Medina Community - Voicing their Values

In December 2006 the Community Arts Network WA (CAN WA) was engaged by the Town of Kwinana (Town) to undertake a cultural mapping project consultancy to identify the values of the Medina community, in particular the values relating to the natural and built environment.

The Town was in the process of reviewing their Town Planning Scheme, which includes some increases in housing density in the Medina area. As part of the review, the Town is developing ‘design guidelines’ for Medina that will form part of the Scheme and will apply to development at increased densities. This means that new development in Medina will need to address criteria set out in the design guidelines.

The values of the Medina community, as identified through the consultancy, are to inform the development of the design guidelines, in particular the establishment of criteria set out in these design guidelines, and subsequently residential development at increased densities in Medina.

CAN WA developed and undertook a range of cultural mapping exercises to engage and elicit the values of the Medina community for this purpose. These exercises included the following:
• Medina Residents Group Discussion Forum;
• Medina Community: Voice Your Values! Event - including a Community Cultural Mapping Exercise, a Children’s Cultural Mapping Exercise, and a Youth Capoeira Performance and Workshop;
• Seniors Values Workshop;
• Medina Business Owners and Non-Resident Landowners Postal Survey; and an
• Aboriginal Community Values Workshop .

The primary consultancy exercise, the Medina Community: Voice Your Values! event was held on Saturday 23 March 2007 at Ridley Green, Medina, acting as a prelude to the Town of Kwinana’s Multicultural Ding Dong . The event was held over a three-hour period, from 2.30 – 5.30pm so as to allow people to ‘drop-in’ and participate in a range of activities, at a time that was convenient to them.

The purpose of the Voice Your Values event was to provide an opportunity for the Medina community (i.e. residents from young to old, and local business and non-resident land owners) to come together, learn more about the proposed rezoning of Medina and ‘speak out’ about their values of importance. It was intended to be an open forum that was not controlling or intimidating, and allowed all voices of the community to be heard.

A number and range of activities were incorporated into the Voice Your Values event to cater for the diverse sectors of the community. These activities included:
• Town of Kwinana Town Planning Scheme Display;
• Medina Residents Group Display;
• Community Cultural Mapping Exercise;
• Town of Kwinana Photo Voice Display;
• Children’s Cultural mapping Exercise;
• Youth Capoiera Workshop;
• Free barbeque; and
• Free Children’s Bouncy Castle.

It was estimated that over 100 people participated in the Voice Your Values! event, approximately 65 adults, 20 young people, and 30 children.

Through the various exercises of the cultural mapping project consultancy, including the Voice Your Values event, CAN WA identified aspects of the natural, built, socio-cultural environment that were of value to the Medina community. The Town is now in the process of developing the design guidelines that will form part of the Town Planning Scheme, and intends to utilise the values identified through the CAN WA consultancy to inform the development of these guidelines.