Community Programs
Our Community Thriving
We connect people, resources and ideas, to create a bright future for our great rural community.
Education Benalla Program
As Benalla’s independent Community Foundation, Tomorrow Today is well placed to bring together everyone with an interest in helping Benalla’s children and young people.
Our Education Benalla Program is a long-term, whole-of-community program that spans family, school and community life. Starting in 2010, it is now an advanced Australian example of a collective impact approach to addressing complex community problems.
Education Benalla Program partners include Local and State Government departments and agencies, all Benalla schools, preschools and childcare centres, Benalla service groups, clubs and societies, other not-for-profits and local businesses.
We work with over 120 local partners and a great many volunteers on shared objectives for right now, and for the future of Benalla. With the collective capacity and goodwill of so many people and organisations, our collaborative approach makes real change.
Community Grants
Our grants support local groups to bring their community projects and ideas to life to enrich our great town.
Since 2003, Tomorrow Today has awarded over $340,000 to more than 65 local groups. These grants are made possible by the growth of our Community Fund. Donations to this enduring Fund are invested to generate income for local distribution – benefiting Benalla and district year after year.
Individuals, families, businesses and community groups can all give to the Community Fund to help create a bright future for our community.
Aboriginal Garden
Local history plays an important part in a community’s identity.
Aboriginal tribes lived in the area known as Benalla for tens of thousands of years. Local Aboriginal leader, Chris Thorne saw the potential for a community garden to recognise the district’s history before European settlement and to share learning about Aboriginal culture and the environment.
Tomorrow Today coordinated the creation of the garden and continues to be involved because of its potential to bring people together and create greater awareness and conversation about our district’s history and heritage.
Benalla’s Aboriginal Garden is a wonderful addition to a town renowned for its gardens. It is a living testament to the spirit of cooperation required to create a community garden which is approved by Aboriginal elders and is a healing and knowledge sharing place of benefit to all.
Water is the source of life so it was imperative for the garden to be alongside the waterway. Representatives of local tribes, working with a landscape architect and the Foundation’s Advisory Committee, selected the site.
The Garden is next to the Broken River surrounded by beautiful old River Red Gums. While it’s located in town, adjacent to the Lake Benalla dam wall, it’s a very peaceful location.
At the centre of the garden is a wall of local granite, shaped like the edge of a Coolamon – the wooden food bowl used by Aboriginal people to collect food. The wall symbolises the Coolamon tipped on its side with food plants scattered nearby.
The plants in the garden are native to, and were once widespread in, the Benalla area. Many of the species are now threatened by clearing, farming practices and urban development.
Care was taken in the design and location of the garden to ensure that it allows floodwaters to move freely through the area, with minimal impact on the flow of water or damage to the garden.
Volunteering
Volunteers contribute to all aspects of life in our district. At Tomorrow Today we depend on volunteers to support our programs (described below) and to support our organisation, working on our committees and serving on the Tomorrow Today Board.
Volunteers are central to our Education Benalla Program. They help nurture children’s communication and literacy skills and are often matched to an individual child or young person, to provide new opportunities and support.
All volunteers engaging with children require a current Working With Children Check.
Volunteering positions at Tomorrow Today
PEEP volunteers
Every week during school term we run numerous PEEP (Parents Early Education Partnership) sessions for parents of children from birth to pre-school. A special part of each PEEP session is ‘parent talk time’ when the children (aged 12 months and older) move into the play room for supervised fun activities so the parents can discuss topics of interest. Our volunteers assist staff in the play room and enjoy helping the children to explore structured play activities.
Kinder Pal volunteers
Kinder Pals visit children at preschools and engage them in books and conversation through play activities. Volunteers need to commit at least one hour per week during school term.
Kinder Pals are provided with training and books to use in the preschools.
Reading Buddy volunteers
Volunteer Reading Buddies work one-on-one with a child who needs extra support to improve their reading and writing skills in the early primary classroom.
Volunteers need to commit at least one morning per week during school term.
Our staff provide initial training and you will be matched to a student who will benefit from your assistance in one of the Benalla primary schools.
The special relationship that develops is rewarding for both the Reading Buddy and the student.
Connect9 mentors
As a volunteer with our Connect9 program you will become a mentor to a young person in Year 9 for one school term – either Term 2 (April to June) or Term 3 (July to September). Together, you will participate in activities that connect the young people to new skills, sports and hobbies and new people and experiences. You will help your mentee set life and career goals.
ConnectParent Community Connectors
As a volunteer Community Connector with our ConnectParent program you would be paired with a family (pregnant or with a newborn) to assist them to connect to the resources and support they need within the Benalla community. Community Connectors receive full training and ongoing support and contact with the ConnectParent supervisor and other Community Connectors.