REJUVENATE conversation series (18 May 2023)

• Can you see a way to fix a local problem or create an opportunity for your rural community but don’t know where to start?
• Are you hungry to learn from other rural communities who are building a new future from within?
• Do you want to find ways to balance a community and business model?

Open new doors of opportunity for your rural community

REJUVENATE is a new way of connecting, supporting, and guiding rural people who want to establish and sustain community-led initiatives that address a local problem or create an opportunity.

Designed by the Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (ACRE), REJUVENATE offers opportunities to explore and build understanding about ways that rural communities in Australia and across the globe are using community-led initiatives to create and build a new future. Thanks to funding support from Emergency Recovery Victoria there is no cost to join.

Be inspired!

ACRE is hosting a series of REJUVENATE conversation to shine a spotlight on community-led initiatives that are creating employment opportunities, addressing environmental challenges, ensuring ongoing supply of vital services, reviving and sharing cultural practice and generating new revenue for rural communities. 

Meet rural people who are driving change within and for their community - with incredible results. Hear the back story behind community-led initiatives - the high points, stumbles and break-through moments along the way. Come away with new insights about community-led rejuvenation and build your understanding about enterprise models that can be used to start, grow and sustain a community-led initiative.

Webinar #2: Hear why two community-led initiatives from North East Victoria were set up to address local and global environmental challenges and how they are now providing services for rural communities.

Conversation guests: Ben McGowan, Managing Director - Indigo Power & Francesca Ciantar, Founder - Plastic Wise Yackandandah

Indigo Power is a community owned energy company, based in regional Victoria. Its purpose is to deliver 100% renewable energy across North East Victoria and Southern NSW in a way that supports and empowers
communities. Hear why Indigo Power decided to become a certified social enterprise and how it plans to return 50% of profits to clean energy and community projects in local towns.

A few years ago, a group of committed individuals in Yackandandah formed a group called Plastic Wise and set about reducing, and in some instances eliminating, single use plastic in the town. After successfully removing plastic bags from the local supermarket, they set themselves a bigger goal - to eliminate single use plastic cups, plates and cutlery from local festivals and events. Eight months later, the Dish Pig was born.

Hear the story behind the Dish Pig - a converted horse float that exists as a mobile, fully equipped dishwasher which also holds crockery, cutlery and cups to meet the eating needs of more than 300 people at a time. She can be moved to any place that has access to water and power and provides customers with what they need to enjoy a festival meal or a market coffee, and then will wash the dirty plates and cups for the next person to use.