-two
young people participated in this six day project.
Thirteen of the participants had been involved in
the 1998 Re-Imagining
Your Neighbourhood project co-ordinated
by Imagine the Future. These young people were students
from Marian Catholic College and Sunshine Secondary
College. We also had seven participants from Sunshine
Youth Housing, Good Shepherd Youth Services, Adolescent
Community Placement and Iramoo Youth House. The
remaining two participants were friends of students
from Marian Catholic College. In total, 17 girls
and 5 boys participated.
 There
were obvious differences in the life experiences
of the predominant group of Marian College students
and the young people from accommodation projects.
There was both an age difference (most Marian students
were aged 13 to 15; young people from the accommodation
projects were typically 18 to 20), and obvious cultural
and lifestyle differences. There was some division
as noted when we travelled in two separate buses.
The Marian students occupied one bus while the young
people from the accommodation project claimed the
other. The two students from Sunshine Secondary
College tended to move between both groups. Despite
these differences and some of the obvious boundaries
that existed, the dynamics were overall very positive.
Everyone mingled, sharing stories and ideas. We
even had a budding romance.
 The
reason I painted an Aboriginal flag is to represent
culture today.
Natasha
Friel, 1999
Not all of the participants completed all aspects
of the project. Approximately fifteen young
people participated on a daily basis with the
remainder coming along for different segments.
Three participants left just before the painting
began which suggests that they weren't feeling
terribly confident in their artistic skills
Two more joined at this stage without having
participated in the education and research program.
The young people from accommodation projects
tended to be less regular in their attendance.
This was largely due to the major life issues
they were dealing with such as housing, family,
welfare payments, etc. Other participants were
unable to attend on a daily basis because of
work and family commitments.
Project Team
Carmen Stewart from Imagine
the Future designed and facilitated the
project. Bridgette McCormack was the project
artist hired to supervise the design and painting
of the powerpoles. Anne Tuke was the Project
Assistant who helped to facilitate program activities.
Kerri Felemonow (student) gave her time voluntarily
to help at the painting sessions. Jenny Macaffer
and Samantha Riley from Brimbank City Council
also spent a day with the participants and helped
to facilitate discussions about the things young
people like and dislike about Brimbank.
 To
paint a power pole
to lift the spirits of the people,
and give them a sense of community.
A sunshining face
in a place called Sunshine,
that will hopefully bring that out
in some that frown of doubt.
A map to show themwhere they're at,
if they're a traveller or someone passing by.
I hope it makes you see
that Sunshine isn't a bad place to be.
Project
participant Nicole Squires, 1999.
The project
was conducted over six days and had two major components -
an education and research program and a community arts segment.
Education and Research Program
The aim of the education and research program was to encourage
participants to articulate what they liked about Brimbank
- its lifestyle, culture, places and activities. Their initial
responses focussed on the friendliness of the region and the
diversity and mingling of the cultures represented. They defined
community spirit as being "friendship", "helping
each other", "unity", "diversity",
"coming together" and "multicultural".
Their responses indicate what they value most about community
and the things they feel are worth nurturing.
Life in Brimbank Survey
As part of their research, participants interviewed sixty-nine
residents and workers of Sunshine. The following questions
were asked:
a. What are the good things about your neighbourhood?
b. What is your favourite place, space or activity?
c. What would you like Brimbank to be like in 5 years
time?
Fifty-five of the survey participants lived in Brimbank, predominantly
in Sunshine. The remainder worked in the municipality. The
things people liked most about their neighbourhood was that
it was quiet and peaceful (17), the shopping (15), friendly
people (15), and good public transport (9). Favourite activities
included the new cinema complex (18), sport (17) and shopping
(7). Most participants aspired to live in a more lively municipality,
that is friendly, beautified and clean. See appendix B for
a more detailed list of survey findings.
Most of the young people really enjoyed conducting the interviews.
It was an opportunity for them to discuss relevant life issues
with other community members. From the feedback received,
participants in the survey also welcomed the opportunity to
present their concerns to council through the young people.
'Brimbank on a Shoestring'
Participants were asked to organise a half day tour to their
favourite spaces, places and activities in Brimbank. As they
initially had difficulty in identifying places they liked
in Brimbank, the final tour ended up encompassing places and
activities that they felt could be improved. Jenny Macaffer
and Samantha Riley from Brimbank City Council came along on
this commentated tour which encompassed the following sites.
The Sunshine Cinema Complex and Marketplace
The Sunshine Modal Interchange (and mosaic mural)
Kororoit Creek
West Sunshine Community Centre
St Albans Square
The Tin Shed in St Albans
The Organ Pipes National Park
At each site, one or a number of the young people told project
workers and council representatives what they liked or felt
could be improved about the place or activity. They had mixed
feelings about many places. They really like the new cinema
complex in Sunshine but commented on their inability to access
it due to cost. They also commented on how they didn't feel
that they could hang out at the cinema or Marketplace because,
as young people, they risked being asked to move on. Young
people are very aware of the issues surrounding their use
of public and commercial space. Many chose to hang out in
youth specific commercial zones such as pinball parlours.
Issues of accessibility were also raised around the costs
associated with services such as the West Sunshine Community
Centre. One of the young people who lived near the centre
talked about how he no longer used the service as he had to
pay a minimum of $2 for most youth activities. There was a
strong belief that services must be provided free of charge
if they are to be accessible.
Issues of urban design in the built environment were also
raised. While some young people liked the concrete outside
of the Sunshine cinema and Marketplace (for skateboarding),
many felt that it lacked warmth and creativity. Similar feelings
were expressed about the Modal Interchange. None of the young
people liked to use the interchange because of issues of drug
use, safety and aesthetics. They described it as a place that
they only used to pass through quickly in order to access
transport, shops and schools. As in other survey findings
in Brimbank, the site was seen as a baron wasteland with a
lot of potential for improvement. The mosaic mural was the
only positive thing they identified at the site.
Many comments from the young people came as we drove between
locations. Having travelled between the suburbs of Sunshine,
St Albans, Keilor and Taylors Lakes, the apparent differences
in housing, environment and facilities were evident. The older
suburbs of Sunshine and St Albans were noted for their active
hubs of shopping strips, while Keilor and Taylors Lakes were
noted for the size and design of their houses. While many
would like to live in a large modern home, they preferred
the social interaction of the older suburbs. This was clearly
evident on our walk through St Albans. The young people liked
the feel of St Albans Square and the diversity of people moving
around the shopping strip.
We finished the tour with lunch at the Organ Pipes National
Park. Interestingly, five participants refused to leave the
bus in protest. They didn't want to go to the National Park
preferring to spend the time visiting more active places such
as the Watergardens shopping complex. They commented on the
lack of concrete at the park for skateboarding and the lack
of structured activities to stimulate them! Spending time
in the natural environment is (unfortunately) foreign for
many young people who don't normally access these places for
rest or recreation. Thankfully, most participants enjoyed
the stop as we ate lunch overlooking the Organ Pipes.
Community
Arts Project
 The
message on my pole, 'Our community is like a flower,
the more we care, the better it will grow', is
saying that the more good we put in to our community,
the better it will become. If everyone works together,
not just leaving it to someone else, the community
environment will improve. Everyone is happy in
a happy community. My pole represents a happy,
healthy, growing community; the ultimate goal
that we, as a community, should strive for.
Project
participant Laura Murphy 1999.
The goal of producing designs representing
the theme of community spirit was woven in to
all aspects of the program. We had initially
based ourselves in the meeting rooms at the
Sunshine Harvester Library where we brainstormed
ideas in groups. Participants were encouraged
daily to sketch a possible design from the ideas
raised. The content for the designs came from
their own discussions and from the findings
of the Life in Brimbank survey.
On the afternoon of day one, we visited Elwood
to view over 40 powerpoles painted as part of
a streetlife project. The project artist, Bridgette
McCormack, began by explaining concepts of design,
content and colour, and the quality standards
expected of public art displays. We finished the
day with drinks and a swim at Elwood beach.
 Participants
were not expected to have any artistic competencies
at the beginning of the project. Our project artist,
Bridgette McCormack, led them through the various
processes and stages of preparation, design and
painting. Many of those who felt uncertain in
their artistic skills chose to work in pairs.
With four project workers participating in the
painting stage, we were able to move between groups
of students to give assistance and encouragement
as needed. Four project workers was an ideal amount
for this activity as at times, calls for paint,
drinks, advice, or the key to the toilet, seemed
to be constant and demanding.
We based ourselves outside of the Derimut Hotel
on Sun Crescent to paint the poles. The painting
took place over three days with some participants
working alone and others in pairs or groups of
three. The locations of the poles painted stretches
from Sun Crescent (near Foodworks) to Hampshire
Road (outside of the primary school). The young
people were responsible for all aspects of painting
the poles - creating the design, undercoating,
choosing colours, outlining, painting and cleaning
up. The maturity with which they undertook these
tasks is to be highly commended.
There was a lot of interaction between participants
and community members as we painted the poles
(particularly the regulars at the Derimut Hotel).
Many young people were approached by residents
and workers wanting to know what they were doing,
why, and who was funding their work. Overall,
the comments received were positive and encouraging.
The only negative comment received was from a
local business owner on Sun Crescent who was disappointed
that Council was spending money on art work for
the street, rather than improving infrastructure.
The photos of the completed poles show the diversity
of things that the participants felt were important
in creating a context for the nurturing of community
spirit.
Conclusion
The Community Poles Project was a valuable experience
both as a consultation initiative on behalf of
Brimbank City Council, and as an opportunity for
young people to participate in community life.
The program was run in the school holiday period
with participants displaying a high degree of
commitment to completing the project. This is
because of the value they placed on being given
the opportunity to talk about issues that affect
their lives and to actively participate in improving
the aesthetics of their built environment with
art.
The young people who participated in the project
recognised that Sunshine already had quite a strong
sense of community on which to build. Their art
work which will be a lasting feature in Sunshine,
captures aspects of this community spirit and
suggests the future potential of both Sunshine
and Brimbank, to become lively, diverse and aesthetically
pleasing places in which to live, work and play.
Carmen
Stewart
Project Co-ordinator
Imagine
The Future Inc, 1999.
Fixed
March 2004.
Email
Carmen
Stewart: futurescapes@optusnet.com.au
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