Rising Together
Thanks to the generous support of the Northern Rivers Community Foundation, we hosted 11 empowering events aimed at supporting our community to transition from flood recovery to disaster resilience.
The Rising Together gatherings took place across the 7 Northern Rivers LGAs. They gave participants a chance to make connections, exchange insights on community challenges, and bolster our resilience together. We collaborated with community members to make these gatherings meaningful for THEIR community. At each gathering we also shared stories and good food.
Past Events:
Food Security
Our Rising Together Food Security community gatherings were so special. We are heartened by the energy, innovations and community networks that are growing across the Northern Rivers.
Over 173 people registered for one of the six gatherings across the Northern Rivers (and online) and 106 food security community activators showed up and shared ideas about the amazing work we are doing. We now keep in touch with everyone through a WhatsApp group solely dedicated to food security. You too can join these exchanges by joining here.
Thank you to the volunteers, photographers, summary writers, cooks, and networkers - we've put together a short reel (see below) which we hope you enjoy. You can also read a summary “Rising Together: Building community for food security in the Northern Rivers, as seen through the life of a mushroom” here.
These events aimed to address critical issues surrounding food security within the region, inviting farmers, growers, community gardeners, co-ops, food swappers, sellers, soup kitchens, resilience advocates, alongside consumers, to participate. Participants engaged in networking sessions and discussions focusing on producing, growing, accessing, and storing food. Additionally, insights from Plan C's recent study on Northern Rivers Food Security were shared, offering both regional perspectives and practical solutions for individuals and communities.
"What impressed me the most about our previous Rising Together Food Security Events is that even food growers and producers, who know their stuff when it comes to food, realised that they too were actually not ready for disruptions to our food systems, such as the like we experienced in the floods in 2022 when supermarket shelves were empty. Our event allows participants to connect with like-minded locals and also learn practical ways to ensure we are all better prepared for disruptions."
Jean Renouf, CEO of Plan C
Did you miss out?
If you would like to see the online version of this gathering or share with others, please check out the recordings below.
Strengthening community through conflict management
Our Rising Together: Strengthening Communities through Conflict Management workshops resonated so strongly that we’ve received requests to hold them again. With over 79 registrations across four sessions in the Northern Rivers, the enthusiasm for building stronger communities was clear. Participants were truly inspiring, showing up ready to engage deeply and tackle challenging conversations with courage and openness.
We’re excited at the possibility of offering even more of these workshops in 2025!
A heartfelt thank you to our exceptional facilitators—Julie Walker, Bobbi Allan, Andrew McClelland, Rena Frohman, and Jean Renouf, as well as the funding that made it all possible, from Northern Rivers Community Foundation.
2 of the workshops were co-facilitated by Bobbi Allan and Julie Walker. Bobbi is an educator with 35 years’ experience empowering diverse communities to cooperate for the common good; and a skilled meditation and mindfulness teacher and retreat leader. Julie is a seasoned social worker with 45 years’ experience in counselling, coaching, facilitation, mediation, restorative engagement and conflict management in community, government, universities, corporations, and NGO sectors.
People joined to learn more deeply about how to manage conflicts in disaster scenarios. In this session they practiced:
Grounding in presence + deep listening.
Conflict styles + gaining fresh perspectives through mapping conflict dynamics.
Identifying barriers + working with structural power differentials
The other 2 workshops were co-facilitated by the Plan C team (Rena Frohman and Jean Renouf) and Dr. Andrew McClelland who has 30 years’ experience running workshops on counseling, coaching, assertiveness, interpersonal skills, relationships restoration and mental health and wellbeing.
People joined to learn more deeply about how to manage conflicts in disaster scenarios. In this session they practiced:
group conflicts + our reactions
deep listening orientation in conflicts
assertiveness + boundaries.
We’ve captured some highlights in a short reel we hope you’ll enjoy!
Dadirri
We partnered with We Al-li to deliver a 2-day workshop on Indigenous deep listening, called Dadirri. A big thank you to our facilitators, Danni and Kylie for their presence and guidance.
Dadirri is an Aboriginal practice of deep, contemplative listening and still awareness, cultivating a profound connection with nature, community and self.
Rooted in Indigenous spirituality, it emphasises mindfulness, patience, openness and healing through quiet reflection and respect for the land.
Participants described the workshop as an incredible opportunity to experience safety within a group, slow down, find stillness, and deepen their connections. A key takeaway for many was the power of creating space for everyone’s passions, stories, and ancestral histories. We also embraced the power of ceremony and ritual, shifting from a mindset of 'doing' to one of 'being'. Through these gentle experiences, we were able to create a healing space for contemplation, reconciliation, and understanding our place in the world.
At its core, we believe disaster preparedness goes beyond practical tasks like cleaning gutters or using radios. It’s about building community and doing the inner work necessary to strengthen our collective resilience.
Check out our reel and some photos from this special event (below).
A big thank you to Muffinbreak Lismore and Zest of Lime for providing the delicious food that nourished us over the two days. We are also deeply grateful to the Northern Rivers Community Foundation for funding this event as part of our Rising Together series, supporting the transition from flood recovery to flood resilience.
End of year party!
Let’s Celebrate an Incredible Year Together!
It’s been a big year for Plan C and our amazing community, and we’d love to celebrate all our stories with you.
Strengthening Communities through Conflict Management
This event will focus on Strengthening Communities through Conflict Management, particularly in the context of disaster response and recovery scenarios.
Strengthening Communities through Conflict Management
This event will focus on Strengthening Communities through Conflict Management, particularly in the context of disaster response and recovery scenarios.
Strengthening Communities through Conflict Management
This event will focus on Strengthening Communities through Conflict Management, particularly in the context of disaster response and recovery scenarios.
Strengthening Communities through Conflict Management
This event will focus on Strengthening Communities through Conflict Management, particularly in the context of disaster response and recovery scenarios.
Dadirri: Ancient Aboriginal Mindfulness Traditions
The main aim of this workshop is to locate the ancient Aboriginal tradition of mindfulness within the work of trauma recovery in Australia and elsewhere.
The workshop objectives are to establish principles of practice, using mindfulness in self-care, family care and community care and in the development of communities of care, and communities of practice in all trauma recovery work.
Learning to communicate with ourselves and each other at deep levels is primary to effective practice. Participants are introduced to many key therapeutic approaches used by We Al-li including story mapping, sand-play, music, art therapy, movement and guided imagery.
Food Security in the Northern Rivers: Food Planning for families and local communities
Join us for a transformative four-hour session where we’ll explore challenges in food security, and learn about innovative initiatives across the Northern Rivers. In conversation with regional food security researchers, local growers, makers and sellers we'll strengthen our understanding of food security from big picture to our families.
Food Security in the Northern Rivers: Food Planning for families and local communities
Join us for a transformative four-hour session where we’ll explore challenges in food security, and learn about innovative initiatives across the Northern Rivers. In conversation with regional food security researchers, local growers, makers and sellers we'll strengthen our understanding of food security from big picture to our families.
Food Security in the Northern Rivers: Food Planning for families and local communities
Join us for a transformative two-hour ONLINE session where we’ll explore challenges in food security, and learn about innovative initiatives across the Northern Rivers. In conversation with regional food security researchers, local growers, makers and sellers we'll strengthen our understanding of food security from big picture to our families.
Food Security in the Northern Rivers: Food Planning for families and local communities
Join us for a transformative four-hour session where we’ll explore challenges in food security, and learn about innovative initiatives across the Northern Rivers. In conversation with regional food security researchers, local growers, makers and sellers we'll strengthen our understanding of food security from big picture to our families.
Food Security in the Northern Rivers: Food Planning for families and local communities
Join us for a transformative four-hour session where we’ll explore challenges in food security, and learn about innovative initiatives across the Northern Rivers. In conversation with regional food security researchers, local growers, makers and sellers we'll strengthen our understanding of food security from big picture to our families.
Food Security in the Northern Rivers: Food Planning for families and local communities
Join us for a transformative four-hour session where we’ll explore challenges in food security, and learn about innovative initiatives across the Northern Rivers. In conversation with regional food security researchers, local growers, makers and sellers we'll strengthen our understanding of food security from big picture to our families.