Be & Co. was a fortnightly pop-up social event that ran for a period of 18 months. The project focused on community connectedness and reducing social isolation as well as improving access to services.
Overall, the fortnightly event had an average of 41 regular attendees per week, many of those were previously isolated community members that made life-long connections and friendships through Be & Co. The initiative also partnered with ‘Transition to Work’, a local program that assists youth in learning real-life skills that are transferable to future employment opportunities.
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During COVID-19, Be & Co. was able to adapt their format to be held online, offering weekly zoom sessions for isolated people to continue to remain connected. Throughout this time, a local aged care centre attended regularly and their residents reported the sessions to be the highlight of their week.
Be & Co. had many highlights, with the most notable including:
- Connecting at-risk or community members in need with mental health services which were followed up with referral pathways
- More than 60 young people with ‘Transition to Work’ participated in skills training with some of these going on to secure paid employment
- A number of community members accessed homeless support
- Links were strengthened between other services allowing for future referral pathways
Once COVID-19 restrictions lifted in late 2020, Be & Co. focused their efforts on ensuring community members reconnected with one another by creating the ‘Hawkesbury Mosaic' Project which was an activity funded through Hawkesbury Council. Many regular attendees participated and it was a fabulous example of how one idea can lead to another.
