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BUDS
Helping Families to Grow in Family Friendly Communities BUDS is a project funded by the Hunter Area Assistance Scheme. Run by Newcastle Family Support Services, the project recognises the important role community plays in the health and happiness of children. Wallsend and Blue Gums comprise both new residential estates and more established communities and is a rapidly growing area - home to the highest proportion of children in Newcastle. With an emphasis on creating communities that are not just child friendly but family friendly, the program aims to assist the Wallsend and Blue Gums areas become communities that are supportive and welcoming. Strong creative partnerships between local businesses, government and the community are a key strategy in this. The every day experiences of shopping, of navigating one’s way around town with a young family, or simply attending a community event became a focus for the project, as did the need to engage with local schools and school children. This approach was backed by Newcastle City Council’s Community Plan research that found that residents related primarily to shopping centres for creation of community, and BUDS own findings that local schools were increasingly being regarded as primary hubs of information and activity. The BUDS scheme includes:
BUDS Family Friendly CalendarGuidelines for Family Friendly Businesses and Events Poster and Logo Competition “Communities for Kids” Wallsend Community of Schools Art Project The BUDS Team Family Fun Days Producing two colourful events calendars HERE featuring family friendly activities, community information, children’s artwork and community reflections on what it means to be family friendly. Events include library story times, soccer club registrations and family fun days.  A workshop was held to develop guidelines for family friendly business practices and community events. Representatives from Wallsend Town Committee (Mainstreets group), community organisations, and Newcastle City Council worked together to draft the guidelines which will be released during National Child Protection Week. Businesses and events meeting guidelines will display a Family Friendly logo developed by local school children (see below).
Download Guidelines for Family Friendly Businesses HERE
The Wallsend Community of Schools, consisting of seven primary schools, are participating in a collaborative art project around the theme “Communities for Kids”. Three children from each school have been meeting together to produce a community Totem Pole which will be displayed in all the schools until being donated to Wallsend’s new library.  The BUDS team is a fluid group comprising Newcastle Family Support Workers, School representatives, Wallsend Town Committee representatives and local families, each focusing on specific aspects of the project. During the project, a number of small scale Creative Days have been held by the BUDS team. Parents and caregivers discuss the BUDS project, while children create artwork for the Calendar, the ‘BUDS Book’ or a banner to hold in the Wallsend Winter Fair procession.
At the close of the first stage of the project, BUDS held a small event to launch the first Family Friendly calendar. Local MP John Mills launched the Calendar, businesses donated food and goods, the Jesmond Lions Club sizzled the sausages, parents painted faces, children made ribbon sticks, musicians donated verse and the community was invited to write down their thoughts regarding Family Friendliness on a large banner which was then fed into the next Calendar. To close the last stage of the BUDS project, the team will be holding a small circus street performer morning. The BUDS project is a small project with a modest budget and local aims. It has however, managed to reach out across a range of people with various priorities, goals and values, and link them in some small way towards the creation of a local family friendly community.    Wise Words The other day Maureen from next door made some pikelets. They were delicious. We gave her some scones last week. We like sharing especially when Ernie’s paw paws are ripe. My sister, cousin and I also like visiting the mulberry tree man on Hope Street. He says he’s glad we come over because he can’t eat them all himself. Mum says that’s part of what a community is. My sister forgot her key to the house one day after school. Our neighbours looked after her and rang mum. When we go on holidays people check on our house and we do the same when others go away. Dad says these are the best parts of being part of a community. Aleesha, Tiahnee, Lockie and Macca help my sister and I build really awesome cubbies and hideouts at the creek. We ride our bikes and play until the street lights come on. I love having so many friends living close by. We do lots together. My sister thinks this is what a community needs. I think everyone is right but its more than what we do. Being part of community is that feeling you get when you come home from a long trip. Its that feeling you get when your Mum hugs you extra tight. Being part of a community is a happy, safe, familiar feeling. Community is a sense of belonging. JAMES MCMURRAY: age 10
I love living in Wallsend. Why……..you ask? Well, everything I like is here. O.K., nearly everything I like is here. Let me tell you them.
Firstly, there are some great schools like…. Let me think…… Plattsburg, Wallsend, South Wallsend, Maryland, Glendore and what’s the last one? Oh Yeah… Plattsburg Secondly, we’ve got our own Plazza. Some of my favourite shops are Video Ezy and Price Mart. Thirdly, there are lots of parks. They are full of things to do like……some have cricket pitches or skate ramps and some even have sporting grounds. There are also places for emergencies like the Hospital or the Fire Station. For entertainment there’s places like Zone Empire or the R.S.L. All this talking is making me hungry. Lucky I can just nip around the corner to find some great take away shops. Yum! Sausage rolls and pies. Phew! That made me hot! But all I have to do to cool down is just take a 5 minute walk down to the Pool. And what about the new Library that will be so much bigger and better than the old one. But enough about places. All of those places have nothing compared to the people who live in Wallsend. Where do I start? Well, there’s my neighbours who sometimes invite me over to their house for a B.B.Q. Or my school friends. They sometimes invite me over too. There are strangers who greet you as you walk by. At the shops, sometimes the shop assistants give you free lollies. (normally for the little ones) Then there are those groups who organise the Wallsend Winter Fair that really brings the people of Wallsend together and the business people who sponsor the Fair, so it can actually happen. The Wallsend community are very good at working on projects for the good of the community, projects like the Buds project. The Buds project is a calendar of events you can use for family outings. This keeps the kids entertained and gives the parents a break from looking after them. This month there is range of different activities on. Like the kids disco or Wacky Wombats visit and some other interesting things. I think Wallsend is one of the most family friendly communities in N.S.W. But why is it important for the Wallsend community to be family friendly? So that no one feels left out on their own or discriminated against, so that refugees can come here and feel safe and accepted, and so that kids can grow up feeling like they belong. Thanks Wallsend Family Support Service and sponsors for all you’ve done to make our Community Family Friendly.
What NAPCAN Says:
Informal community support and relationships play an important role for parents and children. Not only do they provide social activities and relationships, they are often the first people to be able to help parents who are struggling – babysitting the kids, give them a break, or discussing parenting issues. Another superb initiative by BUDS is the promotion of community and family services. Knowing what help is available is an important, and often absent, resource needed by parents and children. Each of the initiatives involving children directly, such as the Poster and School Art competitions, provide opportunities for children to contribute and be involved in school and community life – building their confidence and esteem, which in turn reduce their vulnerability. |
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