We facilitate local disaster risk reduction and resilience programs that aid businesses and community organisations to prepare and recover more effectively.
We are "community-led" because our approach prioritises the needs of local economies, as determined by consultations with community members.
Our main priority is to create meaningful change in every community we work with.
Capable Communities
New South Wales
Resilient Reigions
Victoria
Our Three Offerings
Ready-to-Go Solutions
Objective: To enhance disaster readiness and ensure business continuity in the face of disasters using ABV's existing templates.
Timeframe: One-off interactive sessions on disaster recovery and risk assessment. Access to tools and strategies for maintaining operations after disasters.
Co-designed Workshops
Objective: Co-designing comprehensive strategies with Councils and Business Chambers to build resilience, ensuring communities and business operations can prepare, withstand and recover from disasters.
Timeframe: Working collaboratively with community and businesses for 2-3 months.
Long-Term Engagement
Objective: Focus on long-term sustainable growth and resilience.
Timeframe: Tailored support over 3-6 months from out skilled business professionals (volunteers) who can provide extra capability that enhances local project outcomes and drive sustainable change.
Testimonials
The most valuable thing to me was seeing how the skills and expertise that my colleagues had cultivated in their time at NAB could be applied to add value outside of NAB. It was really motivating for me and made me realise that everything I learn here will allow me to make a difference in the future too.
NAB Participant Corporate Skilled Volunteering
Sue (ABV volunteer) spent a lot of time reading in an becoming aware of the issues. When she asked question, they were really informed and point, so it wasn't generic it actually was quite specific. So, it was a very informed research piece.
Nick Kemp - Secretary Braidwood and Villages Business Chamber
The Process
1
Consultation
Our team is on the ground in the community listening and learning. Meeting key members of the community provides a doorway to further conversation and action around disaster preparedness and resilience.
2
Place-based engagement
ABV works alongside community, businesses and stakeholders towards consensus on place based mitigation strategies, hazard identification and reduction, and preparedness, recognising that these will vary from community to community.
3
Holding and Bridging
Once ABV has engaged with community and consulted around their needs, the next phase of interaction draws on community development and facilitation skills to “hold space” and create social safety as community work through the sometimes difficult process of identifying priorities, sourcing resources and determining actions
4
Sharing Specialist Knowledge and Skilled Resources
ABV’s unique model has allowed communities to leverage our “second brain” of skilled volunteers and their specialist knowledge and skills to achieve community, business and economic resilience. ABV’s corporate partners also support community resilience and disaster preparedness through providing specialist and skilled support.
5
Reflect, Review and Accountability
ABV prioritises its relationship with the communities and businesses that it works with and to transparency and accountability. After compiling and reviewing project outcomes ABV engages in feedback sessions with the community to present our project review and invite further feedback and qualification of our findings. This step further consolidates the trust we have with the communities and businesses that we walk alongside.
We are thrilled to announce our Resilient Regions program. Collaborating with Deakin University we are engaging in Victoria’s Gippsland region to help prepare the community for future severe weather events. Jointly funded by the Victorian Government under the flagship Disaster Ready Fund, the program reduces risk exposure for businesses and builds community resilience. Over three […]
The ABV Capable Communities Program has ended after 22 months of supporting the communities in the Snowy Valley and the South Coast of NSW. To honour the dedication of our community partners, collect feedback, and hand over the community projects to the funder, Reconstruction Authority, the team at ABV hit the road for a six-day […]
For this year’s World Environment Day, the theme is Generation Restoration. Restoration means building fire, flood, and drought resilience. Today, ABV is reminded of the incredible lessons we learned at the Cultural Burning Conference facilitated with the Bateman's Bay Local Aboriginal Land Council in 2023. You may have heard the term "cultural burning", but wondered […]
The new Kiah Community Hall was officially opened this week, marking a fresh chapter for the community. It has been a four-year journey to open this beautiful new hall, which took the dedication of the Bega Valley Shire Council, the hall committee, and partners such as ABV and Arup. The original Kiah Hall and the […]
As our Capable Communities program draws to a close, our ABV team is hitting the road to celebrate, thank and reflect with the communities we’ve walked alongside since 2022. ABV is proud to have been on this journey with communities across the shires of Snowy Valley, Bega Valley, Eurobodalla and Queanbeyan-Palerang to create lasting short- […]
ABV was brought in to work alongside the Braidwood Villages Business Chamber to do what we do best: bringing in experts and strengthening the chamber's networks. After regular meetings and consultations, a tourism corridor project was discussed. This project is the brainchild of ABV’s volunteer, Professor Brian Roberts, who has replicated this successful model in […]
Our partner, Arup, has been providing technical expertise to our programs in Australia for almost 4 years, and we are beyond grateful for all the knowledge and experience their team brings. We grow more substantial businesses and local economies to build disaster resilience, and Arup's contribution of highly specialised skills has been invaluable to the […]
Australian Business Volunteers submitted a statement to the Senate Select Committee on Australia's Disaster Resilience. The committee aims to investigate the roles of different entities, including the Australian Defence Force, volunteer groups, not-for-profit organisations, and state-based services. Its purpose is to determine the necessary support to improve Australia's resilience and response to natural disasters. Our […]
