Wunan agree to Manage Warmun’s New Start Initiative
1 April 2013
In February 2013, Wunan agreed with the Warmun council to manage Warmun’s New Start initiative.
New Start is a council-led project conceived after the devastating floods in Warmun in March 2011. It focuses on increasing personal and family responsibility, and respect for Gija culture and elders. It shares the underlying ethos of Wunan’s Living Change initiative, which is that individual and collective responsibilities are the base conditions for a cohesive and vibrant community, and for people to access education, employment and housing opportunities.
Wunan will have a two person team based in Warmun, consisting of local Gija woman Danielle Dowell as community liaison officer and Lucy Quinn as community development officer. Lucy joins Wunan from Grafton, New South Wales.
Overseen by Tammy Sovenyhazi, the team will work closely with the council and community to implement a panel of community elders who can work with families to re-establish seven core responsibilities established by the council. The panel will complement existing initiatives (such as the community response team that helps maintain community order) and existing services (such as those provided by Gija Total Health).