FCAV Adaptation Activators: Call #11

Community organising with WCAN

Act on Climate Vic

(Friends of the Earth Melbourne)

Acknowledgement of Country

We live and work on stolen Aboriginal land. Sovereignty was never ceded. We pay respect to Elders, past and present.

Treaty

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Treaty celebration December 12 @ 10am, location TBC.

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Follow First Peoples Assembly for more details as they emerge.

Purpose of Adaptation Activator calls

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Our focus is on climate adaptation rather than mitigation (resistance & advocacy is important in other meetings, but this space is specific. Mitigation is still relevant though in how we implement adaptation initiatives – a systems change approach.

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FCAV purpose:

learn about, amplify, and action community-led climate adaptation projects (that centre climate justice & address root causes of climate crisis).

Collaborate, share resources, learnings & skills, bring challenges to work through together.

Brenna Quinlan artwork

Where are we all based? AoC climate adapt map

Getting to know each other

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Please share:

1. Name & Pronouns
2. Location: Where do you live in VIC?
3. Are you repping an org or an individual?

Question of�the month: �

4. What are you hoping to learn from other groups tonight?

Why community-led climate adaptation?

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• Grounded in local community knowledge, expertise and priorities

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• To ensure it fulfills a community’s fundamental needs and keeps everyone in a community safe

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• Solutions need to be localised to the specific context to ensure they are just & maladaptation avoided

Seth Tobocman artwork

Participants Agreement

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• Active participation
• Personal, informal & inclusive space – be yourself!
• Share resources and the work you’re doing
• Practical advice and suggestions
• Mute unless talking - hand up to talk first
• Anything else?

Anything to add to tonight’s agenda?

Community Resilience Mapping in Nillumbik

https://www.melbournefoe.org.au/community_resilience_mapping

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TAG

https://www.tagclimatedrill.org/

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Collective process

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Whittlesea Climate Action Network

Whittlesea Climate Action Network (WCAN)

Project Update & Future Directions

Project objective�

We initiated this project in July 2024 to create a local, first-of-its-kind community-driven climate resilience group. It responded to a growing need for participatory, place-based approaches in Whittlesea. We focused on knowledge-sharing, inclusion, awareness, advocacy, and community connection.

Key Milestone – WCAN is Born�

• Today, we are a well-organized group known as the Whittlesea Climate Action Network, or WCAN.
• It was named democratically and now includes 30 members. 52% of the group represents the CALD community.
• Together, we have co-designed a Terms of Reference that reflects inclusive governance and shared responsibilities.
• The first group meeting was held on 12/12/2024
• Monthly ongoing regular meeting
• Small working group is formed to focus on group governance

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Collaboration and Partnership

WCAN has formed meaningful partnerships—with the Thomastown Neighbourhood House, Climate Action Network Australia, Friends of the Earth, Leaders of tomorrow, Friends of Edgars Creek, CFA, Lalor Landcare, DisasterWise Communities, Melbourne Arboretum, and the City of Whittlesea and others. These relationships have provided training, visibility, and strong community support.

Outreach and Community Engagement

• We actively engaged with the community through events like the Family Fun Day, Melbourne Polytechnic, Donnybrook International Experience, Waste Safari, and the Whittlesea Community Festival, Melbourne Polytechnic Expo, Meet and Greet Sahil- Save the soil campaigner, Session with YAMEC students of Melbourne Polytechnic, Sustainathon, Libyan Women’s Association and English conversation class. We reached over 500 people, including newly arrived and multicultural communities.

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Outreach Events�.�

We’ve been actively engaging with the community through creative and interactive outreach initiatives.�

Climate Pledge Tree – At our community stall, we invited people to reflect and share their personal pledges for nature. This tree blossomed with hopeful messages and commitments from locals eager to make a difference.

�Waste Quiz Activity – We also hosted a fun and educational quiz focused on waste and sustainability, sparking great conversations and awareness around everyday climate action.

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Green Champions Activity: We collaborated with Libyan Women’s Association and hosted this event for Al Sirat College students.

�These events have helped build stronger community connections and inspire individual action.

CLIMATE PLEDGE TREE

Resilience Mapping

• WCAN hosted resilience mapping in Whittlesea in partnership with the FOE on 10th May. This was WCAN’S first event as a host. Around 25 members participated in the mapping exercise. We collected voices of community and built more understanding of local concerns.
• Brief report of WCAN resilience mapping: https://www.melbournefoe.org.au/whittlesea_resilience_mapping

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Resilience Mapping

Resilience mapping

Title: WCAN’s Resilience Mapping Project – 2026�

�Building a stronger, connected, and climate-ready City of Whittlesea

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Pilot testing

• English Conversation class (Multicultural communities)

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We used question prompts to start our discussion

Prompts

Phase 1 – Stakeholder Mapping�

• Timeline: November – December 2025�Lead: WCAN Working Group

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Objectives:

• Identify and connect with key local stakeholders
• Build partnerships for successful 2026 resilience mapping
• Lay the foundation for community participation

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Phase 2 – Community Resilience Mapping�

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Timeline: January – May 2026� Lead: WCAN

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Tools:

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1. Individual Surveys
2. Focus group discussion
3. Wide group discussion - (FOE method)

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Activities:

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• Individual Surveys:
• Minimum 100 respondents
• Target areas not yet covered – Donnybrook, Whittlesea Township, Wollert

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• Group Discussions: (Capture lived experiences and community perspectives)

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• 10 focus group discussions (approx. 10 participants each)
• Two wider group (around 15 to 20 participants each)

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�Phase 3 – Community Climate Action Plan�

Timeline: May – August 2026�Leads: WCAN, FOE, WCC Evaluation Team, other local climate action groups

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Steps:

• Data Evaluation (May–June):
• Joint analysis of community mapping findings
• Drafting Action Plan (June–August):
• Consultation with experts
• Review of other community climate plans
• Engage participants from mapping activities

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Video from WCAN - 1 min

Qs for WCAN - 5mins

All in chat

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• Your group / community’s journey so far…

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• What’s next?

• What skills would you like to explore with this network?

Qs for one another

Solidarity: How can we help each other this month?

Amplify each others’ events and projects:

11 Dec, DisasterWISE End of Year reflection, 1pm-2pm, Online.

26 November from Indigo Regen is hosting a Climate Forum in Beechworth, 3pm-5pm.

Dec 5 Act on Climate fundraiser @ Creatures of Habit 4pm-late.

WCAN end of year event?

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Resources

Initiatives mentioned in the Parliamentary Report �for the Inquiry into Climate Resilience:

• SECCCA Enhancing Community Resilience Project
• Enhancing Community Resilience Toolkit
• Geelong Sustainability Climate Safe Rooms
• video of presentation to FCAV call in Mar 2024
• Geelong Sustainability Electric Homes Program
• NSW Resilient Homes Program
• QLD Resilient Homes Fund

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Other resources

• AoC zine on local adaptation initiatives
• Spokes in the Wheel: Building a Regional Solidarity Economy in DC webinar

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• FULL REPORT:
• Climate Resilience Inquiry Vic

• AoC SUMMARY:
• https://www.melbournefoe.org.au/resilience_inquiry_recommendations

Resources

Resources

Wrap Up

• Thanks for coming!��
• Actions:
• Next meeting 2nd Monday of the month, Dec 8th
• Send through agenda items for next meeting
• Bring any questions or challenges to meeting�
• Future meetings: What would people like to cover? Report back on any findings/progress �
• Feedback & head, heart, hands

How to reach us:

• Vicky: vicky.rae@foe.org.au
• Kim: kim.croxford@foe.org.au
• Kimmi: kimmi.bebendorf@foe.org.au