The website team has continued to update the BSFG website (bsfg.org.au) during the year. Emails to members and supporters from Secretary Judy Schwartzman, Food Coop calendar of activities and updates from Rhona, news from Kaye and Karen from WasteWise Benalla all provide regular content which is complemented by news of events and action group projects. We also post regularly to the BSFG Facebook account and maintain a limited presence on Instagram and Twitter.
 
In 2024 the BSFG Committee decided to merge the Renewable Energy Benalla website www.reb.org.au into the BSFG website. This was completed by the REB Weebly renewal date of June 20, 2025. Renewable Energy Benalla is now an action group on the BSFG website https://www.bsfg.org.au/renewable-energy2.html. BSFG is also now the owner of the free Weebly account of the archived REB site https://renewable-energy-benalla.weebly.com/. The REB Facebook account is currently being merged with the BSFG Facebook account, with more posts relating to renewable energy beginning to appear in the BSFG Facebook feed.
 
In November 2024 we moved the BSFG Weebly account from Peter’s personal email to BSFG, meaning BSFG is now the owner of the account. This included a change of our Weebly Pro account to Professional, a new account option from Weebly. It also meant quite a lot of work for the team in reinserting photograph images, a process which is still underway.
 
A new Benalla Community Energy Project (BCEP) the action group is looking at is solar panels for Ed Space in Benalla, https://renewable-energy-benalla.weebly.com/projects.html. This initiative has just commenced, and progress will be posted in the Renewable Energy Action Group section of the BSFG website. Perhaps this action group needs renaming to Community Energy Benalla, linking more to local energy initiatives as distinct from large scale solar in the district.
 
Overall, website visits vary considerably and seem to be related to BSFG activities occurring at a particular time, such as the Environmental Film Festival and other local events. Local events promoted through social media seem to attract attention. The website is useful as a record of BSFG events, such as General Meetings and other events, (https://www.bsfg.org.au/news) and an archive for events such as the Swanpool Environmental Film Festival.
 
We welcome people interested in working on the BSFG website and social media accounts to contact us, https://www.bsfg.org.au/contact.html.
 
Regards,
 
Peter Maddock & Bev Lee.

​Come along and be inspired and nourished by an immersive experience on the banks of the Broken River and wilder spaces around Lake Benalla.

Workshop 1:  10am-12pm Saturday 11th January 2025 (arrive 9:45am).
Workshop 2: 10am-12pm Sunday 12th January 2025 (arrive 9:45am)
Workshop 3 (All abilities access): 5pm-7pm Wednesday 15th January 2025 (arrive 4:45pm)

It will be fun for all as we engage with nature through art & play within the beautiful surrounds of the Lake Benalla area:

• ​Our artistic guides, Kate Van Nooten and Kelly Hamill, will share their skills in the creation of nature inspired art & weaving.
• Benalla Sustainable Future Group volunteers will offer nature connection games and information about the local environs and wildlife we encounter on the day.

More Event details and Book tickets at https://events.humanitix.com/the-art-of-connection3672.

​The BSFG and REB websites continue to be updated as information becomes available to record and present the activities of our various groups and their projects.

This year we requested a more proactive engagement with the website from the BSFG committee and action groups and have been almost inundated with content over recent months. Thank you to those involved.

While happy to keep the current websites going, we are keen to make way for new blood and undertake some ‘succession planning’. We welcome interest from anyone who would like to learn the Weebly platform and gradually take on a key role in working on our current site/s, or propose an alternative website which they are prepared to develop to launching phase while we continue to maintain the existing site.

We maintain a social media presence by posting on both Facebook and Instagram at least fortnightly and have been using Canva to design monthly Calendar graphics with dates for the Food Cooperative to keep members informed. There are now several Admins of our FB pages, and it has been good to see a range of posts from them recently. Aware we could be doing more to build up our ‘followers’ and ‘like’ responses by inviting people to become followers and strategically sharing posts, we are hopeful that the social-media savvy members who have become Admins will assist in making this happen.

We always welcome submissions from our groups to be published on the BSFG and REB websites.

Peter Maddock
​Bev Lee

BSFG is a proud member of the Australian Conservation Foundation, which incorporates the connection between protecting nature and speaking up for First Peoples’ rights in its recognition of First Nations rights statement.

Josie Alec, First Nations Lead at the ACF, has just released the link to an easy to follow 4-page 'how to guide' on sharing Heart of Country, a 19 minute truth-telling documentary,  with friends, family, colleagues and community groups.  Heart of Country  "weaves together the stories and songlines of this huge and ancient continent, and the fight to protect it from damage caused by the fossil fuel and nuclear industries". 

Heart of Country is available on YouTube.  In the documentary Josie, a proud Kuruma Marthudunera woman, leads viewers on a journey across Australia to explore First Nations connection to Country, and the fossil fuel and nuclear projects that threaten that connection and damage nature and climate.

We would like to encourage members and supporters to become familiar with the Heart of Country documentary, then think of ways to share it with family, friends, neighbours, community.  Rather like a running a 'kitchen table conversation', with the ACF's 4-page how-to-guide providing support when planning and conducting this important shared conversation.

If you do decide to organise a community event to share the conversation with others, you can deepen your understanding of the issues by scrolling down the Heart of Country webpage, which includes links to videos on each of the communities featured in Heart of Country.

Good luck!

​Rachel de Summa,
Connecting and Engaging the Community Action Group
​19 January 2024

​The first of the Empathy cafe series in Benalla. What a delight to practice Empathy cafe circle style of listening and reflecting. Curious about what it's all about? Come along to the next one on Wednesday16th November from 6:30 to 830 pm at the Uniting Church.

​Rachel Des

The Empathy Cafe experience is coming to Benalla library on Wednesday, October 19.

Empathy Cafes are a space where people can explore their feelings about social issues such as climate change and isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local facilitator Rachel DeSumma said she wanted to get involved and bring them to regional Victoria after attending Empathy Cafes in Melbourne.

“It can be difficult to connect socially and to have places where we can share our feelings and opinions in a non-judgemental space where we can feel seen and heard,” Ms DeSumma said.

“During the past few years we have seen rapid changes to our daily lives.

“The pandemic has increased social isolation and feelings of loneliness and we are also seeing the impacts of climate change, which for some can lead to feelings of anger, grief, fear and overwhelm.

“I found it so helpful, connective and nourishing to practice the reflective listening skills that we use in Empathy Cafes.

“I began using these skills in my everyday life and in my relationships, and it was so helpful.
“I’m really committed to sharing these simple skills with others so that they can have the benefits in their communication with others too.”

Empathy Cafes will be held monthly for the next six months at Benalla library in partnership with the Benalla Sustainable Futures Group.

The first of the series is on Wednesday, October 19, from 5.15pm to 6.45pm.

Tea, coffee, and light refreshments will be provided.

Further events will be on November 16 and December 7.

Dates for the new year will be confirmed after the December event.

This event is offered on a donation basis. Contributions to room hire, refreshments and preparation costs are welcome.

You can register to attend at events.humanitix.com/empathy-cafe-series"

(Click here to go to direct link, while available)

Empathy Cafe: Practice the art of listening and speaking from the heart.

Wednesday October 19th 5:15-6:45 Benalla Library meeting room

Wednesday November 16th  time TBC (during the day might be another option rather than evening?)

Wednesday December 7th 

Empathy cafés are a connective community building activity that practices reflective listening.  In a small group of 3-4 people, take turns listening in response to a prompting question. You will learn to listen out for, and hear the other person, reflecting what they said, which can be helpful in resolving conflict, and gives the listener the opportunity to see the speaker's perspective. Reflective listening helps the speaker to feel seen and heard and can support your nervous system to relax and it's really easy to learn. 

This event, in partnership with Benalla Sustainable Futures Group, is being facilitated by Rachel DeSumma and a team of Empathy Cafe facilitators.

We are committed to building stronger, connected communities with skills to thrive and relate well with each other.

The skills you learn at an Empathy café can continue to be used in your relationships with loved ones, colleagues and with the broader community. Once you start empathic listening you won't want to stop! 

This is the first of a series of six monthly Empathy cafes with a different prompting question each session.

Topic for Session 1: What I love about life is...

The topic has been kept very open for the first session.  We hope to incorporate climate grief as well and climate anxiety, but want to start a bit lighter and deepen into other topics over time.

If you have any suggestions on topics please let me know.  Keen to hear your thoughts and feedback.

​Rachel

​The new 'Connecting and engaging the community' action group's purpose is to connect and engage the Benalla and surrounding communities through facilitating sustainability and connection skills workshops. The workshops will run in partnership with local groups. For example, building home food share boxes with the Men's shed, crocheting reusable/washable dish clothes with the knitting group, propagating seeds with the Permaculture group, nature bathing with wellbeing groups.
 
Building sustainability skills supports our community to be strong and independent, and prepare for the impacts of climate change, like bushfires and floods impacting our food on farms, and the flow on impacts, stress, rising cost of living, feeding families, mental health.
 
Growing connection skills are vital for our community to enable the sharing of skills (repairing, building, growing, sewing), tools, knowledge and great memories. Connecting with our community also helps to reduce loneliness, isolation, and depression and brings our diverse communities together.
 
Proposed Workshops: 

WORKSHOP 1 - Build a food share box for your home and community (PROPOSED)
Do you have excess zucchinis & cucumbers in summer, heaps of lemons and too many pumpkins for the winter? A food share box out front of your house is a great way to share food and give back to your community. In this proposed workshop, participants will be welcome to come build their own food share box!  
When: TBC
Who: Local men's shed
Where: TBC
Please note - after looking at what was already being offered in the community; visiting the men's shed and considering possible options it was decided not to pursue this proposed strategy at this stage.
 
WORKSHOP 2 -  Empathy cafe
An empathy café is an active listening process in which everyone takes turns to speak, listen, and offer reflections, in a small group with others, in response to a prompting question. The prompting question can be in relation to climate change, an issue within the community or anything that serves the purpose of the group. Empathy cafes can be particularly supportive when there are two groups with different opinions or perspectives on an issue. 
 
Who is it for? 
An Empathy café is suited to adults who want to transform their ways of relating with others. People who are generally curious and willing to try new things, as well as practice reflective listening. 

How do you do it?
At the start of the event, we will introduce the Empathy café concept and how to do it and then we will break into small groups of 4 or 5 and practice taking turns responding to a prompting question. Each person has 4 or 5 minutes to speak, and one person reflects what they are saying. The others listen. Each group has a facilitator that keeps the time and participates in the group as well. The facilitator offers gentle prompts and reminders to participants to support the active listening and reflection process. We end the session with a chance for people to reflect and share how the experience was for them.
​
We will share a meal at the end of the session and people may choose to contribute something to dinner.

​When: TBC
Who: Local community groups
Where: TBC
 
Contact: 
Rachel DeSumma
0417 720 984
Forest Immersion walks facilitator
forestwalks.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/Forest-Immersion-Walks-Victoria-220277508724668/