Imagine Northern Rivers: What might a regenerative, safe and adaptive future look like for the Northern Rivers, within the lifetime of a child born today?

We’re collectively in a ‘hot mess’. Our business-as-usual approach is no longer benefitting people or planet. We need to move towards regenerative futures across our region (and world). We’re talking social, environmental, economic and cultural regeneration. In the plainest of language – better and safe futures for us all… But first, in order to move towards regenerative futures, we need to know and feel what these futures could be like. That’s the focus of Imagine Northern Rivers.

With start-up funding from the Ingrained Foundation, Imagine Northern Rivers has launched with the first series of workshops held in the Byron Shire in May 2025. We are engaging residents, not-for-profits, businesses, activists, resilience organisations and government agencies across the region, in exploring opportunities for regenerative, adaptive and safe futures. What do these futures look like? How can we get there? And what’s needed to align and leverage Mission for impact?

What are we doing?

• Engaging 28 place-based communities across 7 local government areas in articulating what regenerative, safe and adaptive futures (up to 2060) could look like, and the actions needed to take us there.

• Hosting ‘big-picture’ forums about the future of our food system and an economy that’s in service of community aspirations. Other regional forums will be hosted around themes that emerge due to interest and opportunity.

• Threading the place-based and ‘big picture’ vision elements in to a regional story that can inform the planning and work of diverse sectors, and trigger fresh inspiration and action in the hearts and minds of the people who call the Northern Rivers home.

• Building an alliance that includes organisations, government agencies, groups, Indigenous communities, farmers, businesses, universities, philanthropists, schools and residents, all serving place-based visions of regenerative, adaptive and safe futures.

Imagine Northern Rivers is a partnership between Carmen Stewart (local futurist), Ingrained Foundation, Northern Rivers Community Foundation, SEED Northern Rivers, Relocalise Northern Rivers, Australian Earth Laws Alliance and The Family Centre.

Our next workshops will be hosted in the Clarence Valley in June 2025, before moving on to Tweed and Ballina Shires in July.

If you live and/or work in another local government area in the Northern Rivers and would like to participate, contact us. We are seeking members of organisations, clubs, networks, business chambers etcetera, to help us convene workshops in communities across the region. There is no cost to participate.