Two former Community Facilitators have moved into positions where they can draw on the extensive knowledge they now have of their communities. This showcases why the IRCF model invests in local Facilitator roles – so that highly skilled local social impact practitioners become even more deeply embedded in the important work happening in their home communities.  

After two years as the Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) program Bay and Basin facilitator, Kate McBride (pictured below left) is building on her wonderful work in a role with Uniting’s place-based initiative, Firefly.  

Firefly supports and advocates for young people in the Bay and Basin through collaboration, working with the community and organisations for better outcomes and experiences for youth.  

Kate said one of the many rewarding aspects of her time at FRRR was deepening her understanding of place-based work and seeing firsthand how it strengthens communities and improves outcomes.  

“I loved my time as a Community Facilitator, making all the wonderful connections both in the Bay and Basin, as well as more broadly on the South Coast,” Kate said.  

In her new position on the Firefly team as the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Specialist, Kate will assess the impact of Uniting’s place-based initiatives by tracking effectiveness, analysing data, and providing insights to enhance outcomes.  

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to remain connected to the Bay and Basin community, while also sharing learnings with others looking to foster similar place-based initiatives. I look forward to continuing to support and strengthen the vital work happening in our region and beyond,” Kate said.  

Meanwhile Steph Chiu (pictured top right), former Batemans Bay Facilitator, has been engaged as Coordinator for the Eurobodalla Community Support Network (ECSN).  

The ECSN is made up of Eurobodalla community members, community groups, service organisations and government agencies.  Established to build connection during the Black Summer recovery, its purpose is to connect, share and collaborate to increase community resilience.  

ECSN has been supported by the IRCF program, most recently through Toolbox funding for the Coordinator role, which will help ensure ECSN continues to function and flourish to provide social cohesion, capacity building and future resilience.  

Steph believes a network such as ECSN is incredibly important for strengthening community resilience. 

“Engaging in a network is a way to practice sharing and collaboration around larger issues that impact multiple sectors and groups,” Steph said. 

ECSN has emerged as the only collective that has relationship with council, state and federal government. It currently represents 66 different NFP’s and government agencies. 

As the Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) program culminates in the South Coast communities, one of the biggest impacts has been the growth in the people that have delivered the program.

The Community Facilitators have not only held the space for conversations, nurtured the roadmaps, listened deeply to community; they have also gained important skills and knowledge around leadership, storytelling, “Art of Hosting” techniques and a deeper cultural understanding. Along with many other wonderful social impact skills, these will be an asset to their communities for many years to come. 

Last week Monique, Kate, Steph and Carolyn had the chance to connect in person, reflect on the last few years and enjoy a wonderful lunch at The Cup’N’Cake’N’Co, a social enterprise that was initially seeded with an IRCF start up grant in 2020. It was wonderful to be together and feel the connection that has been forged through shared experience in delivering this impactful program. 

The team also took the time to gather a parting gift for each of the 50+ organisations we have been on this journey with over the last five years, with special items from a few of the social enterprises who have been partners in the IRCF journey on the South Coast. 

Much gratitude to facilitators: Monique Carson, who has been on this journey since the first roadmapping in Ulladulla and always gives above and beyond; Kate McBride, who has stepped up with poise and confidence in the Bay and Basin Community; Stephanie Chiu, who in a deeply connected way stepped into the Batemans Bay community with such impact; and Leah Szanto who supported the Bega Valley community with such professionalism and commitment. A deep and heartfelt thank you to Kate Dezarnaulds, Jules Klugman, Meg Stratti, Natalie Lloyd and Bree Morgan who supported their communities in the program.

The IRCF program is not possible without the key element of investing in people and engaging local facilitators who are part of and know their community deeply, these committed individuals who do so much in their two days a week with us are the key reason for the incredible impact this program has delivered. Thank you all for your generosity, humour, kindness and sharing of your love for community. 

In the Bega Valley, strengthening capability for sharing resources was a community roadmap goal. The Bega Valley Data Collective (BVDC) had support through the Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) program to develop a community-led wellbeing framework aimed at empowering the community to thrive.

The first stage of this was the Measuring What Matters in the Bega Valley project, which has now been successfully completed. As a community engagement initiative, the project provided crucial insights into the issues and priorities that matter most to Bega Valley residents.

Organisations who participated learnt how to access and use community data and how wellbeing frameworks can achieve meaningful impact for community-led decision making, as well as enhancing grant applications.

To mark the official launch of the Living Well in the Bega Valley campaign, BVDC hosted a film screening on November 18^th in Merimbula. Titled Purpose, the documentary follows the journey of political economists Katherine Trebeck and Lorenzo Fioramonti as they seek to change the way progress is measured to change what governments do. Envisioning a world in which the economy serves the people, rather than the people serving it, the pair initiate political projects in the hope of shifting economic systems away from endless GDP growth, towards what really matters for people and planet.

The screening was followed by an enthusiastic Q&A session. April Merrick, FRRR’s NSW Programs Manager and committee member of BVDC, said the event provided a thought-provoking exploration of the wellbeing economy. “It was great to see so many engaged people turn out. It reinforced what we heard in our recent survey where over 90 percent of respondents rated community-led decision making as an important factor for community wellbeing.

BVDC has been developing partnership agreements with the University of Canberra and the Australian Bureau of Statistics and will be announcing two projects to come from these collaborations in early 2025.

Funded through Snow Foundation under the Investing in Rural Community Futures program, the Ulladulla community co-designed a roadmap articulating goals decided by the community, for the community. As part of their roadmapping, Ulladulla IRCF participants identified having strong, respectful relationships and making a commitment to walk alongside First Nations people and organisations as key goals.

With support from Snow Foundation, Walking Together in the Milton Ulladulla District used grant funds from FRRR for the ‘Together We Thrive’ project to organise attendance at the Giiyong Festival, the largest Aboriginal cultural festival on the southeast coast, near Pambula, NSW. Being engaged in an immersive cultural celebration strengthened pride and community connection, and inspired planning further opportunities for deeper cultural participation.

Miribi Bunbal, Ulladulla High School’s youth didgeridoo group, had previously attended a two-day cultural camp with their teacher Hamish Richardson and Aboriginal teacher Moose (Michael Lloyd), gathering foods, making spears, creating art and practicing didgeridoo together. At Giiyong, they played in the didg’ jam session and hugely enjoyed the whole celebration.

First Nations individuals in attendance loved the celebration, with many expressing a desire to reconnect with cultural opportunities.“Coming here and sharing my cultural knowledge again, I’ve realised that it’s been a while since I’ve done that. It has been really good to do it again. I feel like it is time for me to step up into that role again.”

Being immersed in Aboriginal community and cultural celebration was an experience attendees expressed gratitude for, including being able to participate without any financial barriers. Non-Indigenous attendees also shared valuable learnings and self-reflections. “The really powerful and amazing thing for me is this experience of cultural immersion. It’s not just that the dancers and performers are so good and so powerful, but it’s stepping into their world. On the site, you can actually feel the difference in it being owned and run by Aboriginal community, and everything about the day is immersed in their own ways of being and doing things.”

The community has been inspired to build further on these cultural connections, with plans to facilitate members of the girls dance group Bunaan Yandabal and more families being involved in the future. Ulladulla Yarning Mob, Wandarma AECG, and Ulladulla Local Aboriginal Land Council, have expressed hope that something similar will run next year, with additional lead time allowing them to attract even stronger community involvement. 

An increase in partnerships between organisations and a decrease in working in silos has been a key feature of IRCF on the South Coast. Partnerships support has increased capacity and broader service delivery, and led to projects where NFPs are working with business groups to share skillsets and expertise.

A good example is how Shoalhaven Business Chamber (SBC) partnered with local NFPs, with the support of Snow Foundation, providing access to annual SBC membership, helping them improve the way they ‘do business’ and increasing networking opportunities.

Shoalhaven Women’s Resource Group Limited (ROCC) has provided strength-based support services to women in the Shoalhaven for four decades, and offers holistic long-term case management and regular group programs. ROCC’s services foster resilience in, and advocate for, women, facilitating improved social connection, life skills and psycho-social supports.

Through the Investing in Rural Community Future’s program, ROCC established links with SBC. Twelve months later, ROCC was announced as a finalist in the Shoalhaven Business Awards and was thrilled to win the Outstanding Community Organisation award, in recognition of the dedicated work the NFP delivers supporting women.

The awards process required ROCC to demonstrate not only that it provides impactful support to its clients, but also that ROCC business is being run with best practice governance, a sustainable financial strategy, risk management and compliance frameworks, as well as appropriate care for clients, staff and stakeholders.

The successful partnership with SBC helped build the profile and confidence of ROCC, while simultaneously strengthening relationships between SBC, other members and the NFP sector. 

Four local NFPs awarded grants

In partnership with the Bendigo Bank Community Enterprise Foundation, FRRR has awarded a further $50,293 to support four not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) in the Bay & Basin area. Bay & Basin NFPs have now received nearly $150,000 to date through the Investing in Rural Community Futures (IRCF) program, which is helping to address locally-identified priorities.

The IRCF program is a multi-year program designed to foster collaboration between local NFPs and strengthen their capacity, so they can continue to have a positive impact on the vibrancy and wellbeing of their communities. The program operates across the South Coast region, and in three other locations across NSW.

As part of the IRCF program, local leaders participated in community meetings and created a roadmap of the future opportunities they envision for their communities. This helped to identify the areas where the community groups and NFPs need support and ensures that the solutions being provided through the program are community-led.

The four funded projects cover various areas including strategy development, resilience training, equipment upgrades and human resources. One example is the Huskisson Op Shop who are engaging a paid Coordinator to support the Op Shop Volunteers, as well as a Business Advisor, who will help to modernise the Op Shop to support their food pantry in St Georges Basin.

Natalie Egleton, CEO of FRRR, said that multi-year programs, like IRCF, are vital for these remote, rural and regional communities.

“The NFPs in Bay & Basin play a big role when it comes to the quality of life for people living in these communities. Local leaders know what will work, so our role is to support them to create locally-led solutions that can be implemented over a series of years. This ensures that these communities thrive long into the future,” Ms Egleton said.

David Impey, CEO Community Enterprise Foundation, the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s charitable arm,  said that the grant recipients are committed to developing all aspects of their organisations.

“It’s inspiring to see these people who are willing to take such a multi-faceted approach when it comes to building resilient communities. Through this program they’re developing their skills, strengthening their relationships with their peers, improving their processes and engaging in some really productive conversations.

“These organisations are powerful advocates for their communities. We’re very thankful to be able to support their efforts in creating sustainable and long-term solutions that will see the lives of everyone in Bay & Basin made that much more vibrant,” Mr Impey said.

The four projects being funded are:

• Vincentia Ratepayers and Residents Association Inc, Vincentia – Prepare, Develop, Publish and Regularly Update the Vincentia Ratepayers and Resident Association 2030 Strategic Vision Document – $7,000
• Sussex Inlet District Chamber of Commerce Incorporated, Sussex Inlet – Sussex Inlet, a Vibrant Future- Building the capacity of our communitythrough resilience training and by developing a marketing campaign – $3,900
• Sanctuary Point Community Pride Incorporated, Sanctuary Point – Boosting Pride by fostering community engagement and enhancing organisational capacity through the development of a website, communications strategy, and accounting software – $10,309
• UCA – Bay & Basin, St Georges Basin – Growing the Husky Op-shop by building organisational capacity to enable a stable of aligned social enterprises – $29,084.

In addition to Bay & Basin, the IRCF South Coast program is also working in Nowra, Batemans Bay and Ulladulla, with the support of The Snow Foundation and in Junee, Leeton and Nambucca Valley in partnership with the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation.

For more information about the Investing in Rural Community Futures program visit – https://frrr.org.au/ircf-program/.