Regeneration is a collaborative response to complex traumas experienced by Australia’s rural communities from drought and bushfires to COVID-19. Drawing on the expertise of individuals and organisations with extensive experience in and knowledge of best-practice trauma treatment and disaster recovery, Regeneration will partner with rural communities to understand their trauma, offer clinical support and equip local people with disaster preparedness information and skills to build their capacity to respond to and transform future trauma.

Regeneration offers a three-tiered approach to transforming individual and community trauma:

• Creative Art experiences (community engagement & participation)
• Evidence-based, clinical trauma counselling and support (clinical support)
• World-class trauma research (impact evaluation & learning)

Regeneration will help de-stigmatize trauma, provide individuals in rural communities with a deeper understanding of how it affects them and the people they love, and help re-knit the community bonds torn apart by recent and ongoing trauma. This initiative offers a roadmap for trauma transformation and disaster recovery which could ultimately enable rural Australian communities to thrive in the face of adversity.

This project is funded by The Hospital Research Foundation with funds raised by the Magwill Foundation – the charitable entity of Magda Szubanski and Will Connolly.