Covid Conversion
Covid Conversion
Converting to Covid-19 required us to adapt and extend ourselves.
Capacity to Deliver -
LP032-001
The issue
Covid-19 pandemic really started to bite for Upper Lachlan Landcare from about March 2020. We had a number of events planned, with arrangements in place, ready to deliver for our community. But these had to be re-thought once the lock down began.
We wanted to keep our community connected and feeling supported, especially during this uncertain and anxious time. We also had an obligation to our funding partners to deliver events in our community that would support social connection and increase knowledge, capacity or awareness.
The solution
Upper Lachlan Landcare Executive Committee rallied together, brainstormed ideas and came up with some innovative solutions to enable us to adapt our events so we could still deliver valuable support for our community. We sought input and approval from our funding partners, who were enthusiastic to see events proceed with a modified format.
Upper Lachlan Landcare Community Connects Facebook group page was launched in March 2020. The intention of this Page was to offer some relief from the saturated pandemic conversation and connect people with their local community. Our Page received 40 posts from members over 3 months.
We modified a community gathering to a week-long email chat about weeds. This approach enabled those with limited technological experience or equipment to participate and hopefully build confidence in using digital platforms to connect.
A school holiday activity for our junior members, which we usually host in person at the local library, was also modified so our young Landcarers could engage in the outdoors with a guided activity and then connect for a group zoom session later in the morning, sharing what they had learnt with their peers.
The impact
Our community responded positively to our modified events. Our new Facebook Group Page received 40 posts from members over 3 months. We had 19 people participate in our Week of Weeds conversation. And our School Holiday Event went ahead with lots of happy smiles and bright photos exchanged.
As a Landcare group we felt empowered by our own resourcefulness and our capacity and confidence to reach our community using a variety of platforms has increased.
As a community, we have increased our awareness and appreciation of social connection and its direct influence on our well-being. We have gained a renewed insight into how precious face-to-face interactions truly are.
Key facts
- Social connection improves our well-being.
- We have the capacity to socially connect using a variety of practices.
- We treasure face-to-face gatherings with a renewed appreciation.