JAIME Aiden grew up in a Western Australian town of just over 2000 people, and knew most of them.
Now she lives in an inner-Sydney apartment block, which she thinks would house about the same number, but knows very few of the residents.
“I had friends in the area, but it wasn’t until I had a coffee with the building manager and he said it was sad that we all live so close but don’t close but don’t know each other, that I decided to do something about it,” she said.
“I think a lot more were interested, but we had massive storms that day, although they cleared by the time we started.
Jaime joined Nabo that afternoon and within a few days had made several connections.
“In my introductory post I suggested a barbecue and received positive feedback.
“Through Nabo’s support we were able to market it in the area - they helped us create flyers to put in shop windows and a banner for the day, and they provided free gelato,” Jaime said.
Three weeks after Jaime first posted on Nabo, about 50 people joined together at the barbecue.
“I didn’t realise this area was so multicultural, and it was great that everyone came together. Lots of kids came and we played soccer and cricket, threw a frisbee around and played a giant game of Jengo,” Jaime said.
Plans are already underway for the next function.
In the meantime Jaime has become a Suburb Lead for Nabo. These are members who play a key role in helping local residents connect with each other on Nabo by sharing information, inspiring conversation and inviting others to join. They also have a direct link to the Nabo team for support.
Nabo founder Adam Rigby said that Suburb Leads are often people already involved in their community and who believe they can make a difference by volunteering.
Jaime became a Lead because she thought it might be a good way to link up with others in the area.
“Being a Lead means I have better access to new members and I’m able to see what’s happening in the area.
“Nabo have been really helpful with connecting our community. It’s a great platform from which you can reach out and make contact,” she said.
Nabo is a joint venture with Fairfax Media, publisher of this website.
