Neighbour Day a good excuse to connect in Glen Eira

In the lead up to Neighbour Day (Sunday 30 March) Glen Eira’s Connect Local social prescribing project has been working with organisations across the neighbourhood to build and celebrate community connection.

The annual day of action is focused on building community engagement to combat loneliness and foster health and wellbeing.

Led by Bolton Clarke, the Connect Local program uses trained community connectors to match older people living in Glen Eira with local activities and organisations. Since opening its doors in 2023 the program has made more than 370 referrals connecting people with local services.

“It has been very positive, they are very helpful people. It can seriously open up the gateways to different possibilities and to what is available,” local resident Anne said.

To mark Neighbour Day, the team worked with Relationships Australia, Chatty Café and local community houses to bring residents together for a week of festivities.

“Neighbour Day is all about connecting with people in our community, in our own way,” Bolton Clarke Senior Research Fellow Rajna Ogrin said.

“It can be as simple as a smile, a quick chat, or a kind gesture like bringing in the bins or watering their garden.

“The aim of Connect Local is to reach out to those who want to connect with their community and provide events that enable older people to foster strong social connections.”

For more information about Connect Local, visit https://www.connectlocal.org.au/.