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Hidden Valley Community Centre

Purpose

The Hidden Valley Community Centre operates as a multi- purpose family resource centre for all members of the Hidden Valley Town Camp community.

Background

The Community Centre received triennial funding in 2006 from the Stronger Families and Community Strategy, Local Answers Program.

There is an average population of 200 people living on Hidden Valley Town Camp, a large number of whom are children and young people. The population often increases due to family visitors from remote communities. Residents are predominantly Arrernte people, but there are also Walpiri and Pitjatjantjara people living there.

Activities - what does the Community Centre do?

The Centre provides the following services:

• programs and activities which address needs that are identifies by the community, which have included art, health, nutrition, sport and youth recreation;
• assistance with linking people in with other service providers;
• a safe and welcoming place where residents can drop in;

Examples of programs that the Community Centre has run include:

• protective behaviour workshops with the Alice Springs Sexual Assault Resource Centre;
• family violence awareness workshops with the Alice Springs Women‘s Shelter;
• school holiday programs including trips to Desert Park, Telegraph Station and out bush;
• food and nutrition program;
• music programs;
• art programs;
• CAAMA music and video workshops .
• women‘s health checks with Congress Aboriginal Medical Service, Clinic 34 and Alukura Women‘s Health Service;

In addition to organising programs, the Centre offers assistance to families in areas of expressed need. This can include school enrolment and assistance with attendance issues, Centrelink, medical appointments, grocery shopping, funeral assistance, banking and linking people with other service providers. The Centre has been able to link town camp residents with over thirty different service providers in Alice Springs.