In the face of more frequent natural crises, not-for-profit charity Plan C is on a mission to ensure communities and organisations become more resilient.
Former international aid worker, now CEO of not- for-profit charity Plan C, Dr Jean Renouf was told his vision for a community resilience-building charity in the Northern Rivers region would be a hard sell. “One adviser said, ‘In Australia, we have such a good life, people will struggle to understand the value of it’,” recalls Renouf. “[That person] told me, ‘What we need is a crisis’.”
Ironically, Renouf established Plan C just ahead of the Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20 and then the 2022 floods that submerged almost half of the country’s east coast.
“We didn’t forecast these particular events, but we had a clear sense that Australia was not prepared for large-scale compounding disasters that would affect everything, including food, communications, infrastructure, roads, health, mental health and more,” says Renouf.
Crisis-resilient communities
As extreme weather events such as floods and bushfires increase in frequency and severity, the limitations of government bodies and emergency services have become apparent.
“In the Northern Rivers, the state emergency services station — alongside the fire, ambulance and police stations — were flooded,” says Renouf. “Therefore, institutions that needed infrastructure to function, could not do so.”
Plan C plugs these gaps by equipping communities with the knowledge and tools they need to manage crises effectively, whether supported by emergency agencies or not.
“[Recent events] made it very apparent that members of the community need to take their resilience into their own hands,” says Renouf.
Governance structure
The Plan C board is comprised of five directors, working alongside three advisers and ambassadors, who meet four or five times a year. As a relatively small organisation, its board members guide strategic decision-making, but also participate in operational matters, just as they’re involved hands- on in their own community. “Everyone brings something different and I’d say we’re punching above our weight because of the level of expertise that directors and advisers bring to their role,” says Renouf.
The organisation’s mission has shifted in the face of escalating climate and community challenges. “We adapt on a regular basis, based on what participants tell us, but also based on the evolving needs and science,” he says.
For instance, raising awareness was top priority only a few years ago, says Renouf. “Now, it's less so, as there’s more need for people to know what to do and how to go about it.”
Constructing foundations
Plan C’s cornerstone initiative, the Community Carers and Responders (CCR) network, was launched in 2021, with funding from federal, state and regional governments. As part of a pilot program, the organisation delivered five days of free training to more than 300 participants in the Northern Rivers region, focusing on disaster preparedness, communications, food, water and energy security, community organising, psychological first aid and self-care.
Plan C director Rebecca McNaught, who recently completed a PhD on collaborative governance at the local level, led a review of the pilot program. She says 80 per cent of participants were flood-affected, 30 per cent were impacted by bushfires and 70 per cent were COVID-affected.
Each participant undertook a community project of their choice — such as setting up risk reduction plans, forming neighbourhood resilience groups, establishing food swaps or creating emergency radio communications.
“The program helped people move from a place of fear and trauma to one of post-disaster growth,” says McNaught. “Many people spoke about the life-changing nature of sitting in a group of other people who’ve experienced the same [crisis].”
Renouf describes flows of “upward and downward” accountability, firstly to funding bodies and secondly to participants.
“The community has a strong sense of what they want,” says McNaught. “If you make mistakes, own them, work on them and improve.”
One of the more unexpected outcomes of the program, notes McNaught, was seeing connections form between different community organisations, which then continue to share resources and approaches. “We are finding that to be a vital step in building community resilience,” she says.
Plan C is now rolling out a CCR project in Queensland’s Mary River catchment.
Looking ahead
Plan C is expanding its impact by introducing the NextGen Navigators initiative, which trains and mentors youth aged 14–24 in disaster resilience and community organising. This initiative is crucial in ensuring the sustainability of resilience efforts across generations. The first pilot program commenced in June and the second is being rolled out in September. While the current focus is on the Northern Rivers area, Plan C's ambition is to extend these programs to communities across Australia.
Alison Crook AO FAICD, who serves as an adviser to Plan C, is also involved with her local CWA and is a former chair of Enova Community Energy, says that demand has also seen the organisation introduce a new course on managing conflict in times of crisis and develop a program of thought-provoking presentations.
“Part of the organisation’s mission is also to create debate and raise awareness — to inform the community as well as giving practical courses,” she says. “Some of our board members’ academic and other connections have allowed us to bring really good speakers into the area.”
Learning by doing
The Plan C approach is grounded in the philosophy of “learning by doing”, with immersive training sessions that prepare participants for real-life emergencies. The organisation is now seeking partnerships with businesses and community leaders to support its mission, offering tailored training packages that align with the needs of teams and directors. Supporting Plan C not only strengthens community resilience, but also aligns with the long-term sustainability goals of businesses embedded within these communities.
Crook says preparing directors for mandatory climate reporting is important, but so is building personal resilience and the ability of their staff to deal with disruptions when they inevitably occur. “Plan C is available to help run either courses within organisations or courses for directors to think more about resilience and how to build it rather than focusing only on reducing our contribution to climate change,” she says.
Renouf believes that many Australians remain in denial about what the future holds. City dwellers who haven’t yet been directly affected by natural disasters may have the greatest difficulty understanding the far-reaching impacts when roads are cut, power lines go down and critical infrastructure fails. Yet they will face this possibility eventually, and must know how to put systems and training in place so their organisations can continue operating.
“It's a decision all of us have to make,” says Renouf. “Some people are already facing the truth. Others aren’t, so we have to gently accompany them in the process. But in the end, nature will remind them.”
This article first appeared under the headline 'Man with a plan’ in the October 2024 issue of Company Director magazine.
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