FROM THE CEO
MARIA BENNETT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH AUSTRALASIA
Hello Neighbourhood Watch Australasia
Neighbour Day 27 March 2022
Welcome to the first edition of the Neighbourhood Watch Australasia (NHWA) Journal for 2022. 2021 proved to be another hardworking year for NHWA and for local Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) groups, as we continued to evolve and establish new and safe ways to provide and promote the well-being and security of our neighbours and communities throughout the second year of a global pandemic.
Neighbourhood Watch Month Margaret Pearson NHWA Company Secretary at Neighbour Day 20th anniversary event
Neighbour Day is held annually on the last Sunday in March. This year Neighbour Day celebrated 20 years of actively connecting communities! During this time Neighbour Day has progressed from being a reminder to connect with elderly neighbours, to an annual celebration of respectful relationships and strong communities. Relationships Australia invites everyone to celebrate two decades of social connection on Neighbour Day and are calling on all to continue to help build ongoing community connections across the country for the next 20 years, and to continue to work towards ending loneliness, one relationship at a time.
StreetSmart Handbooks
The inaugural Neighbourhood Watch Month, an annual collaborative campaign by crime prevention partners NHWA and Crimsafe, launched in March this year. NHW Month is designed to raise awareness of home security and encourage people to connect with their local NHW communities, while spotlighting ways in which we can create safe, secure and more crime-resistant homes and neighbourhoods. NHW Month shares some effective tips and tricks for improving home security, introduces a new free, online home security audit tool, Secure Score, to rate the effectiveness of a householders’ overall home security. Read more on page 8.
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NHWA JOURNAL APRIL 2022
The StreetSmart Handbooks – the essential guide into adulthood, are also celebrating their 20th year anniversary. Commencing publication in 2002, as an accessible, comprehensive, state-specific resource designed to provide teenagers with information about practical and useful steps to take to assist in the safe navigation of their transition to adult lives. The StreetSmart Handbooks are available in print and also online – to have a look and find the edition for your state/territory go to: https://www.nhwa.com.au/ resources/flyers-booklets/streetsmart-handbooks/
