How Denmark Community Foundation is supporting youth mental health and creating real local change
Services in Denmark, located over 350km south of Perth, are ‘next to nothing’, says Karen Burford, Chair of the local community foundation. But that’s beginning to change, thanks to the foundation’s tireless commitment and ability to convene local stakeholders on issues such as youth mental health, food insecurity and substance misuse services.
The relationships that Karen and the rest of the volunteer board at Denmark Community Foundation have in the local area are central to what is being achieved. It was Karen’s daughter, a nurse at the local high school, who raised that there was a gap in mental health support for 12-25-year-olds being home schooled or disengaged from education.
“I called a meeting with shire, the high school and primary school, Headspace Youth Focus and the Albany Youth Support Association. I was surprised that they hadn’t ever sat down together before to talk about the issue,” said Karen.
This reflects one of the key roles community foundations play as conveners, using their connections to bring together organisations that otherwise may not meet and turn existing local knowledge into practical action.
“I’m a grandparent and while my girls and grandies are well catered for, I just couldn’t think of anything worse than any of them falling through the gaps. So I don’t want that to happen to anybody else,” said Karen.
“My suggestion to the group was that if I could come up with funding, could they come up with a plan?”
Karen and fellow board member Jo Tighe approached the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, a Perth-based funder chaired by Elizabeth Perron, who immediately supported the initiative. Elizabeth is a strong believer in backing community leaders who know best what their local communities need and had recently started funding community foundations across Western Australia.
Karen and Elizabeth have built a strong trust-based relationship and the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation is now backing the Denmark Community Foundation in a multi-year, untied partnership. Elizabeth has visited the town and seen the impact of the community foundation’s work first-hand.
The result was the establishment of a free mental health counselling service from Youth Focus Great Southern run out of the local Community Resource Centre a number of days a week. The Denmark Foundation also has funds available for diagnostic assessments and emergency transport if needed.
Backing from the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation has enabled the Denmark Community Foundation to respond to some of the town’s other pressing needs. These included a wheelchair-accessible community transport vehicle, an all-abilities access pathway at a local primary school, improvements to facilities that support a local youth dance program and the Happy Plate initiative, which teaches young people about nutrition, healthy lifestyles and cooking. There’s also been support for hardship and medical transport programs.
“The accessible pathway means that children with a disability can access the school playground and play alongside their friends for the first time,” said Karen. The Denmark Community Foundation has now become known as the first point of contact for local organisations seeking support for other initiatives.
Read more on how the relationship developed: Major funder backs trusted local leadership through WA community foundations
“People are coming to us now to make representations on their behalf,” said Karen. An example included a funding request from the high school to support a student who was the subject of a domestic violence situation with accommodation and other assistance.
“We made an approach to Elizabeth on a Friday and worked on the application over the weekend. We received the funding on the Monday.”
Another initiative is the Palmerston Outreach for drug and substance misuse in nearby Albany, which had a funding shortfall. Working with the Albany Community Foundation, the Denmark Community Foundation was able to secure the needed support – a great example of how community foundations are backing each other.
“Through our relationship, Elizabeth and her team know that there is need in the community here and that’s why they’re always willing to have a chat if there’s anything that Denmark or surrounding area needs. And they know they can trust us to deliver it.”
The town’s population has grown more than 30% since Covid to 6,500 and despite the lack of services, Karen says there’s a strong community, connected by 300 sports and activity clubs. The Denmark Community Foundation is also supported by some local family businesses, organisations and anonymous donors, but it’s been run as a very lean organisation since establishing in 2009.
Karen cried when she first received a call from Elizabeth Perron to say that she was planning to fund the community foundation. “It was fantastic to have that recognition from an external source because the community really needs the assistance.”
“We’re achieving things,” she said. “Our motto is ‘Small town, big heart’,” she said. “I think, for a little town, we’re punching above our weight.”