11.09.2025

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Last week I attended the Social Impact in the Regions conference in beautiful Grafton, NSW. It has been such a reminder of the strength, resilience, and creativity that lives within our communities.

Day one really highlighted that sameness is not fairness. Equity doesn’t mean uniformity and every place has its own needs, strengths, and stories, and we must meet community where they are. True progress comes when institutions and communities journey together, sharing power and making decisions based on what the community actually needs. Instead of asking what can go wrong, we were challenged to ask what can go right. That simple shift in thinking opens the door for risk, reward, and real impact. From grassroots projects to crowdfunding, and even rethinking how capital flows into regional areas, the theme was clear: trust the community, take action, and recognise the capability that already exists in our regions.

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Day two brought conversations about generations learning from each other, about life skills being passed on and communities teaching their own. It also shone a light on the weight of burnout in our sector. So many of us stay because our values align with the work, even when it’s hard, that is dedication.

What stood out most to me is that social impact is not about uniformity, it’s about trust, action, and the courage to do things differently. We rise by lifting others, and in the regions, that means building impact that is local, lived, and led by community.

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A massive thank you to Kerry Grace and Dr Chad Renando, your passion for impacting regional communities is inspiring. Looking forward to SIITR26.

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Also a big shoutout to the amazing people I got to connect with and see again. It truly is special talking with likeminded people and wanting to change the world.