Imagine you are sitting under an apple tree, and you see an apple fall, do you ever wonder why? Issac Newtown did. In 1687, he dared to ask the question WHY the apple fell rather than what happened or how it fell. Because of Newton’s question, we have an understanding of gravitational forces.

While it is important to understand WHAT a project is and HOW it will be achieved, the most important thing along the road for project success is understanding the WHY: the reason why you are doing the project in the first place. Does it align with your values? Are you passionate about the cause? Do you have a deep belief in making a difference? The why gives us the motivation to persist: the reason or reasons for the striving for outcomes.

Now, take a four-person team. Mix in a little leadership, a lot of passion, a splash of enthusiasm and a strong desire to make other people’s lives better and you have the beginnings of four amazing project pitches. Over the day we witnessed a smorgasbord of Project Pitches presented to the group, starting with a well organised and thought-out Yellow Team, who demonstrated their passion about providing access to our beaches for all abilities, complete with a PowerPoint presentation and thoroughly researched data. Next came Green and Red Teams’ brainstorm of ideas around their themes of Youth Mental Health and Intergenerational Connections. Finally, along came Blue team’s wonderings and ideas around how to best assist Food Share in becoming a Regional Food Hub. So from here with a balanced blend of –

• What the project is,
• How the project will be completed, and
• the all important WHY …the project was chosen.

The newest LGSC community projects have taken their first enthusiastic steps into the South West Arena.

Thank you to our guest speakers, Karen Foster, O2 Media and LGSC Chair, Dr Bernadette Northeast and Annabel Cussen, EO South West Community & Jones Foundations

Kylie Moroney, LGSC 2021 Participant