Plan C has a plan for natural disasters for Lismore
Lara Leahy
13 December 2024, 8:01 PM
Jean Renouf (CEO) and Rena Frohman (Program Director) speaking with Multicultural NSW in the Blue Mountains earlier this week.The work being done by Plan C is being acknowledged and it has resulted in over a million dollars worth grants going towards its training packages.
Youth, adults and the LGBTQI community training are the benefactors of the funds, and Lismore is among the target audiences that will see results.
Plan C is about educating the community and building community resilience to prepare for natural disasters.
Rena Frohman, the program director, is thrilled at the recognition that they have received, “We're really excited for 2025. We are so thankful to all of the funders who are supporting us, and we are so thankful to community members who just keep on giving to other community members.”
There are three grants that contribute to their total funding pool, each for a different demographic of the community.
“The CEO, Jean Renouf, has been working hard over the last five years to raise awareness of disaster resilience and climate adaptation. He's trained so many volunteers across the Northern Rivers. It's his passion in this area.
“Collectively, because of the bushfires, COVID and then the devastating floods, it's really picked up steam. The fact that he's focusing on helping community, community resilience and social capital in communities, it's taken off. Everybody recognises how important it is.”
Mr Renouf has been spending time all over the country presenting the importance of the community in resilience and recovery.
Over $300,000 has been received from Healthy North Coast for one and a half years worth of Community Carers and Responders (CCR) training. “This empowers local communities to respond confidently in times of need and build community in times of peace.
“We have trained to date almost 300 community cares and responders across the Northern Rivers. We have a great group of CCRs from Lismore, and I want to add to that.”
It’s a 5-day program, available across the even LGAs, on a rotational shift, and there are no barriers to place. If the Ballina dates suit a Lismorian better, then they are welcome to join the Ballina training group.
“There’s three days of Disaster Resilience Training, a day of Psychological First Aid and a day of First Aid. Part of the course initiates people to go on to create projects in their own communities that build community cohesion and help prepare for the next disaster.
“Out of those 270 who have completed all five days. We have 85 people who have embarked on or finished projects. And some of these projects are in place, like the Evans Area Resilience Network.
“These are not one-off projects; they're ongoing community initiatives.
"We're really excited that we're able to repeat that offer to the Northern Rivers community starting in March.”
Another grant of $800,000 from Multicultural NSW Compact, will support another 4 years of the young people NextGen Navigators Program to run. That will support 240 people to be trained.
The benefactors will be from all seven LGAs in the Northern Rivers. Plan C is looking for schools or organisations to partner with in Lismore.
“This program equips young people with essential skills to lead and support their communities in times of need.
“Recognising the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation during disruptions, NextGen Navigators also focuses on building evidence-based critical thinking skills, empowering youth to assess credibility and reliability as they navigate the complex world of AI and social media.
“We are incredibly thankful to multicultural New South Wales and their Compact program.
“The $800,000 gives us a chance to do youth engagement processes and redesign and take the learnings from the last two pilots to really build an even more robust and engaging and fun program.”
There is even talk of youth in schools acting as consultants to lend their voice to the redevelopment.
The LGBTQI community have a year of the Preparing with Pride project with proceeds from the Northern Rivers Community Foundation. Plan C will be partnering with Queer Family to deliver the training.
“The program is designed for and delivered with LGBTIQ+ community members, who face unique challenges during crises. Through a series of trauma-informed, inclusive workshops, participants will gain practical skills in disaster preparedness, psychological first aid, and emergency planning.
‘The project aims to foster collaboration, reduce social isolation, and empower the community to respond effectively and support one another during disasters.”
The training packages will be tailored to the community needs and will be delivered in a series of shorter courses that make up parts of the CCR training.
Plan C will have even more good news for the community in the new year, so keep an eye on them to see what else is developing.
Jump on the socials for Plan C to find out when the courses are coming to Lismore:
Links to more information about the courses:
CCR Training (community carers and responders)
And the organisations that have made Plan C’s work possible:
