Background
What began as a conversation with Southern NSW Innovation Hub’s Bega Circular Valley Knowledge Broker Chloe Wilson has since evolved into a regional collaboration spanning community organisations, schools, youth programs and grower networks. Along the way, the project has helped create new pathways into horticulture, strengthen community wellbeing and lay the foundations for a more resilient local food system.
Connecting local groups around a shared vision
After becoming involved with the Growing Together South Coast community market garden in Milton, Sarah approached Knowledge Broker Chloe Wilson with an idea. She wanted to create an outreach project that would better engage the broader community with local food production and build greater awareness of the importance of regional food systems.
Drawing on her knowledge of the South Coast and her extensive regional networks, Chloe brought together community gardens, organisations and stakeholders with aligned interests. The process helped identify common goals and created opportunities for collaboration that may not otherwise have occurred.
“It created a network where groups could learn from each other and build a community across the region,” Sarah said.
The relationships established through this process led to the development of the Think Regionally, Act Locally: Youth in Horticulture project, a partnership involving Sustainable Agriculture & Gardening Eurobodalla (SAGE), Grow the Future, the Office of Regional Youth and Growing Together South Coast. Southern NSW Innovation Hub played a key role in supporting regional connections and helping the project access funding opportunities.
Creating pathways for the next generation
With strong partnerships in place, the Youth in Horticulture project worked with organisations including Vincentia High School and TAFE to deliver hands-on learning opportunities for young people across the Shoalhaven region.
Students and facilitator at a taster day event. Image credit: Growing Together South Coast
Through a series of horticulture "Taster Days" held at the Growing Together market garden, participants gained practical experience in food production while learning about potential career pathways in the sector. The activities were designed to introduce young people to the skills, opportunities and broader importance of local food systems.
“As part of this local food system, the underlying idea is that we need people trained to grow food. The youth program is about creating pathways to employment, particularly in the face of disasters,” Sarah said.
For participants wanting to continue their learning, the program offered more in-depth experiences across areas such as permaculture and small animal production. These activities helped build a broader understanding of primary industries while exposing participants to the diversity of opportunities available within the sector.
Building wellbeing through food and community
The project expanded beyond local activities to include a region-wide youth farm field day hosted at the SAGE Community Garden, along with visits that connected participants directly with local producers. These events helped young people understand how individual projects and organisations contribute to the wider regional food network.
Sarah said the activities reinforced the project's central message of thinking regionally while acting locally.
“It provided an opportunity to gather feedback on what the program meant to them and what future programs should look like. It also helped connect local actions in their respective towns to the broader region, reinforcing the ‘Think Regionally, Act Locally’ concept.”
Program evaluations identified several positive outcomes, including improvements in youth wellbeing, increased awareness of food production and stronger connections to food systems and local agriculture.
Collaboration creating new opportunities
The relationships formed during the youth project became a foundation for further regional initiatives. One of the most significant outcomes has been the development of the Growers' Resilience Network, a peer-to-peer group focused on climate adaptation, drought resilience and grower wellbeing across the Shoalhaven and South Coast regions.
The network is preparing to deliver a series of workshops, using the combined reach and expertise of collaborating organisations to engage producers across the region. Beyond its technical focus, Sarah believes the network plays an important role in supporting community wellbeing.
“By connecting farmers and fostering community resilience, individuals can support each other through shared hardships,” she said.
The momentum has continued through further collaboration with the new Hub and Bega Circular Valley Knowledge Broker Luke Peel, including grant applications to support workshops that help producers share their stories directly with consumers and strengthen local supply chains.
“Our role now is linking the local supply chain, our local growers, to the community of buyers that we are advocating for. We are trying to bring these two groups together to create a cohesive local food system,” Sarah said.
Growing long-term community resilience
For Sarah, one of the most valuable aspects of working with the Southern NSW Innovation Hub has been access to trusted support, strategic guidance and regional connections that help turn ideas into lasting initiatives. Rather than operating in isolation, community groups have been able to build partnerships, attract funding and create programs with broader regional impact.
“The support from the Hub has been key for networking with relevant organisations, assisting with program design, and guiding grant applications. Having that institutional support prevents us from operating as an isolated ‘island’ as the South Coast and strengthens our organisational capacity,” she said.
Sarah believes successful community development requires a long-term vision and the ability to build progressively from one opportunity to the next. Her experience demonstrates how strong local partnerships, supported by trusted regional networks, can create benefits that extend far beyond a single project.
Through the Southern NSW Innovation Hub's support for collaboration, knowledge-sharing and community-led innovation, an idea to engage people with food production has grown into a network of regional partnerships that is building skills, wellbeing and resilience across the South Coast.
