Table Talk training to help shape Eden community's disaster preparedness project

Table Talks is a new initiative aiming to start a conversation among community members about disaster preparedness and how the community can become more resilient and better prepared for future disasters.

They are informal, face-to-face conversations between small groups, loosely guided by some questions, but with every member able to comfortably share their thoughts and ideas to brainstorm together for the benefit of the future of the community.

DPP coordinator Jodie Stewart said the Table Talk model was all about the community working together to support one another to be better prepared for future disasters.

"The aim is to bring the community together to support each other," she said.

"Table Talks are an asset to the community."

She said it was important the community was having these conversations, and especially important members of the community were leading these conversations.

"A key aim of the DPP is to be community-led," she said.

"We need the community to be leading them if they are to grow and be effective."

The community training session is an opportunity to learn more about the DPP, the Table Talk method and how to host productive conversations about disaster preparedness.

Ms Stewart said learning such skills was useful outside the scope of the project, and helped to build community spirit and resilience.

She hoped to recruit community members to host many Table Talk sessions with different groups from a diverse cross-section of the community.

Feedback from Table Talks will be used to shape the community disaster preparedness plan. Ms Stewart said the talks were phase one of the project's community engagement strategy.

She said the more Tables Talks taking place, the more the plan could shape the needs, desires and ideas of the community.

The free training session for people interested in hosting Table Talks is on Saturday, June 25, from 10am to 3pm at the Eden RSL Memorial Hall.