ABOUT NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE WEEK
Neighbourhood House Week, happening across Australia from 8 to 14 May 2023, is a nationwide initiative to celebrate the role of over 1,000 Neighbourhood and Community Houses and Centres. In New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia, it is referred to as Neighbourhood Centre Week, and in South Australia it is referred to as Community Centre Week.
This year’s theme is ‘Building resilience by bringing people together’.
What is a Neighbourhood House?
A Neighbourhood House is a friendly, informal place where community members meet for a variety of activities at minimal cost. They can also be called Neighbourhood Centres, Family Centres, Community Centres, Community Resource Centres (CRCs) and Learning Centres.
Whatever name they go by, these centres reflect the needs and aspirations of their own community and provide activities in response to community input.
Activities for adults and children are as diverse as the communities the Neighbourhood House serves and can include workshops, discussions, displays and social events in areas such as arts and crafts, health and fitness, business and finance, computing and IT, and personal development.
Many Neighbourhood Houses provide crèche during activities and some have youth groups, self-help and support groups, playgroups and after-school care.
Neighbourhood Centres offer rooms for hire on a casual or ongoing basis, and CRCs have a range of business services available, including meeting rooms and video-conferencing facilities.