Wollongong City Council has won in two categories at this year's National Awards for Local Government.
Council won the Prevention and Community Safety Award for its community safety project 'I Belong in the Gong' and the Workforce Planning and Development-Attracting and Retaining Tomorrow's Workforce Award for its 'Eyes on the Future School Based Traineeship Program'.
The Australian Government awards, which have been recognising excellence in Local Government service delivery for 33 years, were presented in Canberra this week.
Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said he is "proud that our council has won two of the possible 10 awards.
"It is a great testimony to the hard-working staff at Council. The programs assist and promote inclusion and a safe city especially for women and girls and also support our young people to engage more with their transition into the workplace through our Library Services, which provides more than just books.
"As a result of 'I Belong in the Gong', the community's perception is that Wollongong at night is an increasingly safe place to be."
'I Belong in the Gong' is a community development project created to reduce harassment and threatening behaviour at night in Wollongong's CBD and is funded by the New South Wales Department of Justice.
It was originally the Women's Safety Project in 2017, which was aimed at improving safety for women and girls and reducing abusive behaviour towards women visiting, shopping and living in Wollongong's CBD.
It then expanded to include the whole community as 'I Belong in the Gong'.
Attorney General and Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Mark Speakman said: "I Belong in the Gong is a great grassroots safety initiative for the local community.
"Women and girls absolutely have the right to feel safe and supported in and around their homes," Mr Speakman said.
"It's wonderful to see the council bringing businesses, law enforcement and the community together to ensure people know they're accepted and there's always a safe place to go."
Cr Bradbery said: "Council's Eyes on the Future program aims to support students with the potential to achieve to a high level, but who need an alternative to traditional study programs to succeed in their final years of schooling and their transition into employment."
Participants in 'Eyes on the Future School Based Traineeship Program' undertake a school-based traineeship while completing their Higher School Certificate, working in Wollongong City Libraries and undertaking a Certificate II or Certificate III qualification.
The program addresses Council's challenge of workforce renewal, by encouraging young people to consider a career in local libraries. It enables this diverse group of young people, to share their talents with the community, assisting in the delivery of digital literacy programs, story-times for children and families and events such as the annual Comic Gong Festival.
The National Awards for Local Government celebrate local government projects that demonstrate leading practice, deliver better outcomes for communities, have the potential to be rolled out across the country and make a meaningful difference.
