Shaping inclusive disaster resilience workshops, with your help
Over the past month, we’ve been speaking with carers, disability support workers, and people who support those living with disability to help shape our next round of disaster resilience workshops. These conversations have been honest, generous and incredibly helpful. We’re really grateful to everyone who took part!
Thanks to grant support from the NSW Reconstruction Authority’s Supporting Spontaneous Volunteers Program (SSVP), a NSW Government initiative, we’re now developing a series of workshops across the Northern Rivers that reflect what people told us they actually need: practical, hands-on sessions that respect lived experience, aren’t overwhelming, and leave people with something useful they can build on.
Here’s some of what we heard:
Carers are stretched, physically, emotionally and logistically. Unless disaster planning is kept simple and supported, it can feel like just another thing on an already long list.
Support workers need clear expectations and tools, especially those in casual or agency roles who often aren’t offered proper training.
People with disability are often left out of the picture, from emergency messaging to planning and decision-making. We need to make sure their voices and leadership are part of this work.
We need to plan for more than just floods. Heatwaves came up a lot, and they’re often forgotten despite being Australia’s deadliest hazard.
Preparedness has to feel possible and not like another burden. When it’s broken down into small, doable steps, it’s much more likely to stick.
There was also a strong call for:
Printed resources and visual tools that work in the moment (not just websites)
Short, practical sessions with low-pressure delivery
Workshops that include carers and the people they support – together
Local networks and check-ins, especially for those outside formal systems
Real-life examples, plain language, and lived experience facilitators
Thank you again to everyone who shared your stories, ideas and insights. We’re now pulling all of this together into a series of workshops that will roll out in Ballina, Byron, Lismore and Tweed from July onwards. Stay tuned!
