A spooky twist to attract new participants
Weddin Landcare gets in the Halloween spirit to connect with new audiences
Community Participation - LEP23-005-Weddin-02_LLC_007
The issue
An ongoing challenge is engaging young people and new members to join Landcare. New faces and a new generation in Landcare would bring fresh ideas and energy into projects and secure the succession of the group. Commitments such as education and work make it difficult for many people to participate in volunteering or attend events.
The solution
Weddin Landcare got creative with Halloween and hosted two spooky events, a Creatures of the Night spotlighting evening and a Wicked Wildflower Walk. The natural environment ties in really well with spooky themes, there is death and decay, creepy crawlies and all sorts of slimy, unsettling activity to draw upon. The idea was that two events would be hosted, one in the nighttime on Halloween and one the following morning, to attract a broad audience with different availability.
The nighttime spotlighting event engaged Jayden Gunn from Birdlife Australia to share information on what fauna is active a night, before taking participants spotlighting around a local property. The wildflower walk took place among the gravestones at Montegle Cemetery, which sits within a remnant Box-Gum Grassy Woodland, where Mikla Lewis OAM helped identify the plant species.
The impact
Feedback was great, and curiosity was piqued with requests for insect and spider-themed events in the future. The wildflower walk was very well attended, with a few new faces coming along from neighbouring localities. The spotlighting event, whilst not attracting as many attendees as the wildflowers, left participants energised from a nighttime walk through the bushland and offered participants a new perspective on the natural world.
Learnings
Holding the night-time event on Halloween meant that community members had other commitments. If we were to run it again, we would hold it the week of, not on the day itself and try a weekend evening. Or hold it before daylight savings, this would also make it more accessible to school-aged children with sunset allowing for an earlier start time.
The wildflower walk was well attended and has increased momentum to keep choosing different locations and themes.
From a coordinator's perspective, it feels important to keep trying different ways to connect with new audiences, and having fun with different themes allows for creativity with fresh ideas.
Key facts
- Over 25 participants got in the spooky spirit
- New connections made
- A different perspective on the natural world