This project's final report and evaluation was completed on 1 December 2020

Project summary

Production of a video series showcasing the stories of several Australia Day Citizen of the Year recipients and how these inspiring individuals support and serve their Councils.

Project approach

Since the commencement of this project, our landscape has transformed significantly due to local environmental disasters such as bushfires that ravaged our regions and more recently and currently the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.  As a result, Our Inspiring Local Communities project's objective and output has been adjusted to factor in restrictions as a result of COVID-19 as well as redirect the messaging around the promotion of active citizenship.

ADCSA’s original intention was to travel to three different regions across the state to film Australia Day Citizen of the Year recipients.  This objective had to change as a result of travel restrictions and social distancing.  ADCSA has transformed this original concept. Providing series of self-captured short video vignettes that convey uplifting insights from our inspiring community leaders who through their contribution have been recognised through our esteemed awards programs such as The Australian of the Year Awards, Australia Day Citizen of the Year Awards, Inspiring South Australian Women’s Award and Award for Leadership in Languages and Cultures as well as our ADCDSA ambassador program or part of our volunteer community – our backbone. These insights from identified leaders are to inspire and create greater community connection during a time where many of us are feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed and will do for some time as we live life in a COVID-19 environment.

ADCSA has been approaching identified community leaders seeking their engagement and their willingness to participate. To meet COVID-19 restrictions these videos have been self-captured by community leaders using their own mobile phones, i-pads home technology etc and transferred electronically to ADCSA. This style and tone of content capture have authenticity and candidness that will resonate with audiences in this current period of 2020. Promotion of active citizenship is the centrality of the message.

Each inspired Community Leader has addressed the following questions:

• Who am I?
• What matters to me?
• How am I making a difference?
• How can we make a difference in the community?
• How has my work has shone a light in supporting those in need and help our communities to thrive?

ADCSA has to date received Inspiring Community Leader video insights from

• Mr Allan Mayfield 2020 South Australian Citizen of the Year (Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council)
• Professor Helen Marshall Inspiring South Australian Women Award 2020 Recipient
• Ms Vicky Welgraven Finalist 2019 South Australian of the Year and first South Australian Aboriginal Woman to become an Australia Day Ambassador
• Caitlin McMahon South Australian Young Citizen of the Year 2020 & Joseph McMahon Commendation for the South Australian Young Citizen of the Year 2019 (City of Mount Gambier)
• Marcela Lastra 2019 City of Salisbury Citizen of the Year
• Zahra Bayani 2020 Award for Leadership in Languages and Cultures Recipient
• Monu Chamlagai 2020 City of Salisbury Young Citizen of the Year

ADCSA is awaiting video self-captures from the previous Citizen of the Year in Tumby Bay,  current SA Local Hero and former Young Citizen of the Year City of Marion and other Inspiring South Australia Women recipients.

These assets with accompanying guidance document will form part of the suite of Australia Day Citizen of the Year marketing materials that are distributed to Councils early August 2020 in readiness for the nominations that will open to the public from 1 October 2020. ADCSA has also been liaising closely with LGASA to distribute already captured video stories via LGASA Latest News the reach is all CEOs, Mayors and 2500 other subscribers connected to Local Government.

This objective is to raise awareness of outstanding community leadership and contribution through 2021 to this audience. Encouraging this audience to reflect and recognise those amongst us, our everyday leaders and contributors that go above and beyond in giving back to our community. Highlighting the award program that acknowledges and honours this contribution and promotion of active citizenship.  Currently open is the Australian of the Year Awards 2021.

This altered direction of Our Inspiring Communities offers a more diverse suite of voices, stories and experiences of what active citizenship looks and feels like and how its transformed communities on the ground.

The evaluation component of this project will need to be adjusted to factor in the timeframe of the awards programs particularly Australia Day Citizen of the Year Awards Program – nominations open 1 October and close on 20 November 2020.  Once nominations close ADCSA will have insight from Councils on reach and engagement of these assets and whether this approach increased awareness of active citizenship, increased nominations particularly for Australia Day Citizen of the Year Awards Program.  In light of COVID-19 restrictions, volunteerism levels or the interest to volunteer may be impacted and it is suggested that ADCSA evaluates this with Councils potentially later in 2020 or early 2021 once our community is emerging through the current COVID-19 roadmap for our state.

Project achievements

Project outputs and outcomes

This project's outputs include ten assets featuring insights from the following Inspiring South Australian Community Leaders:

1. Allan Mayfield The South Australian Citizen of the Year 2020
2. Caitlin McMahon The South Australian Young Citizen of the Year 2020 & Joseph McMahon South Australian Young  Citizen of the Year – Commendation Award 2019 
3. Edward (Ned) Roberts The South Australian Citizen of the Year 2018
4. Monu Chamlagai 2020 City of Salisbury Young Citizen of the Year
5. Emmah Money 2020 SA Local Hero and previously 2006 City of Marion Young Citizen of the Year
6. Zahra Bayani 2020 Award for Leadership in Languages and Cultures
7. Dr James Muecke AM 2020 Australian of the Year
8. Vicky Welgraven 2019 SA Australian of the Year 
9. Carmen Garcia 2020 Inspiring South Australian Women’s Award
10. Marcela Lastra – 2019 Citizen of the Year City of Salisbury

Evaluation

ADCSA used social media and EDM metrics to evaluate the reach and engagement of the Inspiring Community Leader video assets. ADCSA also utilised the LGASA Latest News channel to ensure that all SA Councils had the ability to reach and engage with these video assets and guidance document. ADCSA will also conduct a survey to its member councils in February 2021 to acquire insight of the Citizen of the Year Award process particularly seeking feedback on the guidance document and the range of assets used to assist Councils with raising awareness of this community-based awards program.

ADCSA incorporated a new category Award for Active Citizenship in this year's awards program.  This category was developed in response to the Council's requesting an opportunity to recognise individual/s or a group that has been delivering outstanding work or for an event or cause staged in the community during the past year. ADCSA also measured the nominations received across the state for the 2021 Citizen of the Year Awards Program.  Despite the restrictions that COVID-19 has enforced on our community this year both here in the state as well as nationally, we received well over 340 nominations across all Councils - the highest we've received in recent years. Due to the circuit breaker lockdown that occurred during the closing date for nominations ADCSA approved an extension to SA Councils to accept late nominations by the end of November 2020.

ADCSA are still in the throes of evaluating the Citizen of the Year Awards process as the nominations for state recipients across the categories Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Community Event of the Year and Award for Active Citizenship will commence collection from December and the selection panel will meet early January 2021 followed by the announcement of these state category recipients at Government House on Monday 18 January 2021.

Performance measures

The social media actions resulted in reaching over 20,000 and the video assets were the highest engagement posts with reactions, likes and shares. Despite the restrictions that COVID-19 has enforced on our community this year both here in the state as well as nationally, we received well over 340 nominations across all Councils - this is the highest number received in recent years.

Due to the circuit breaker lockdown that occurred during the closing date for nominations ADCSA approved an extension to SA Councils to accept late nominations by the end of November 2020. It is important to note that volunteerism over the next 12 months across 2020 and well into 2021 may well be significantly impacted due to COVID-19 as members of the community particularly older persons that traditionally are generous in volunteering may feel more vulnerable in this current environment and could do for some time.  As part of its survey with SA member Councils ADCSA will seek feedback on the uptake of volunteerism within Councils and their communities.