​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

​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.
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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/