Stormbirds disaster readiness initiative: Building resilience through social-emotional learning

MacKillop Seasons is proud to announce it has received funding through the Australian Government’s Disaster Ready Fund and from the NSW Government for the Stormbirds Disaster Readiness Initiative.  MacKillop Seasons will support schools and communities in QLD, NSW and Victoria impacted by, and prepare for disasters. 

The Stormbirds Disaster Readiness Initiative is designed to build the capacity of schools and communities to support their children, young people, adults, and staff to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to extreme weather and disaster events. This support is needed now more than ever, with an estimated 1.4 million Australian children and young people experiencing a disaster or extreme weather event in an average year. The impact on children and young people’s mental health, educational attainment and homelessness status is estimated to be $3.1 billion in an average year.[1]

Building on the 30-year success of the Seasons for Growth suite of programs, the initiative offers fully funded, evidence-based support to children, young people, and adults in adapting to, and navigating the emotional and social impacts of change, loss, and grief following disaster events.

Key features of the Stormbirds Disaster Readiness initiative include:

• Training and workshops for professionals in local schools and communities to deliver small group social-emotional learning programs for children and young people – Seasons for Growth and Stormbirds.
• Consultation and coaching tailored to each community’s unique needs from a dedicated and expert team of Resilience Officers, led by the National Disaster Lead, Brooke Nester.
• Seasons for Healing, a culturally responsive program supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults through grief and loss.
• Staff Professional Learning sessions to equip educators with tools to support students affected by disasters.
• Keeping Spirit Strong online resources co-created with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities for adults supporting young people experiencing loss and grief.

“This initiative will empower schools and communities to recover from, and prepare for future challenges,” said Fiona McCallum, Director, MacKillop Seasons, “We are building resilience for children, young people and adults through education. We are increasing knowledge in emotional and social literacy and skills for coping and building supportive relationships – and most importantly, we’re investing in the wellbeing of children, young people and adults now and for the future.”

The initiative is designed to be inclusive and accessible, supporting diverse communities and age groups. Through a trauma-informed approach, participants learn about the impacts of disasters, to understand the grief process, develop problem-solving and decision-making skills, and build self-confidence and support networks.

MacKillop Seasons is committed to ensuring the ongoing delivery of these programs in schools and communities, with a strong focus on cultural safety, family connection, and sustainable local facilitation.

For more information or to get involved, contact: [email protected], or visit: www.mackillopseasons.org.au