We Grow Community exists because nature needs people - and people need nature.

Our Story

We Grow Community was created simply because people need meaningful ways to connect with nature. Through working and volunteering in community based environmental organisations, our Founder Aleisha Keating noticed how the simple act of planting trees and watching them grow sparked something powerful in people. More than just restoring landscapes, it created joy, practical engagement, an opportunity for deep connection with the land itself and a multitude of well-being benefits. Children became curious about nature, families inspired and seasoned volunteers keen to share their knowledge with others.

And the benefits grew from there. Returning a year or two later to trees that now towered overhead, volunteers could see and experience the impact of their efforts, as seedlings had been transformed into restored forests. A sense of agency, stewardship and belonging was taking root. And the ripple effects continued to grow. Moreover, Aleisha could see the potential to weave well-being practices to further enhance the experiences people had at nature restoration events.

At the same time, Aleisha reaslised that funding for this critical work was increasingly uncertain and there was a need to find long term sustainable solutions to finance this valuable work.

We Grow Community was created to harness the community’s passion and enthusiasm for nature and learning, while providing a solid foundation for meaningful, accessible and inclusive opportunities to participate in landscape restoration.

Our purpose is clear: to regenerate nature, to cultivate empowered, connected communities and to support nature and people to thrive for generations to come.

Work with us

Our Vision

Restored, biodiverse landscapes driven by community action

Our Mission

To create an empowered community of advocates who restore and care for nature

Our Values

Stewardship

We take collective responsibility to care for native ecosystems safeguarding them into the future
Community

An inclusive, collaborative and empowered community
Learning

We facilitate hands on conservation experiences and knowledge sharing
Well-being

We cultivate a world where both people and nature thrive
Fun

We integrate fun and playfulness into everything we do

We Grow Community exists because the relationship between people and land is not lost - it is waiting. We bring landowners, volunteers, schools and businesses together around a shared act: planting native trees, building ecological knowledge and deepening the connection between community and country.

We are grassroots in spirit and rigorous in practice. Our work is place-based, evidence-led, and as committed to what comes next as to what we plant today.

Our Outcomes

We grow to connect - land, community and action

Connected, biodiverse & healthy native ecosystems

Healthy ecosystems are biodiverse, sequest carbon, are connected within the broader landscape, retain soil moisture and minimise erosion and runoff all contributing to healthy land and waterways.

Enhanced individual & community well-being

We know nature provides monumental benefits to people. Through opportunities to contribute to restoring landscapes we create meaningful experiences that nurture our community.

Increased community capacity for land restoration

We provide opportunities to learn about nature, restoration and citizen science processes to empower our community to regenerate ecosystems.

Join us

Meet the Team

Aleisha Keating

FOUNDER, DIRECTOR & ACTING CEO

Aleisha Keating is our chief organiser and the visionary behind We Grow. Her energy and inspiration supports our organisation’s growth.
Aleisha applys her experience in not-for-profit management, habitat restoration, community education and governance, to help realise her vision of sustainably funded community-based nature restoration. She aspires to not only regenerate native landscapes but also provide fun and interactive opportunities for people to nurture the health of the land and themselves.
Aleisha has worked in consultancy, local and state government and the not-for-profit sector in Australia, New Zealand and Scotland. She lives on the Sunshine Coast, enjoying the ocean and bush environments which make the region so special.
Kadi Warner, Ph.D

DIRECTOR

Kadi Warner helps keep our projects rooted in reality through her unique blend of grounded wisdom and decades of experience the environment and community sectors.
With a passionate commitment to a healthy environment and thriving communities, Kadi is a community forestry and climate change specialist, who has worked with governments, international agencies and organisations and NGOs in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific. Kadi transitioned to the Sunshine Coast in 2017 and lives in Mooloolah Valley not far from her daughter and grandchildren.
With is a strong belief in 'think global, act local’, she is very excited about being on the We Grow Board. She is also on the faculty of the University of the Sunshine Coast and serves as member of the management committees of several local environmental organisations.
Kellie Ulyate, Ph.D

DIRECTOR
Kellie Ulyate brings a vibrant sense of fun to our team infusing insightful strategy with her light heart-filled energy.
Kellie joined We Grow to help bring a dream to fruition, that benefits people and nature. Kellie has a background in biological science and has worked in healthcare for over 20 years. She appreciates how nature can make us feel refreshed, awed and humbled, recognising our part in the natural world. She recognises that it’s critical we don’t forget our connection and reliance on nature for well-being and thriving.
With long office days typical for many, Kellie is pleased to be part of a solution to reconnect appreciation of nature and provide opportunities for people to contribute to its care and a future where we make a difference, together.