What an amazing few days we had celebrating this year’s Neighbourhood House Week. The 2025 teme was Ripples of Change: every action, no matter how small, has the power to create a ripple effect — spreading kindness, sparking ideas, and strengthening communities. At Neighbourhood and Community Houses and Centres (NCHCs) across Australia, we see it happen every day! A friendly smile, a shared story, a new skill — these small moments add up to something big, sending waves of meaningful change that extends far beyond our local neighbourhoods.
We kicked the week off with our Create, Make and Play event, bringing local families together to explore their creativity and strengthen local connections! More than 120 locals joined us for some messy fun, a free sausage and loads of conversation!
The craftiness continued as local kids came together to decorate their own calico bags – a fabulous opportunity made possible with the generous support of the Westgate Neighbourhood Fund!
Next up was a free community meditation session – with participants appreciating the opportunity to slow down in a world that often feels too fast and busy. Having the opposite effect was our free Zumba class! High-energy, good for our bodies and with lots of laughs, we learnt some new dance moves that can help keep us fit and strong!
The final highlight worth mentioning was a tough but valuable session co-hosted with Mercy Palliative Care and the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association, learning about the types of palliative care available, hearing personal stories, and asking questions. Knowledge is power and the more we know about our rights and available supports in difficult times, the better our experiences are, and the more supported we feel when experiencing grief and loss.