Salvos Creative Communities Cafe

The Salvation Army’s run-down community centre in Sydney’s Waterloo will see a paradym shift from a ‘welfare’ drop-in centre into a Creative Community Cafe & Workshop for use by the diverse local community of the Redfern area. Below is the the Proposal submitted to the Salvation Army for consideration. The proposal has been accepted and due to commence in early August 2011.

Salvation Army Community Craft Cafe Proposal 2011 The following proposal is an outline of a redevelopment strategy for the Salvation Army's Waterloo site from a currently under-utilised community centre with a focus on 'welfare' orientated services to an arts-based community co-operative with a focus on skills development and long-term income sustainability for local community members who may have issues of disadvantage. The redevelopment strategy also intends to address issues of the centre's physical environment and current and potential uses of the community space and how these may influence the perceptions and subsequent behaviour patterns of the broader Redfern/Waterloo community. Finally, the redevelopment strategy seeks to encourage the introduction and intergration of the centre with the broader Redfern/Waterloo community through community run, creativity-based initiatives. These initiatives include: 1.Artists studios on the first floor made available at a reasonable fee to emerging artists in receipt of Centrelink payments. This initiative provides a modest sustainable income stream for the centre's utilities expenses. 2.The upstairs central space and outside verandah allows for classes and workshops for community members wishing to learn new skills that may allow them to generate art, craft or refurbished items for sale in the centre's gallery cafe, boutique-style shop outlet, weekly 'Bargain & Barter Bazaar' or monthly 'Artisans in the Afternoon Market' held in the carpark area. 3.A cafe/gallery in the central community space with outdoor seating available on a 10cm raised platform in the undercover area. The cafe will be used as a hospitality and barista training venue presenting an employment opportunity for community members. The walls and shop outlet of the centre will be used to showcase the artworks for sale by the resident artists. 4.In warmer months the raised platform in the undercover outdoor area will be converted for one or two nights/week into 'Street Wail' -a performance stage for the community's local musicians, poets, comedians and dramatists with the seating moved into the carpark area and the venue made open to the public. The stage also allows for outdoor 'Cinema at the Salvos' where commercial or community made films can be screened in the manner of Centennial Park's Moonlight Cinema 5.An 'open mike' 1.5 sq.m and 10cm high performance platform inside the gallery cafe where the current Cross is mounted on the wall will be used for 'Church on Tuesdays' should it be appropriate and winter months performances. 6.A community herb garden where the herbs may be collected for sale in the Market or use in the cafe. 7.A relaxed community 'chill out' room furnished with lounges and low coffee tables for community organised meetings. The underlying principles within the redevelopment strategy are those of encouraging and empowering the hitherto traditional 'clients' of the Salvation Army from 'welfare recipients' into valuable, equitable communally engaged members of 'regular' society, and, encouraging the collapse of seperatist barriers and alienation between all the levels of the Redfern/Waterloo society by facilitating an openly engaging community and 'business' environment in the centre similar to any 'high street' situation in other more affluent suburbs. The elimination of the current 'welfare centre' atmosphere of the Waterloo site is a highly desirable outcome, both for the current users of the centre and for the surrounding community as the gentrification of Redfern and Waterloo emerges. If those on lower socio-economic levels are approached with the respect, acknowledgement of their individual value and expectations of responsible engagement in an equitable, encouraging community environment then it is highly likely that they will respond as such. If those on higher socio-economic levels are given welcome to a communally engaged creativity centre (rather the local welfare centre) then it is highly likely that they will engage with such a venture. Breaking down the boundaries of social division is the primary purpose of this redevelopment strategy, using the socially universal 'languages' of creativity is the most non-threatening, curiousity building and 'open-handed' method of accomplishing this aim. It is envisaged that the Waterloo site redevelopment may see the Salvation Army move from a welfare model of community engagement to an empowering, skills and income capacity building social enterprise approach. This change will also allow those members of the community with higher socio-economic levels, witness the Salvation Army community centre become willing to engage with them on a level with which they are familiar and comfortable. The venture is obviously open to all members of the community regardless of race, gender, language, disability or any other determined issues of 'disadvantage'. I present this proposal for your consideration. Irene Charnas Community Arts Facilitator & Streetlevel Mission community member BFA. MCAE. MDesign. Cert.IV Training, CCD+Creative Enterprise M: 0407 943 737 E: ic.art@live.com