About the High Street Community Hub

Vision

The hub’s vision is to provide a positive, inclusive dynamic and collaborative community hub that strengthens community participation, inclusion, diversity, and resilience.

Values

• We treat ALL people with dignity and respect.
• People’s feelings are valued and respected at all times.
• Our use of resources is responsible, accountable, and transparent.
• We involve community at all levels, and we value the contribution of everyone involved in this project.

About the hub

The Moe Life Skills Board has always had a vision for inclusion of all people. That vision continues with the new name, Life Skills Victoria Inc.

The high street community hub was purchased with the assistance of the Department of Health and Human Services with a view to providing a space to which all members of the community have access, and with a focus on those who are socially isolated or vulnerable.  The building was originally a Masonic Lodge and still retains some of the features of its past history, such as the beautiful plaster work on the ceiling of the Masonic Hall.  Sympathetic works to improve acoustics have been completed, but the features have otherwise been left untouched.

Initially a community consultation process elicited a wide variety of suggestions and opportunities for the use and development of the hub.  Those in the consultation included community members, representatives of community organisations, and staff members and Board of the then Moe Life Skills.

Some of the key partners identified during the consultations included local church groups and church services, youth services, schools, mental health services, and service clubs.  Over time, these have been expanded to include Local Government, children’s services, martial arts groups, Yoga and Pilates, and education providers, to name just a few.

Many of the suggestions for events and activities from that process have been incorporated into the development of the hub activities, such as markets and music events.

Some of the activities include a permanent art exhibition in the hallway at the hub, and the ‘Dangerous Deeds’ Exhibition, which was held over a 5-week period. This unique exhibition was created by disability leaders collaborating with artists from stART Community Arts to create 18 videos across 8 screens that presented authentic perspectives on disability culture and history. The exhibition highlighted the role that people with disabilities have played in driving social, legislative, cultural, and attitudinal change, a rich story of social action that has largely been hidden from the public eye. The amazing artwork design for the event was commissioned by one of the Life Skills Victoria Inc participants, Angela Clement.

We constantly seek community feedback to guide our thoughts. We would love you to contact us with any ideas for future events and activities.

What We Do

• We offer a range of great spaces for community groups to use for activities with a special emphasis on those who are vulnerable or socially isolated.
• We hold events for fundraisers, such as the World’s Greatest Shave and the Biggest Morning Tea.
• We have indoor and outdoor playgroups.
• We provide space for activity groups such as Pilates, Yoga and Martial Arts.
• We offer space for training, formal and informal meetings, and staff development days for external organisations.
• We provide music events such as the Monash Medical Orchestra Music for the Valley.

The outside of the building is great for projections. The Dangerous Deeds Exhibition was projected on to the outside wall for people to view as they walked past.