The Our Place project is facilitated by Centacare FNQ and aims to build on strengths and resilience in the neighbourhoods of Manunda, Manoora and Mooroobool. The emphasis is on whole-of-community cohesion and connection, with initiatives driven and designed by locals.
The asset based community development project is funded through a Department of Social Services’ Community Resilience Grant over the period from 2018-2021 and is all about building resilient and connected communities.
At the heart of this project is the knowledge that meaningful and lasting community change always originated from within and that local residents are the best experts in activating community change. Additionally, communities have never been built by dwelling on their deficiencies, needs and problems rather communities respond creatively when the focus is on resources, capacities, strengths and aspirations. The Our Place project entwines these concepts and is all about providing a platform for community to come together, explore their strengths, and build connections. It is totally community driven so it will be exciting to see what creative initiatives grow. Check out the community initiatives and join us or contact us with another idea you may have.
This asset map is for you the community and was built through hundreds of conversations about what you thought are the strengths of Cairns West. You the community created this asset map. The drivers of these conversations were the Community Builders of the project and without them this asset map would not be. This asset map is thanks to Emmaline Anderson, Onokura Kata, Ben Depoma, Gayatri Dahal, Nalisa Neuendorf and Aunty Daphne Bounghi you made this happen. If you look on the Community Connector page for the Community Builder category you can learn more about them or you probably already know them.
We would also like to thank the Our Place Steering Committee who have guided us along the way. A big thank you to Henry Fourmile, Dr. George Skeene, Mr John George Harrison, Narayan Gopalkrishna, Alan Blackshaw, Sasha d"Silva, Marc Harbrow, Luke Wenitong, Anne Delmas, Jessica Vidafar, Onokura Kata, Kylie Young, Javier Suarez and Nick O'Brien.
We would also like to give an enormous thanks to Helen Reilly from Urban Goals and a volunteer with Centacare for her dedication and technical expertise with creating this asset map without which this asset map would still be in development. Also Damian from Mindwire (website developer) thank you for your patience and encouragement throughout this process you have been ace. Lastly a big thank you to the Department of Social Services for funding the Our Place project (formerly known as 3M Connect - the community didn't resonate with the name) with such wonderful core principles at the heart of it and encouraging a grass roots approach to community development.
We hope you enjoy using this community resource and help to keep on building on it. We would love more historical stories or to profile cultural groups as Cairns West is culturally diverse and dynamic. Please contact us if you would like to be included in this asset map as it is organic and will keep on growing.