Wellard Village 7 Day Makeover

In April 2023, young Wellard residents teamed up with RAC, the City of Kwinana, and the Kwinana Youth Advisory Council to completely transform Wellard Village in just seven days. Here’s how it went.

The process of transforming a town centre can often take months or years. Endless planning, public meetings, and debates get in the way of meaningful progress, causing projects to go off track and take longer than they should.

This was not the case for Wellard Village, which became the first town centre in WA to receive a 7 Day Makeover. This innovative makeover method was pioneered by David Engwicht, a renowned urban planner with over 25 years of experience.

Under David’s guidance, Wellard community members from all walks of life came together to revitalise their town centre in just one week. Bollards and car bays were removed to make way for roadside seating and beautifully landscaped nature play areas, and dull walkways were injected with pops of colour.

A highlight of the Wellard 7 Day Makeover was the involvement of young people from the community. We spoke to Steph Beaumont, a 17-year-old member of the Kwinana Youth Advisory Council, about her experience with the project.

How young people shaped the Wellard 7 Day Makeover

The Wellard 7 Day Makeover presented a unique opportunity for younger members of the community to play an active role in shaping their new town centre. Over 20 local young people divided themselves into their own project groups, with each group focusing on creating a different hangout zone along The Strand in Wellard Village.

The process

Weeks before the makeover began, the young people of Wellard met with David Engwicht and team members from RAC. Here, they shared their visions for the revitalised town centre.

Steph and her teammates advertised the makeover to local schools to encourage other students to get involved. Then, the 7 Day Makeover began with two days of planning, ideation, creativity, and negotiation.

The young people of Wellard wanted to create community spaces that were safe, inviting, and representative of their age group. With encouragement from their fellow community members, they set out to create two new youth hangout zones: The Arcade and Belle’s Well. They also created hexagonal street furniture to place throughout the town centre.

After the planning phase, Steph and her teammates rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Bollards were knocked down, timber was painted, and gardens were planted as part of Wellard’s transformation. Most importantly, Steph said the makeover process taught young people valuable skills which empowered them to contribute to their projects with confidence.

“With the guidance of other volunteers and the on-site tradesmen, I learnt the best techniques for painting, drilling, shovelling, and demolition. A local artist came down and taught the young people how to spray-paint appropriately, using the right materials and equipment to do so safely. I had many opportunities during the project, the most important was being able to provide input and youth perspective on major decisions such as the universal colour palette.”

The outcome

The newly revitalised Wellard Village was unrecognisable. What had once been described as a place that was fragmented and lacking soul had been transformed into a vibrant and welcoming town centre full of character.

Featuring a ping pong table, large chess board and stadium-style seating, The Arcade is now the ultimate hangout zone for the young people of Wellard. Across the street, Belle’s Well is an eye-catching landmark that welcomes visitors into Wellard Square as they enter town, and assortments of colourful seats offer places for people to linger longer.

The Wellard 7 Day Makeover has been formally recognised with a series of award wins, including:

• State Award and a National Commendation for Stakeholder Engagement at the 2023 Planning Institute of Australia National Awards for Planning Excellence
• The City of Kwinana won the Partnership and Collaboration Award at the 2023 LG Professionals Awards
• Nikki Chatham, the City of Kwinana’s Youth Development Officer, was named as the Professional Youth Worker of the Year at the 2023 WA Youth Work Awards.

The importance of youth-led projects

The Wellard 7 Day Makeover enabled local young people to help shape their community, which instilled them with a sense of belonging and pride.

Steph believes youth-led projects are important because they help to shift perception of young people. They allow young people to contribute new and exciting areas that may not have been considered otherwise.

“As individuals, young people may be instilled with a sense of belonging and importance if their opinions and insights are being valued. I believe it also helps destigmatise teenagers as lazy, or being up to no good if others can witness them doing otherwise.”

“They are valuable members of society and often provide new and exciting ideas that may not have been considered without their perspective.”

How you can get involved in youth-led projects

Is there a street or place in your community that could use a makeover? We’re always on the lookout for young people to help create new youth-friendly streets and public spaces. Click the button below to register your interest in our next local makeover project.

Register your interest