Workshops to build community resilience

THE first workshop in a program series aimed to empower communities impacted by emergencies kicks off for the first time next month. An Indigo Shire Council initiative ‘Ready, Set, Recover’ developed by Kate O’Toole, Jessica Oldmeadow and Elen Randall focuses on building community resilience to help build skills, confidence and community connection. Ms O’Toole said the project had been developed by networking with councils across the state to find out about other effective programs. An evaluation from resident feedback from another Indigo Shire Council community run program this year ‘The First 72 hours’ has also helped developed the training platform. Ms O’Toole said the project is wrapped around helping communities to be more upskilled and empowered to support themselves and their properties as well as their communities after emergencies and to support community connection. “What we've seen through our work and through assessing what other councils are doing with similar funding is infrastructure can be put in place but communities that are better equipped to deal with emergencies themselves, know each other well and feel connected to their community tend to recover much quicker,” she said. A wildlife recovery workshop in Beechworth on October 5 will be the first in the program series for people to gain an understanding and confidence in wildlife management. Among other workshops in the program series will be a hands-on fencing workshop by volunteer-based BlazeAid to teach people skills on how to repair and rebuild fencing after natural disasters. Another hands-on workshop for two days for accredited chainsaw training will take place in Rutherglen in November. An accredited food safety handling workshop will be run in December followed by a fire extinguisher course such as how to safely manage a kitchen fire. On the horizon with extra workshops planned for next year are first aid, mental health wellbeing as well as sessions on drought ready gardens and native plantings in a changing climate while the trio can be contacted with more suggestions. “We're encouraging young people, women and gender diverse people to apply as well,” Ms O’Toole said. She said Beechworth Wildlife Stays – registered for wildlife rescue and a shelter -– has also offered to take the wildlife program into the schools. “There's been good uptake and it’s a way that young people can learn more about making their environment and their communities more wildlife friendly,” she said. The program series is funded from emergency recovery Victoria, Australian Government Black Summer Bushfire Recovery grant which funds the Future Proof program delivered in partnership with Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic). With places strictly limited visit indigoshire.com.au/recover for workshop information and to book.

Workshops to build community resilience

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