Glen Eira Community Hub - Caring | Connections | Conversations

So much of our life in Melbourne is now conducted online, and while it is great that we have the technology to facilitate this, your weekly challenge is to take a little bit of time off from the tech. We aren’t going to tell you how much time to take off – it could be making sure you go on a walk for an hour, instigating a technology free bedroom or choosing a full day without screens over the weekend. Whatever amount of time seems like a manageable challenge to you.

Whatever it is, just make sure you take a break and rest those weary eyes! If you are at a lost from things to do you could try listening to an album from start to finish, reading a new book or cooking something adventurous you haven’t tried before. Or these are the things I will be trying on my tech free Thursday evening. Let us know how you cope and how you feel afterwards in the comments below!

It is that time of year again, spring has sprung and Glen Eira is slowly starting to warm itself up. For us, this means the perfect time for a spring clean out. Though cleaning and organising may have been constant companions throughout the stage 4 lock down we are hoping we can give you some new ways to mix it up! This weeks challenge is to do that one household task you could put off forever but know you will feel better once it is done. For me it will be cleaning our windows, something I never do but know I will feel better when the view outside is not just a smudgy haze. Some other options for you (and maybe some for the kids) include:

• Sorting out that junk drawer (maybe now is the time to get rid of the junk drawer once and for all?)
• Recycling old papers – or turning them into some great art!
• Finally getting rid of that old (and probably expired) make up/skin care etc.
• Re-potting your houseplants, and maybe even decorating the pots first.
• Mopping. Simple, but my most hated task.

Once you have done your chosen task, it is vital that you take some time to celebrate it! Throw yourself a dance party, pour yourself your favourite drink or set aside some time in your day to read a book in the sun. Whatever type of celebrating brings you the most joy. Let us know what spring cleaning task you ticked off your list and how you celebrated in the comments below.

Please join Council and Victoria Police for the second session of the virtual Coffee with a Cop. Local Area Commander Inspector Katriona Kelly, will be moderating the panel which will be made up of representatives from Victoria Police’s Priority Communities Division, Hatzolah Melbourne, and Council. The Q&A style panel discussion will see speakers explaining each of their unique roles in supporting members of our community experiencing mental health concerns and how they are undertaking this work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will again be able to send in their questions for the panel throughout the session, and it will be recorded and uploaded to Council’s website (https://www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/services/community-support/community-safety/coffee-with-a-cop).

Where: Via MS Teams https://tinyurl.com/GEcoffeewithacop

Date: Wednesday 16 September

Time: 7pm – 8pm

This weeks challenge comes on behalf of our wonderful Glen Eira Libraries staff who our asking you to ‘Love Your Letterbox’.

This is just one of the activities Librarians across Melbourne, including our own, have started to support our community during lock down. Our Glen Eira libraries staff made sure to send out library items that were reserved prior to the introduction of Stage 4 restrictions to help keep our community reading. Many of the events listed under key dates our run by our library teams and we highly recommend you consider attending one that interests you once you are done decorating your mailbox.

Share your mailbox decoration with us by sending a picture to CEngagement@gleneira.vic.gov.au.

And if you have time, why not comment with your favourite library based story below!

Welcome to our very last Resilience Diary! Well done to all those that have made it this far – hopefully you have developed some new, positive habits. This week our resilience diary looks forward to other goals we might set and reflects on the process that has been completed. You can download this week’s Resilience Diary here.

Remember, you can come back to these diaries at any time or even just some of the activities that you found most helpful. They are all saved in the document library on the right hand side of this page. Comment below with how you found the experience and if you noticed any changes in how you felt after completing these activities!

Staying connected is an ongoing challenge for all of us during lock down. Even something enjoyable like catching up with a friend can feel like another task on the to-do list which can be put off. But even though we are all in this together, many of us are facing unique challenges that come with isolation. This is why this weeks challenge is all about the quick check in. We saw a great prompt recently to send the following message to a friend:

“Can I call you in 5 minutes to check in for 5 minutes?”

This is a great way to set clear expectations for the call, and to prepare those that might avoid talking on the phone. I’ve texted a few people so far and I have had a 100% success rate. It has been great to catch up with friends and family I might not normally connect with during this time. Let us know if you have tried this technique in the comments below, or any other techniques you have found useful for catching up!

Welcome to our third Resilience Diary! Well done to all those that have completed the last two weeks. We would love to hear if you have noticed any difference in your mood or general wellbeing in the comments below. This week our diary focuses on drinking more water, recognising your achievements and reviewing our progress towards the goals we set in week one. Download this week’s Resilience Diary here.

If this is your first time hearing about our Resilience Diaries, we recommend you go back to week one and start your own four month challenge. All the diaries are available under the documents tab on the right hand side of this page!

Lately it can feel a little like life has been placed on pause, but many things that continue to grow and thrive in our current conditions. We aren’t just talking about pets that might be loving the extra attention, but also our plants. This week we would love to see what you have been growing lately. Whether it is herbs, veggies or maybe even propagating some houseplants we would love to see what has been growing and changing over this time.

Plants can improve our air quality, nourish us and some studies even show they may reduce stress. So show us your plants! Send an email to CEngagement@gleneira.vic.gov.au to show your growth – bonus points for any photos that also include some happy pets!

We hope you enjoyed last weeks resilience diary. This week we have three new activities prepared to help build important skills and continue the habits we have been developing. These activities focus on personal wellbeing through your connection with yourself and connection with others.

You can download your new weekly diary here – let us know how you are finding the activities in the comments section below!

Join us for an informative online workshop to be facilitated by Volunteering Victoria’s Sara Sterling.

This workshop will focus on the current COVID-19 situation and the unique considerations that organisations have to weigh up to begin delivering their volunteer programs in a safe manner. Volunteering Victoria has created a seven-step process to ensure organisations restart their volunteer programs correctly.

This workshop will provide community groups and organisations with information and practical tools to help:

• understand the impacts that COVID-19 has had on volunteer involvement;
• identify their occupational health and safety obligations to volunteers; and
• begin planning to reopen their volunteer programs using Volunteering Victoria’s seven-step framework for restarting volunteer programs amidst COVID-19.

This workshop is being held online via Zoom.

Dates: Tuesday 25 August - 10am–12:30pm or Wednesday 9 September - 10am–12:30pm

Cost: Free

Bookings are essential via: www.trybooking.com/BKWTH

For further information, visit: www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/cwt