Supporting diverse communities in Victoria’s north-west to prepare for disasters, together.
Preparing Together Loddon Mallee is working to support communities to be better prepared for, and recover from, natural disasters and extreme events and aims to increase government and emergency service agencies understanding of community strengths and lived experience.
We know that climate change is contributing to extreme weather events. Let’s talk about what you and your community need before, during and after these events so that emergency management can understand your experiences and we can prepare for disasters together.
Communities across the north west of Victoria are diverse, and not everyone is impacted equally. First Nations communities, multicultural communities, young people and rural communities don’t always have their voices heard in emergency planning. This means the whole community may miss out on their unique knowledge and skills.
The Preparing Together Loddon Mallee project will work with these communities to connect across the north-west of Victoria. They will be able to share knowledge about their experience of extreme weather events, with each other and with emergency service organisations, build leadership skills and increase understanding of climate risks. And by 2027 they will be able to lead projects to support their local communities to be better prepared.
We respect and value participation from the community by recognising that initiatives developed by the community have better outcomes. Preparing Together Loddon Mallee will help communities be better informed and prepared for the benefit of your community.
Find more information here
Previous ADAPT Initiatives
ADAPT delivered four initiatives across the region aimed at building local adaptive capacity, forging strong partnerships and learning networks, sharing the latest climate and adaption knowledge and research to support local communities and their leaders to become climate-ready.
Partnerships are critical if we want to be a region that is responsive and resilient to climate change.
Adaptation is well-suited to a collaborative approach because of the wide range of expertise required, the varying geographical challenges of the region and the long time frames involved.
Collaborative partnerships provide an opportunity for stakeholders to find out what other adaptation planning and projects are going on in the region and to share expertise and learnings with each other.
Partnerships also support access to funding options and achieving economies of scale.
Climate Ready Communities
We believe conversations are really important when it comes to addressing climate change. Whether you talk to your friends, colleagues and family members for information-sharing, advice-giving, or just to express your thoughts, this process helps you put things in perspective which helps build relationships and resilience.
This initiative will be supported by a Community Conversations tool kit that will be co-designed with a group of local leaders who have had, or are wanting to have, climate change conversations amongst their peers and their communities.
ADAPT will make conversation kits available throughout the region at key locations and for download on the website as well as funding support Loddon Mallee communities to host climate conversations.
ADAPT will also develop an educational activity book aimed at 6-12 year-old children to investigate and learn about climate change, renewable energy and adaptation action.
Community leaders and volunteers have a crucial role to play, by informing and supporting local business and community groups to adapt to changes in our climate.
This initiative aims to build and strengthen climate change adaptation leadership across the region. The program will bring a diverse range of emerging community leaders together to workshop projects aimed at building local adaptive capacity or delivering local adaptation action.
Workshops will allow participants to collaborate, pool resources, develop skills and build networks to maximise immediate adaptation impact and build future capacity.
Our youth have a high awareness of complex social challenges and understand that our systems need to change in order to better prepare young people to navigate an increasingly complex future.
In recent times, young people across the globe, country, and region have been vocal in their concerns around climate change due to its potential to significantly impact their future employment, health and wellbeing and access to the natural environment.
While some youth in the region have been vocal in their advocacy to mitigate against future climate effects, they are yet to enter the conversation on how they will adapt to current and future changes that are predicted, regardless of even the most stringent mitigative actions. Other young people in the region are yet to be included in the broader climate change conversation.
Given that young people are less likely to use traditional forms of engagement, ADAPT LM will be inviting a diverse range of youth from across the region to participant in a co-design process that will shape the way that we engage them on the topic of climate change adaptation. The co-design process will ensure that the youth of Loddon Mallee are active partners in decisions around adapting to a changing climate that will directly impact their future.
We acknowledge and respect Victorian Traditional Owners as the original custodians of Victoria’s land and waters, their unique ability to care for Country and deep spiritual connection to it. We honour Elders past and present whose knowledge and wisdom has ensured the continuation of culture and traditional practices. We are committed to enabling self-determination for all Aboriginal people and aim to work closely with the Aboriginal community to drive action and improve outcomes especially in the context of a changing climate.