Head, Heart and Hands

Head, Heart and Hands Project

The Port Macquarie Hastings Sustainability Network (PMHSN), which the Head, Heart and Hands project working group was formed under, was established in 2013. The Head, Heart and Hands project team was formed by connecting common interests within the network to support resilience and adaptive capacity towards climate change, in 2020. The team is made up of 6 individuals from varying backgrounds in health, psychology, chemical engineering, sustainability, systems change, leadership, strategy and environmental waste management.

Project description

The project values are integrity, value, empowerment and inclusive partnerships. The intention of the project is to build climate change resilience and adaptive capacity in the Hastings region. We endeavour to do this through the development of a network of local individuals and organisations, who can come together, connect, build capacity and share their knowledge and skills required to respond to local climate change impacts.

The Head, Heart and Hands project (HHH) is a multidimensional climate resilience project focused on building climate change resilience and adaptive capacity, through a series of experiential learning workshops, a regional health and climate change summit (HCCS), a mentorship program, online resources and the invitation for the creation of social labs.

The HHH project will deliver a minimum of 8 workshops for community members online and at The Lost Plot, an existing community garden in Port Macquarie. These workshops will be facilitated by local experts where possible, to provide a platform for local experts to share their knowledge, to facilitate locally based mentorship relationships and for locals to gain experience in teaching and skills sharing. These workshops will be directly linked to mitigating, adapting and
preparing for the climate change impacts locally.

The workshops will be run in 4 streams.

The project is a seed project for a broader vision for the team, to co-create a Community Climate Change Resilience Plan in Port Macquarie – Hastings LGA which will be explored through community conversations at the beginning and throughout the project.

Project Partners

The Lost Plot, Doctors for the Environment Australia, Climate Change Australia (Hastings branch), Hastings Parents for the Environment, Mid North Coast Local Health District, Port Macquarie Hastings Council and Charles Sturt University.

Project Outline

Formed under the Port Macquarie Hastings Sustainability Network
Auspiced by The Port Macquarie Community Gardens Inc. (The Lost Plot)

Funded by NSW Government Department of Planning, Industry and Environment under the “Increasing Resilience to Climate Change” Community Grant program. Grant term is July 2020 until March 2022.

Media

To stay informed on upcoming events and workshops, please follow HHH on these accounts:
Instagram: @headheartandhands_portmac
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/headheartandhandsportmac
Twitter: @HHH_portmac

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBGrFx1Lp7C4eFGsL2IzBaA/featured

Our YouTube channel is a growing source of inspiring knowledge and stories of locals taking climate change action.  From nature based interventions for mental health, to why you’d plant radishes to fix nitrogen in the soil, Hastings locals are sharing what works for our community.  Subscribe now or submit a video of your own journey. 

Contact

If you are interested in learning more about the broader vision, the HHH project, partnering, offering your skills and knowledge, as a facilitator and/or mentor or donating, please reach out to the Project Coordinator, Kate Medcalf: headheartandhandsportmac@gmail.com