By Aaron Cordy
THE October 2022 floods impacted the community in many varied ways. Some people experienced the devastating effects of the natural disaster, while others, the event barely touched their lives. Greater Shepparton residents are being asked to share their experience of interacting with the Council’s programs and assist with the ongoing evaluation of the Resilience in Recovery program.
The research will be conducted by a team from Deakin’s Business School, Dr Pallavi Shukla, Dr Ameeta Jain, and Dr Hemant Pullabhotla, who are part of Deakin University’s Centre for Disaster Resilience and Recovery (CDRR).
“Whether residents have participated in the program or not, we want to hear about your experience of interacting with the Greater Shepparton City Council’s programs,” said Dr Shukla.
“As independent evaluators of the program, we are inviting all residents of the Greater Shepparton area to participate in an anonymous online survey, which will help us understand your experiences, the impact of the program and any other feedback you have.”
The team will gather qualitative evidence through stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions with community members who were directly or indirectly impacted by the floods. The Deakin team will combine qualitative and quantitative data to assess the program’s overall impact.
“Interviews with the community, Council staff, agency partners, and local service providers will help us get a clearer picture of understanding, experiences and expectations of the program”, said Dr Ameeta Jain, Associate Professor at the Deakin Business School.
The survey takes around 8 to 10 minutes to complete. Participants will go into the running to win a $50 gift card. Visit https://deakin.au/CommunityPerspectivesSurvey to complete the survey before Tuesday, March 10.
