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NEWTOWN VIBE
Protecting the Newtown Vibe is all of our responsibility. In 2015, Newtown Neighbourhood Centre ran a community survey that found the greatest attribute people value about Newtown is its “character” – “diverse, accepting, eclectic, and welcoming”. As a result of a public meeting held in July, a working group known as the Newtown Vibe Roundtable was established, with representatives from Newtown Neighbourhood Centre, Newtown Police, Newtown Precinct Business Association, Liquor Accord, ACON, Inner West and City of Sydney Councils and the office of Jenny Leong MP. As people who love to live, play and work in Newtown, we wanted to ensure we protect the vibe of our diverse, inclusive, vibrant community. The Newtown Vibe is the character and spirit of Newtown – it’s not something easy to describe or quantify – it's precious, but it isn’t tangible - it's valuable, but isn’t something that can be owned. It's about respecting each other by being open, welcoming and inclusive. We want people to feel welcome when they visit Newtown and in return we expect them to respect the vibe of our community. Everyone in Newtown should be able to walk the streets at any time of the day or night, whoever we are, and feel safe. It's about celebrating difference and diversity – and weirdness. A place full of colourful characters, locally run initiatives and creative cultural events and experiences. Our local community is active and engaged – we want to be part of shaping the kind of world we want to live in. We are a community that looks out for each other, cares about those who are vulnerable, and speaks up against hatred and discrimination. Protecting the Vibe doesn’t mean resisting change. But it does mean being active in ensuring that as things change around us, we work together to keep our community diverse, inclusive, Vibrant, Open, Weird and Safe. |
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