Who We Are

History of the Network

A meeting of the Barwon Community Education Network and Barwon Neighbourhood House Network, held in Camperdown on 3 August 1989, amalgamated into a new entity called The Network of Neighbourhood Houses and Community Educators. From this combined group the “ The Barwon Network of Neighbourhood Centres “ was formed.

From this meeting of 18 Houses, a Constitution was also developed and The Barwon Network became an Incorporated Body on 7th November, 1990. In 1995, the name was changed to the Barwon Network of Neighbourhood Centres Inc.

Just as the Neighbourhood House movement has since grown, so has the Network. We now have 24 Houses in the region. The Constitution was updated in 2003 and a number of needs analyses have been conducted to ensure the Network remains responsive to the needs and aspirations of its members. The purpose of the Network remains “To provide a collective voice and a sense of unity”

The Barwon Network of Neighbourhood Centres Inc (BNCC) is an incorporated association which draws its membership from the neighbourhood houses and community centres located in the Barwon Region.  Its members are situated in the local government areas of the City of Greater Geelong, Borough of Queenscliffe, Surf Coast Shire and Colac Otway Shire.

The Network is funded through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) under the Neighbourhood House Co-Ordination Program (NHCP) and also seeks grants and project funding from other sources for additional projects and collaborative work.

Neighbourhood House Networks are the central link within the Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres sector structure; their practice is underpinned by the sector principles and is both facilitative and developmental and relies on strong inclusive relationships with its member houses and with the wider local and regional communities.