“Share Learn Connect”
18 – 20 March 2019
110 Local Landcare Coordinators, Landcare Committee members, representatives of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW gathered at the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence as a state- wide-movement; “Share, Learn and Connect”.
The gathering, held in Redfern, Sydney on March 18 to 20, was a platform for participants in the Local Landcare Coordinator Initiative to come together from across NSW as a community of practice. They shared experiences, learnt new skills and fostered stronger connections with each other.
The Local Landcare Coordinator Initiative is a $15 million investment by the NSW Government, which has since 2015 established a network of 70 part-time Local Coordinators, hosted by local community organisations to unlock the huge potential of the Landcare volunteer movement in NSW.
Dr. Adrian Zammit, Chief Executive Officer, Landcare NSW said that “the event had been excellent”.
“Landcare’s strength lies in the fact that it is a 60,000-strong grassroots, community movement – it’s about local people doing work on the ground to provide local solutions to local problems,” said Dr. Zammit.
“The LLCI was implemented in 2016 to support the network of hard-working volunteers in local communities who manage and restore the natural environment, improve the sustainability of agricultural production and build the resilience of communities.”
Share, learn and connect was the theme of a series of speakers and workshops designed to help to develop participants’ skills in many areas including but not limited to understanding people and community organisations, rural resilience, technology, and partnership opportunities.
State Landcare Coordinator with Landcare NSW, Natasha English, noted that the learnings and connections that people formed at the workshop was intended to provide peer support, clear understanding of the proposed components of a future program and information sharing opportunities to build on the results achieved in the current program.
“By creating an opportunity for our Landcare people to come together, it has strengthened our shared purpose and collective knowledge.”
This Statewide Gathering was the third and final of three workshops held for the Local Landcare Coordinator Initiative across the life of the program.
The workshop was designed to provide participants with an opportunity to:
- Increase skills and understanding on aspects relating to LLCI objectives and contribute to the evaluation of the program
- Support the new coordinators and welcome them into the Landcare community
- Provide committee participants from member groups the opportunity to share and learn on topics that are of relevance to the work they undertake in Landcare
- Provide individual and regionally based feedback and input to the future direction of the program
- Showcase the diversity and strength of the network.
The Local Landcare Coordinator Initiative is funded by the NSW Government and is supported through the partnership of Local Land Services and Landcare NSW. |