By Alana Mitchelson
PROJECTS initiated by groups in The Hills have been recognised at state level for helping communities become safer and better prepared for emergencies.
Emerald Community House (ECH) and Cockatoo’s Echo Youth and Family Services were highly commended with Resilient Australia community awards at a presentation in Melbourne on Thursday 22 September.
ECH’s ‘Centre of Resilience’ strategy allows its work to pay economic, built, environmental and social dividends to encourage the collective strength of the Emerald community.
With natural disasters forming a part of local life when living in a high-risk environment, the ECH focuses on enhancing resilience through activities that aim to increase the community’s ability to tackle challenges, including disaster threats.
“The focus of the Centre of Resilience is to embed resilient practices – resources, back-up power, IT access, childcare, kitchens, showers and event management for all demographics – which benefit our community,” ECH manager Mary Farrow said.
“We build community connections and collective strength every day.
“We may never have a fire or a major disaster but day-to-day relationships are what tie a community together in preparation for any adversity that descends upon us; be it social, economic or environmental.”
Its model has also been recognised as a Victorian case study by Monash University’s Disaster Resilience Initiative and Emergency Management Victoria’s Resilience Compendium.
Echo Youth and Family Services’ project 340 Ready2Go supports people living independently who are at risk of being affected by extreme heat and other emergency scenarios by matching vulnerable residents with volunteer community members who provide information, support and early relocation away from high-risk areas.
Both ECH and Echo Youth are now finalists in the national Resilient Australia Awards.
Resilient Australia recognises projects that help communities at a local level become more resilient before, during and after natural disasters such as bushfires, heatwaves and storms.
