Community resilience to shine through at launch of Shed Talks

The MakerSpace at Mid North Coast Community College (MNCCC) will launch a series of themed live discussions on May 26.

The monthly networking events will provide the opportunity for community members to meet and share their ideas, knowledge and personal stories.

The first event will explore the theme of community resilience following the united effort to help one another after the March floods.

The discussion will be held from 7pm-8.30pm at the MakerSpace in Albert Circuit, in Port Macquarie.

Speakers are Olivia Tape, lead volunteer with the Port Macquarie Mud Army; Wayne Ulrich, who has worked with communities in the Philippines during a flooding crisis; and Valerie-anne Byrnes, MNCCC CEO and educator.

The evening will include opportunity for questions, conversation and networking over refreshments.

Sue English, MNCCC services manager and Shed Talks creator, said the series will provide the community with an opportunity to connect informally and engage on issues that are part of the region's collective experience.

The launch is supported by the Head Heart and Hands (HHH) climate resilience project.

Dr Sarah Mollard, a member of the HHH team, said the community is facing several layers of distress following drought and the bushfires of 2019, the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the March 2021 floods.

"Coming together as a community to share experiences and ideas in person is important in building the connections that can sustain us through these difficult times," Dr Mollard said.

The HHH project by the Port Macquarie Hastings Sustainability Network is working to support the development of local networks to share the knowledge and skills needed to address climate change impacts in the Hastings region.

The project received a NSW government, Department of Planning, Industry and Environment Increasing Resilience to Climate Change Community Grant.

If you would like to get involved in the project email headheartandhandsportmac@gmail.com or follow it on Facebook @headheartandhandsportmac

To register for the Shed Talk launch go to events.humanitix.com/shed-talks-community-resilience

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