Surge Seen in People Getting Involved, Helping Others

EVERYWHERE you turn in western Sydney there seems to be a new community group, resident action group or grass-roots campaign blossoming.

More and more people are getting involved in their communities for varying reasons, and the trend hasn't been missed by researchers.

James Arvanitakis, senior lecturer at University of Western Sydney's Centre for Cultural Research, said there were a few theories to explain the community renaissance.

"I think it's a really interesting phenomenon that we're seeing," he said.

"We see more action groups around the environment, we see it in Mensheds and community support groups for marriage equality.

"I think one of the issues is, resident action groups are trying to address a recognition by communities that they are, in a way, the best groups for their own representation.

"We can't always trust governments to do the best thing for us because they have competing demands."

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Blacktown Sun