Disaster recovery, women & systems change. Why #inspiringinclusion isn't enough this IWD.
Yesterday I went to the Disaster Ready Together Summit, a practice-focused event run by Resilient Lismore at Southern Cross University. We were there to learn from each other and catalyse further development and initiatives for a region grappling with the impact and reality of compounding and cascading natural disasters.
Being social services, NFP & community-led organisations focused it's no surprise that participants were:
Mostly women
Mostly over 40
(Based on personal observation that pretty much reflects the data of demographics in these sectors.)
The large majority of presenters were female leaders, researchers and practitioners.
These women are leading absolutely critical services, in increasingly complex environments and circumstances.
They are knowledgeable, experienced, innovative, empathetic and resourceful.
They’ve figured out how to bring so many different people and perspectives to the table, and work together.
They are getting sh*t done that the powers that be in institutions and on podcasts are still theorising over and wondering about.
There is a phenomenal amount of wisdom, expertise, grit and power within these women.
Their work not just about service delivery, it's about systems change.
You want to see innovation and systems change at work? Have a chat to some of the brilliant minds figuring out how to secure food supply, mitigate communication break downs, address plummeting mental and physical health, tackle an intensifying housing crisis, centre Indigenous knowledge and bridge ideological and cultural differences to foster social cohesion.
Oh, and break-ground in collaboration and co-design practices while facing intense competition for scarce resources - all at once.
In a session about staff wellbeing in the context of disaster, social worker Lisa McPhie drove home that a vast majority of the staff delivering critical social services, and leading community organisations and community-led initiatives, are also carrying the majority of unpaid labour outside of the home. During a disaster, they will be the ones most likely to be coordinating their immediate family safety and logistics, and facing unsafe DV situations in the home. Their mental, emotional and physical workload is unbelievable.
Helen Duroux and Sasha Harrington both spoke to the additional, unpaid and out-of-scope services that Indigenous organisations often end up delivering to their community as they are the most culturally safe spaces. Their staff and organisations are also statistically more likely to experience disparity in recovery support, knowledge supported by research presented by Bhiamie Williamson from the National Indigenous Disaster Resilience.
Amongst all the conversations I had, heard and over-heard there was one very prominent, critical theme.
Funding.
Again, no surprise. The region is in the recovery phase drop off where funding
but the hard and complex work of mid-long term recovery starts kicking in, and people [read, a lot of women] start burning out.
I won’t bother explaining why that is absolutely the last thing the whole community and system needs.
So, while inclusion is important, it’s not specific enough. We need to be recognising, listening to, supporting, learning from and FUNDING women.
It’s not just about supporting a region to recover. Funding these women-led initiatives and services is also funding a real-time, emergent accelerator in research and development for systems change, that benefits the country.
So today on this IWD, I’m hoping to inspire action.
There are a huge amount of women-led community based organisations deserving of support and I would encourage you to explore them. The below are orgs I’m familiar with who are supporting multiple grass-roots and systems change initiatives:
Donate to:
Ingrained Foundation - supporting grassroots organisations, addressing funding insecurity and led by Jasmin Daly https://www.ingrainedfoundation.com.au/donate
Northern Rivers Community Foundation - have played a huge role in creating flexible funding for some brilliant responsive and innovative initiatives: https://nrcf.org.au/giving/give-now/
Resilient Lismore doing incredible work around capacity building and recovery, and the organisers of the summit https://shoutforgood.com/fundraisers/resilientlismore
The Returning - an Indigenous-run organisation delivering opportunities women and communities to engage in culturally safe and trauma informed nature-based health programs
https://www.thereturning.com.au/donate
A huge thank you to the speakers I heard yesterday, whose knowledge and expertise I’m deeply grateful for, it’s a privilege to learn from you.
Kate Brady - disaster recovery researcher and practitioner (also one of the most engaging key-notes I've ever heard)
Briony Rogers, Helen Duroux & Pamela Denise from Fire to Flourish
Sasha Harrington - NSW Health
Jo Longman & Emma Pittaway University Centre for Rural Health
Lisa McPhie - Men and Family Centre