By Tyler Wright
Dandenong Ranges residents and businesses will be able to enjoy access to a new coworking space in the Monbulk Living and Learning Centre from Monday 11 July.
The Coworking Plus project, facilitated by the Yarra Ranges Council in partnership with Business Victoria, was introduced to encourage community engagement and stimulate the local economy.
Yarra Ranges Council Deputy Mayor Councillor Johanna Skelton said the benefits of the space for residents and workers will not just be limited to a warm room and access to free Wi-Fi.
“98 per cent of Yarra Ranges businesses are small businesses, employing 19 people or less, and many are home-based. The Coworking Plus initiative is an opportunity for people to connect, promote their business and form ongoing support networks,” Cr Skelton said.
“Encouraging people to work locally can ease traffic, save carbon emissions and also have a positive effect for traders in the area; revitalising our townships,” she said.
Business Mums of the Hills, a subgroup of the larger Mums of the Hills collective, will be holding its monthly networking event at the Monbulk Living and Learning Centre on Friday 15 July as part of the coworking initiative.
“One of the big [problems] for businesses has been employment and staff shortages post-Covid,” Yarra Ranges Council Business Recovery Officer and Mums of the Hills member Melissa Bennett Monterio said.
“For both residents and businesses, [the rising cost of] insurance has also been a really big issue,” Melissa said.
The Coworking Plus project is set to focus on mental health and wellbeing after lengthy periods of working and studying from home.
Melissa said this has been particularly difficult for women who have been dealt the burden of juggling the “lions share” of homeschooling responsibilities.
“A lot of business mums have put some of their business activities on the back burner because we are the ones that sort of typically are juggling the kids, as well as what our business interests are, so to sort of be able to reengage with other mums in the same scenario is really useful,” Melissa said.
The coworking plus space and networking events are open to all members of the community.
Individual coworking spaces are available to book from Monday July 11 to Friday 5 August, and visitors are able to stay for however long they choose.
A series of sessions focused on health and wellbeing community networking, home business networking, partners of tradies networking and net-walking are available to register for.
To get involved, visit https://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Experience/Events/Coworking-Plus.
