The ‘Looking out for Your Neighbours’ project was initiated by members of the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) Drought Taskforce and Social Policy Committee, in 2007, in recognition of the high levels of stress and ensuing isolation experienced by many farmers and families affected by drought and other related factors.
The broad aim of this series of community events/workshops was to provide opportunities for farmers and other rural folk to get together to talk about the isolating effects of drought, and to explore ways to support family and/or community members individually. A further aim was to get people talking about developing local action projects to further build community strength and capacity in times of hardship.
‘Looking out for your Neighbours’, became a flexible workshop session, in response to the interests and feedback of local VFF members and local drought counsellors. While people expressed some interest in hearing more about the effects of stress, anxiety and depression, they also asked for information on how to recognise the effects in others. They were keen to hear tips on how to talk with others about these sensitive matters.
Hence elements of NB support were provided in some ‘Looking out for your Neighbour’ workshops, and plans to conduct NB Support workshops made. Participants also requested clear information about local support services. With drought counsellors conducting the workshops within their own regions, participants had the opportunity to meet and get to know their local support workers.
Why is it so important to have events to kick start local communities’ natural healing processes? See link on the left for the answer to this question.
The final report for ‘Looking out for Your Neighbours’ is available below:
