Red Cross launches resilience webinars for communities

The Australian Red Cross is launching the Tune In and Tune Up webinar series aimed at helping communities tackle drought recovery and wellbeing.

The Red Cross Drought Resilience Program is launching the Tune In and Tune Up webinar series aimed at helping communities tackle drought recovery and wellbeing.

Giving communities the tools to support one another through the pressures of drought is the aim of Tune In & Tune Up, a free drought and wellbeing webinar series launched by Australian Red Cross this week.

The five-part series will be delivered fortnightly to explore how to maintain community wellbeing through drought, featuring expert speakers across the fields of psychology, wellbeing, climate, rural social issues, gender and disasters, children’s mental health and agribusiness.

The first webinar aired on Wednesday, focusing on maintaining wellbeing through drought and prolonged stress.

Australian Red Cross Drought Resilience Program national co-ordinator, Alex Tanfield said the webinars were launched to provide support to drought-stricken communities while opportunities to work face-to-face were limited due to COVID-19.

Ms Tanfield said it was important to cover diverse aspects of drought and wellbeing as experience varied greatly from one person to the next.

“When we talk about the classic, rapid onset disasters like fires and floods, we often talk in language like ‘before, during and after,’ or ‘preparedness, response and recovery,’ but with drought, it’s all of that stuff happening all the time,” she said.

“Drought is so protracted and affects people over such significantly long periods of time that communities are constantly trying to prepare for the future, constantly trying to recover from the challenges they’ve gone through and are constantly going through those challenges.

“Drought is such a complex space, people go through such a diversity and complexity of experience, we just wanted to break it down to be a bit more bite size in the way we support ourselves and our communities and the people around us.”

Through the webinars, Ms Tanfield hopes participants will understand they are not alone in their experience, learn of the support networks available and take away tips for starting conversations with their loved ones.

Each webinar is limited to 500 participants, so registrations are essential. To register visit www.redcross.org.au and search Drought Resilience Program. Recordings will also be available on the Australian Red Cross Drought Program website after each webinar.

Australian Red Cross runs a community-led resilience program in Queensland working with individual communities to provide personalised support. For more information on the tools, support and resources available through the program, visit the website or email [e-mail].

UPCOMING WEBINARS

• Wednesday, July 1 at 10–11am
  The drought cycle; adaptation and strengthening resilience
  
• Wednesday, July 15 at 10–11.15am
  Wellbeing after the rains
  Speakers: Dr Lynette Bettio,
• Wednesday July 29 at 10–11.15am
  Family wellbeing in the face of ongoing stress
  
• Wednesday, August 12 at 10–11.15am
  Preparing for tough times