Blog by Skye Hallyburton, volunteer FCAV Working Group coordinator.
Over the past four months, the Frontline Climate Alliance Victoria (FCAV) has brought community leaders from across Victoria together to share knowledge, build local capacity, and learn from grassroots climate adaptation initiatives. And what a joy it has been!
Act on Climate have been hosting Frontline Climate Alliance meetings for 3 years now, focusing on informing Victorian communities about local climate adaptation and empowering every day people to drive adaptation initiatives that are appropriate to their local environment and can help keep their communities safe from current and future climate impacts. FCAV aims to bringing grassroots community members together to share wins, challenges, and learnings as they organise their local communities to prepare for climate impacts.
Our 2026 series has so far focused on facilitating peer-to-peer learning and practical skill-sharing that can support community groups to bring new climate adaptation projects to life.
February
We kicked off the year with our February meeting focused on solidarity and honouring the incredible community-led mutual aid efforts that emerged in response 2026 Summer bushfires. We also shared a number of resources from organisations around the world about how to set up and resource community mutual aid networks & offers and needs markets, since both initiatives emerged organically in response to the Longwood and Harcourt bushfires, driven by pro-active and caring community members.
March
On March 14, FCAV focused on exploring available resources from various organisations facilitating 72hr emergency training that supports community members to prepare for the critical 3 days following a climate disaster, such as bushfire or flood. The session covered essential items to have ready in a Bug Out Bag, including a charged battery pack, torch batteries, a crank radio, printed exit routes, a Melways or maps and masks like the 3M Aura Particulate Respirator, alongside enough food, water, and medication to sustain children and pets. We also discussed larger gear like a 12-volt generator to power an electric esky, kept a list of last-minute fridge medications to grab, and mapped out crucial knowledge such as planning exit routes, identifying local emergency hubs, and introduced the mutual aid concept of ‘pod mapping’ to know who to check on or lean on during times of emergency.
Many participants had first-hand experiences to share and a wealth of locally relevant knowledge, which created a rich and nuanced discussion. I believe everyone came away better prepared and informed to respond in times of emergency.
Training facilitated by Training X in partnership with local councils.
May
Our May 11 meeting focused on facilitating place-based mapping to identify localised climate impacts, community strengths, and adaptation opportunities. FCAV explored how place-based mapping benefits communities by including local knowledge, centring community needs, incorporating relational knowledge, and amplifying marginalised voices. We introduced the two versions of placed-based mapping processes that Act on Climate can help communities deliver, The Adaptation Game and Community Resilience Mapping.
FCAV coordinators learning to facilitate The Adaptation Game.
FCAV members discussed the nuances and pros and cons of each mapping tool that communities and weighed them in their own context, deciding which approach is right for them. Act on Climate facilitators also delivered a skill-share in facilitation. Participants learned that the role of a facilitator is not necessarily to be an expert in the discussion topic but, rather, to draw out the collective knowledge already in the room by using facilitator tools such as noticing and naming, using tentative language, and synthesising or weaving common threads. As facilitation is a core skill, which supports many co-operative processes in local organising, FCAV participants came away better equipped to lead meaningful conversations that form the bedrock for grassroots adaptation organising.
Act on Climate co-facilitate Community Resilience Mapping in Nillumbik Shire with FCAV members Nillumbik Climate Action Team.
June
During our June 15 meeting, we were joined by guest speakers Hannah from the Triangle Food Network in Murrindindi Shire and Jess from the King Valley Food Hub in the Rural City of Wangaratta. They spoke about how their different climate adaptation initiatives around growing and distributing local food first started, what their initial motivations were, and how they successfully formed a core group of community organisers to bring these projects to life. One of my own key take-aways was the powerful force that is food, the joy and excitement that people from these initiatives have shared when they can connect with their neighbours through produce swaps, distributing bulk essentials across the community, foraging and gardening together or hosting food preserving events and cooking classes.
We also heard an inspiring share back from FCAV participant Anne regarding Indigo Regen’s cool seats project, rounding out a powerful peer-learning session about community-led adaptation projects.
Join Us for Our Next Session on Monday August 10
During our August call, we will be hearing about the results of Whittlesea Climate Action Network (WCAN)'s recent community survey. WCAN co-hosted one of Act on Climate's earlier Community Resilience Mapping sessions. Since then, they have been conducting an incredible amount of local community organising, making sure a diversity of community voices are invited into the process.
During our August meeting, we will also be encouraging members of the Alliance who have been mapping their community’s needs to kick off the next steps in driving a specific adaptation project by choosing a tangible project to pursue by October 2026. RSVP here.
If you have been thinking about joining the Alliance, now is the time to get involved! You can help drive climate adaptation in your own community, with the support of others doing similar work, and take a direct role in building resilience across Victoria!
Contact FCAV working group coordinators in the Act on Climate Collective: [email protected]
Artwork by Trace Balla.