Urban Landcare groups have a great advantage in that they typically cover a large population base, but this can sometimes be difficult to translate to levels of engagement. With so many competing groups in the urban space, it is hard to get people’s attention and let them know that your group even exists, let alone inspiring people to get involved.
Wagga Wagga Urban Landcare has long had a strong core group of dedicated volunteers, but were keen to increase our exposure to the wider community. So three years ago, Wagga Wagga Urban Landcare decided that we needed an activity to raise our profile. What resulted was our first ever “Movies Under the Stars” event, held in the summer of 2017. We have now held our third annual outdoor movie night series, with the community response continuing to increase each year.
We chose to hold outdoor films as we thought it would be a great way to encourage people who may not normally visit our local parks and reserves to get outside and appreciate the amazing natural areas we have to offer. We hope that by introducing people to these great local sites, they will continue to make use of them throughout the year.
We have been able to deliver these activities due to Wagga Wagga City Council’s Annual Grants, which cover the movie and screening fees. The local Forum Cinemas provided a commercial popcorn machine and all associated materials free of charge, allowing us to generate a small profit for our group and, importantly, create the real cinema feel!
