Defined Terms and Documents      'Aboriginal Teenager Life Skills' RTV Social Inclusion Early Intervention Programme 

Local Community Common Bond Support Group or LCCBSG means local members of the community sharing a favoured pursuit, be it a physical activity (bush walking, cycling, lap swimming, skiing, touch-football, Soccer, dancing etc) or a passive activity (yoga, Pilates, playing cards etc). 

A LCCBSG rarely establishes without a lot of "giving" by generous, like-minded fellow citizens who identify the benefits of a Sense Of Community by fostering a caring, collegiate, community exercise environment which welcomes Australians of all shapes and sizes.  When a group of like-minded people go out of their way to assist others in sport, the communal benefits invariably far exceed the costs due to the power of the human spirit which can excel within a cohesive LCCBSG. 

Participants who join a LCCBSG whose mindset is solely "What is in it for me?" can threaten the fabric of a LCCBSG  because life is a two-way street, whereby if you want to take, you should be prepared to also give back.  Alas, generally in every LCCBSG a small minority do not see it that way and their focus is taking rather than giving which can militate against optimum benefits of the LCCBSG.  A selfish solitary member who evokes charisma can adversely sway a LCCBSG .  Hence, integral to fostering a strong Sense Of Community and Wellbeing is promulgating a caring ethos.

One of the largest LCCBSGs in Australia is the NSW Rural Fire Service, which claims to be "the world's largest single-entity fire service".  Its 70,000 volunteer members provide emergency services to over 95 percent of NSW.  Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria is another.  Rural Fire Services are heavily funded by contributions by insurance companies.  Each year, over 200,000 Australian adults forego leisure time to come together to provide a vital community service in Rural Fire Services.

Government has established the infrastructure of fire trucks, fire fighting equipment and a core of generous caring Australians who possess a strong Sense Of Community.  With this human and mechanical infrastructure in place, other Australia adults are attracted to join the various 'Rural Fire Services' and Country Fire Authority (Vic) due to the very attributes of a LCCBSG which foster bonhomie and a sense of belonging and being cared about.

National Volunteer Fire Council in the USA (NVFC) represents volunteer fire departments (VFD) of fire-fighters who have joined forces to perform fire suppression and other related emergency services for a local jurisdiction.   According to the National Volunteer Fire Council, 73 percent of fire-fighters in the United States are members of VFDs.

The success of these fire services in attracting large patronage is testimony that YELP is viable because it offers the same social structure and Sense Of Community to perform a necessary worthwhile service.

Another very large LCCBSG is Surf Life Saving Australia including the Nippers movement.  Of SLSA’s 140,000 members, almost 50,000 are Nippers (5-13 years).  SES (State Emergency Services) provides a further large LCCBSG.

Disabled Surfers Association was established in 1986 by Gary Blaschke after a motorcycle accident which he lost his knee cap and under went extensive rehabilitation.   
Gary saw a void that needed to be filled as over the years, many surfers with disabilities have unfortunately, been loners with no one to help them get back into the water. Many suffer from disabilities that the general public would not consider a disability. 
From asthmatics to joint injuries to paraplegic, many members have found friendship, support and have renewed their interest in surfing.

Events Calendar evidences the movement has come a long way

Patently, when well-meaning "giving" Australian citizens go to the trouble to set up structures to unite like-minded Australian to assist other Australians, enormous economies of scale have been forthcoming. 

On Monday 20 April 2009 ABC's Richard Vidler interviewed in his 11am "Conversations" Dr Megan Axelsen who suffered from anorexia for over 5 years and published a medical journal on her personal experiences.  Megan Axelsen attributed her breaking the stranglehold that anorexia had over her when she joined a local community bicycle group, developed friendships and then set the goal to eat more to build up strength in order to be more competitive with her new-found cycle friends.

Dragons Abreast Australia is a Not For Profit which -

(i)         invites suffers of breast cancer to join a 'Dragons Abreast Member Group' which offers the therapeutic benefits of a LCCBSG; and

(ii)        has approx 50 active Dragon Boat Member Groups across Australia who train regularly and race competitively. 

See Hobart dragons take on Canada.

The Life Skills Programme Developer's cycle group, Muggaccinos.com displayed strong Sense Of Community by raising $985 to assist one of its members, Tony aka Publican, who suffered a hit run accident as explained in article on 21 April '10 Hornsby Advocate "Hit-run victim still keen to jump back on his cycle".