Bitou social development forum in place
PLETTENBERG BAY - Bitou Municipality is breaking new ground with the creation of a Bitou social development forum whose goal is to identify and resolve some of the social issues facing communities within the municipality.
Janet Harding, the coordinator of the forum, said the forum has "morphed from the Department of Social Development LDAC programme into what is presently in place".
She said the forum is a public/private partnership with the goal of identifying and resolving the social issues in the Bitou communities.
Initially, these were identified in the following categories where subcommittees have been established: children on the street; drug and substance addiction; gender-based violence; early childhood development; and health and welfare.
"The first project undertaken by the new forum is to identify the stakeholders who play a role within all the local communities and create awareness of issues requiring attention," she said. "A handbook of stakeholders is currently under construction and will soon be available for distribution in and around Plettenberg Bay."
Harding urged those who have not attended any of the meetings or who are unaware of the existence of the forum to contact one of the members or the mayor's office at Bitou Municipality for information on how to join.
"It is vital that all groups are represented on the forum and we welcome input from all sectors. There is no financial commitment
for membership. This forum is a properly constituted organisation with registration as an NPO in due course, once all the legal and administrative regulations are in place," she said.
"We are breaking new ground as there is no blueprint to follow, but we firmly believe that only through collaboration can we gain the trust of all residents of Bitou, both now and in the future. Through meaningful communication and the understanding it brings, there is no limit to what can be achieved."
The next general meeting will be held on Saturday 4 November.
Harding said once the subcommittees are up and running, each subcommittee will deal with its specific areas of concern, including what the current problems are, what actions should be taken and monitoring success.
Each subcommittee will focus on goal and problem solving, planning ideas into action, performing these actions and monitoring results.