Activating streets.
It is so great to see a community supporting each other and local businesses in the area. It has been an eye opening experience to
be a part of a local magazine that does just that.
I have gained so much insight
and understanding to the strategies involved into making a Street more unique
and community driven. By applying my self in this area, it has reinforced why I love this aspect
of Public Relations.
If you don’t know already Beaufort Street is a little hub
for dining, entertainment, lifestyle and retail. Beyond that, one may not
realise that there are small and local businesses meeting the everyday needs of
locals. From Doctors to Hardware stores, Accountants to Lawyers; my role as
social media personnel for Oh Hello Beaufort Magazine has allowed me to explore all
kinds of businesses on the Street and remind our audience they exist.
The
Magazine liaises with another community driven network called the Beaufort Street
Network that makes decisions to better the Street and bring all the locals
together. I have had to send emails to members of the Network in order to
gather information to curate social media posts about specific strategies. Introducing
yourself as an intern to a board member can be pretty daunting! Especially when
you are representing an organisation or someone else. For example, you might be very
conscious about what you say, try to come across professional and check/ re- check to make sure you have correct email etiquette. I sometimes forget the
‘learning’ part of the experience and feel like I should just ‘know’; but the truth is- if you're never out of your comfort zone, then you will never learn!
All in all, it has been a great experience learning about the
effort and strategies put in place to make a Street more than just a street and how my role has played a part in that.
From the murals to the seats, window displays and alleyways, these details for
me have much more meaning in their contribution to the character of Beaufort
Street and my experience throughout my internship has taught me that.
Click A Better Beaufort Action Plan to see the document created by the Beaufort Street Network with all the strategies to better the Street. The pictures below are some I had taken in reference to the Better Beaufort Action Plan and the social media post I had to do for the Magazine.
These are Way Finding Stamps to direct pedestrians to local sites, amenities and transport on the Street.
Seats and Shades for the community.
