Following the floods in Lismore in February 2022, Lismore South Public School prioritised assisting their students using the Stormbirds program as a practical way to support recovery and the mental health and well-being of their students. ‘Our community had experienced floods and previous fires; the program supports following all different natural disaster events.’ Every student in the school was offered the program. The small groups provided a space for support and healing for students and staff after the turmoil of such a devastating community event.
With many schools in the Northern Rivers region trained and delivering the program there is an increased awareness allowing for a more informed and insightful community response to future disasters, and the need to prioritise wellbeing.
The ongoing impact of the schools’ approach demonstrated the potential for communities to build resilience and support one another in the aftermath of disasters. By prioritising local capacity building those embedded in schools already have relationships as trusted adults with the children. With positive benefit to community connectedness, knowledge sharing, and inclusive support mechanisms, other communities can learn from this models’ successes and adapt approaches to their own unique context.