For many years, Burke Urban, the developers behind Newenham, have been working alongside Community Living Australia (formerly known as CLASS), a hills-based disability service provider, on initiatives to provide meaningful opportunities for genuine social inclusion, improved services, better service amenity and skills development for people living with a disability in the Adelaide Hills.
Most recently Olivia Burke, our Marketing and Sales Director, has facilitated a new partnership through her Kitchen Farm business, to develop a ground-level Pilot Program with Community Living Australia called the Newenham Green Team. The Green Team initiative which falls into Community Living Australia’s NDIS funded Day-Options Program, has been designed to enable Community Living Australia’s clients the ability to participate in activities to maximise their engagement with community within a safe and productive work environment, whilst helping to beautify, improve and maintain the environment within Burke Urban’s award-winning Newenham greenfield development in Mount Barker.
The Program, which commenced in October 2022 was initially developed as a trial to ensure that Community Living Australia’s clients would enjoy and embrace the Program and that it would also have a productive outcome for Newenham. Since October 3 Community Living Australia clients and their Support Workers, have met with Olivia and volunteers from the Newenham community, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the pop-up Nursery at the old Newenham Homestead on Newenham Parade. The group has successfully managed to care for thousands of plants during this period, as well as planted over 1000 plants in Newenham’s verges, which will help to contribute to the biodiversity of the environment and the overall wellbeing of the Newenham Community.
Over and above skills in horticulture and landscaping, Community Living Australia’s clients have also gained valuable skills in the following areas:
– Community Participation
– Teamwork
– Communication skills
– Hygiene and presentation for work readiness
– Literacy and numeracy
– Work readiness
As a result of the success of this Program, Olivia presented the Green Team members with a branded shirt on Monday 5th December at an inauguration ceremony on the lawns of the original Newenham Homestead.
Olivia who has actively worked with the Green Team 3 days per week over the last 2 months, says “the shirt’s which have been sponsored by Newenham, symbolise the success of the Program and reflect the mutual desire to continue working with Community Living Australia in 2023”.
“Genuine participation in the community is a key ambition for Community Living Australia’s clients, and compliments Newenham’s mission to create a place with an active, caring and resilient community. This Green Team Program has reinforced how important it is to be valued and have a sense of belonging and purpose in a community. Equally it is important to feel safe and respected and know that the work you are doing is truly valued by others. I have got just as much out of working on the Green Team as CLA’s clients, and can’t wait to grow the program next year. I feel the logical next step is to invite willing Newenham residents to participate and work together with us to create a true community working model, with the similar ethos as a Progress Association or Tidy Towns committee”.
If you’d like to know more about joining our fabulous community or to secure your future at Newenham, email sales@newenham.com.au or contact the Sales Team on 0429 107 497.
The Sales and Information Centre is located at 164 Flaxley Road, Mount Barker (check the website for open hours) or you can book by appointment for a personal tour at a time that suits you.
Come and experience this beautiful pocket of the Adelaide Hills for yourself and see why so many people are choosing to live at Newenham.
