There's a super El Nino summer on the way, and with it the risk of extreme heat. When any disaster strikes a strong, prepared civil society makes a huge difference to how a community - and those most vulnerable within it - fare both short and long term. With that in mind we are getting prepared. Come to our Community Resilience Day - From Risk to Readiness.

A day of connection, honest conversation, and practical planning for Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Maitland.

9:00 – 9:30 | Welcome & Introductions We'll start with an Acknowledgement of Country and a short introduction to Plan C, followed by a chance to meet the people around you and share what you're hoping to get out of the day.

9:30 – 10:30 | Making Sense of Where We're At In small mixed groups — drawing together different geographies, organisations, ages and backgrounds — we'll talk through what's on our minds when it comes to the climate challenges ahead, with a short briefing on the polycrisis and the latest climate forecasting. This is a space to think and feel it through together, not just talk about the facts.

10:30 – 10:45 | Break A pause to sit with what's come up before moving into planning mode.

10:45 – 12:15 | Understanding the Risks Working in local groups for Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Maitland, we'll map out the risks each area faces from climate disasters — including the flow-on effects and compounding impacts — and build a risk picture specific to your place.

12:15 – 1:00 | Lunch

1:00 – 3:30 | Turning Understanding into Action The afternoon is about practical planning at three levels — your household, your neighbourhood, and your organisation. We'll work through what stronger preparation looks like across areas like:

Staying or leaving in a disaster
Disaster preparedness
Communication security
Energy security
Food and water security
Caring for the vulnerable
Building community

You'll start at the household level, then choose to focus on neighbourhood or organisational planning with others working on the same scale — including people you may not know well yet. There'll be a break partway through to grab a cuppa and jot down any questions or reflections, and the session finishes with group feedback and open discussion.

3:30 – 4:00 | Closing & Where to From Here We'll bring the day together and talk about next steps.

From Risk to Readiness: A community resilience workshop

Choose your tickets

HCA member organisation ticket

Low waged individuals ticket

Community Organisations ticket