Margaret Kay
Margaret Kay, Acting Strategy Manager, Social and Community, Local Government NSW
Creative Ageing Local Government Grants Program 2014 – 15
Local input – local impact
Creative Ageing Local Government Grants Program 2014 – 15 Local input – local impact
The Creative Ageing Local Government Grants Program was funded by the NSW Office for Ageing in Family and Community Services and administered by Local Government NSW in 2014.
The program provided grants of up to $4,000 as a contribution to individual councils in NSW for programs or activities that increase the number of older people participating in creative activities. Groups of two or more councils were eligible for up to $8,000 in total.
The objectives of the grants were to help councils:
- Establish new, or build on existing creative activities for older people
- Develop internal cross-council collaboration with cultural activities
- Work in partnership with local stakeholders to achieve these objectives
Projects were completed by March 2015.
The presentation will provide an overview of the 25 successful council projects which came from rural, regional and metropolitan areas in NSW. Projects used a variety of art forms from local history storytelling, theatre, sculpture, multimedia, music, to film and screen and dance. Projects involving older people who were socially or geographically isolated, Aboriginal people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and intergenerational projects are also discussed.
For a small amount of financial input, the Creative Ageing Local Government Grants had a big impact on local communities, leveraging resources from both the councils involved and the broader community.
Bio
Margaret is currently Acting Strategy Manager, Social and Community with Local Government NSW. Local Government NSW (LGNSW) is the peak industry association that represents the interests of all 152 NSW general purpose councils, 12 special purpose councils and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council.
LGNSW’s objective is to strengthen and protect an effective, democratic system of Local Government across NSW by supporting and advocating on behalf of member councils and delivering a range of relevant, quality services.
Margaret is responsible for advocating for Local Government in the development and implementation of social policy in NSW. She is also responsible for Ageing and Disability policy, working with councils to develop their capacity to respond to an ageing population. She has managed a number of NSW Government Family and Community Services funded grant projects for Local Government in NSW including the Age-Friendly Communities Local Government Grants Scheme in 2012, Creative Ageing Grants in 2014 and the Creating Liveable Communities Grants in 2014. LGNSW recently developed the Integrated Age-Friendly Planning Toolkit for Local Government in NSW to assist councils in planning for older people.
Margaret has a Bachelor of Town Planning (Hons) and a Masters of Commerce from UNSW. She has over 20 years’ experience in strategic planning and research in a range of social policy areas, including 10 years in Ageing and Disability. She has worked with a not for profit aged care provider as a research analyst and has worked as an independent consultant in strategic planning in the areas of housing, education and energy efficiency and has worked for the NSW government.