Community Builders was started so people across NSW had information on what works to make their community safer, healthier, inclusive, and more vibrant and enterprising. It was started by the NSW state goverenment in 1999 and has continually evolved to meet the needs of users.

It works as a hub where the users contribute its content and to ongoing development because they publish their stories and tips to the site. Users include everyone involved or interested in making our communities more dynamic, healthy and successful, ranging from community members of all ages, different community organisations, community workers, and all levels of government and business.

While not directly targeting individual carers, it is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to form, join or change a support group. The site continues to evolve to accommodate new ideas and developments in community building, to incorporate new technologies and in response to user feedback and suggestions.

So what is community building? Community building is about people from the community, government and business, taking the steps to find solutions to issues within their communities. Coming up with their own solutions to problems that affect them, adapting what has worked elsewhere and enlisting support from government or other partners, gives people a sense of achievement and empowerment. Community building is based on collective participation of people, individually and as a community, who act together to create change. This is clearly an idea that will be welcomed by most carers as it is what we see talking place in Carer communities everyday.

This site will be useful for community organisations, volunteers, policy makers, academics, community leaders and all those involved in government and business. The emphasis is on practical resources and how to do things including checklists on what is community building; how to use and interpret statistics; group work techniques; managing conflict; how to consult young people; funding sources; sustainable urban design; and partnerships with community and business. Most of the resources are Australian but some overseas material is also included.

Case studies are featured to show how others have made changes in their communities; what worked, what they learned, what made a difference. You can share your story too if you publish it using the online forms. Other users are sure to find your story inspiring.

One of the best features is the online forum where you can exchange ideas, ask questions share your experiences with other community builders. You can even subscribe to the discussion forum so you get notified when new ideas are posted. Simply click on the link when you see one that you want to know more about. You can also promote your community events, conferences and workshops and see what else is happening with the Events calendar.

Overall this site is for the more adventurous carers who want to be more active in seeing changes in their community. There is a lot of information here that can really help you with your community building.

You can visit the Community Builders Website at: www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au