Our Communities - Our Stories
Tue, Aug 19, 2008; by Bill Coppinger.2008-2011 Environmental Scan
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Update: May 2009
The board of the Central Ranges LLEN is reviewing and updating elements of the recently published environmental scan. We are looking to include modelling and costings that will begin to show the impacts of the recent Victorian Bushfires. We also hope to have this in quarterly updates and some close to real-time data as well. We will publish more details shortly.
Update: April 2009
The Board of the Central Ranges LLEN approved the final report of the 2008-2011 Environmental Scan and this was circulated to all Full-Members of the Association via email link. A detailed multimedia presentation was also to be made available but has been delayed due to the loss of records caused by the Victorian Bushfires.
Update: August 2008
Vibrant, engaged and future-focused young people are the corner-stone of any healthy and functioning community.
All communities, no matter how large or small have a responsibility to nurture and assist in the transition from youth to adulthood, from school to further education and employment.
Historically, this transition has never been more competitive, more uncertain, and for some, never more threatening. Shift is happening......
The new 2008-2011 Environmental Scan is now complete and will be circulated to all association members after confirmation of the report at the CRLLEN Board Meeting. It is the intent of the Central Ranges LLEN Board to assist in improving the understanding in our communities about the challenges and opportunities facing our young people. The subtitle of the new scan is Our Communities, Our stories.
As well as extending all of the existing data sets from 2001 and 2004, we have also added NEW sections that model the impact of water and carbon costs on our communities. We have also included detailed SEIFA profiles, which are indexes of disadvantage, to further enhance our understanding of the context in which our post-compulsory educational institutions operate.
Information to members will include a "community data pack" . This pack will include copies of the 2004 Environmental Scan update, it will include the newly released 2008-2011 environmental scan and it will also include a series of other resources that provide specific information and community data for all three Local Government Areas [Macedon Mitchell and Murrindindi] as well as all SEVEN Statistical Local Areas [ Maceon-Kyneton, Macedon-Romsey, Macedon - Balance, Mitchell North, Mitchell South, Murrindindi East, Murrindindi West].
We will also be offering to conduct a series of district briefings for each of the LGA Sub-Committees of the LLEN as well as Local Government.
If you would like to know more or organise a briefing for your community, school council, agency, business or shire group, please contact our office manager on Ph. 0357872011 or email officemanager@centralrangesllen.org.au
This work has been completed with our long-time partner, the National Institute of Economic and Industry Research [NIEIR] and we believe will add greatly to our understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing our communities.
When the data from this scan is combined with a range of other education-related data we receive from the the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development we develop an extremely well focused and authoritative view of our communities.
We believe this is and will continue to be one of the most valuable youth, labour market and general planning resources for the communities across the Macedon, Mitchell and Murrindindi Shires. It covers a range of social, economic, industry, environmental and labour market indicators.
Why is "data" so important?
Identifying the right indicators and measures is a complex task. Despite these difficulties, as Meadows (1996) describes, we have no choice but to define indicators in a complex world.
Without them, ‘we fly blind’ and the goals and priorities of more powerful interests can overshadow those of communities. We have to choose a set of indicators that are small and meaningful that facilitate our understanding of where we are going and in relation to our values.
In a related theme, as Bauer (1966) noted, the real purpose of indicators is to ‘enable us to assess where we stand and are going with respect to our values and goals’. This immediately gives rise to the questions – Whose values and whose goals?
Choices about what matters most to citizens and communities will always reflect differing, contested philosophical and political values and assumptions. So too will choices about the indicators used to prioritise and measure specific outcomes such as employment, safety or trust in public institutions. In complex post-industrial societies, most people can at best have only a very indirect knowledge of issues they need to know about to form a view about the progress and wellbeing of their societies. Official government measures and statistics therefore become extremely powerful in framing public debate, guiding planning, and shaping people’s attitudes and perceptions about political choices. It is therefore necessary to have a comprehensive view of progress that takes into account social, environment and economic concerns in a manner that is inclusive of the needs and interests and concerns of the broader community.
It is also increasingly recognised that the development of cross-cutting, high-quality, shared, accessible information about how a society is doing is crucial to ensure that decision-making is simultaneously responsive and responsible at all levels, including all levels of government, industry and communities. Measures of progress need to be agreed and integrated within broader policymaking and decision-making processes. Not only should this result in more effective and consistent policy and planning outcomes, greater integration of policy efforts should lead to enhanced sustainability in terms of social, economic and environmental policy and program spending.
[Source: Measuring Well being - Engaging Communities July 2006, Victorian Community Indicators Project]
Links:
- 2008 Environmental Scan [Our Communities, Our Stories] - Login Required
