Cohousing-L Mailing List: Halloween promotion

[Robyn Williams (zen]

Jessie wrote:

> Where we're about to hold our -ohmigosh, is it? - 4th annual Enoween
> celebration complete with games, food (mostly desserts),
trick-or-treating,
> and bonfire. What started as a marketing idea before we even had a
foundation
> in the ground has grown into a full-fledged community tradition.

And we're about to hold our first!
Halloween is a new thing here, picked-up off American TV and promoted by
local commercial interests.  So Ausralian kids do the TnT without very
little idea of what it's about.  Our cmmunity is using Halloween as a
community building exercise, promoting safety, respect and fun, in our local
area.  We're having a costume parade around the block, a fire, games on the
lawn and a haunted house upstairs in the C/H.  A flyer has been sent around
the immediate area - it includes safety tips for kids and householders, an
invitation to join the fun, a brief history of Halloween and a picture of
pumpkins to stick on the door or gate to attract callers.

I've got support from Neighbourhood Watch/Safe Houses and Youth Services.
Community Police Service printed the flyers.  The Council's Safer City
Project gave us $200 and they're all looking at it as a pilot for the
future.  Great marketing, lots of mainstream cred and I believe, service to
our local community.  I've enlisted 2 of our 13yo loose cannons as
'co-ordinators' - it's been great for me working with them.  It's a project
with a win-win-win outcome.

Warmest regards
Robyn Williams
Pinakarri Community
Fremantle, Western Australia