Be The Change You Want To See In The World

Do you have leadership aspirations and the potential for further professional and personal growth? YES…

Do you have the potential to contribute significantly to your community? YES…

Are you looking to progress to a senior position in your industry, business, community organisation, academia or government? YES

Do you have the ability to commit the required time and energy to a development program and to engage as an active learner??

If you are driven and passionate about your community and your growth…take a look at the LGSC Program for 2016 it could be the best decision you ever make!

Contact LGSC or talk to a program Graduate (listed in our Yr Books) for more info.  Scholarships available.

Be the change you want to see in the world – Mahatma Gandhi

Education Program Day 2015

What factors influence education engagement and year 12 attainment within the Great South Coast?

The figures put to LGSC participants re year 12 or equivalent attainment within our region are alarming. Only 59.8% of students will attain Yr. 12 or equivalent within our region, this is 23.5% less than our metropolitan cousins. Why ?

Helen Bayne (Partnership Broker, Local Learning and Employment Network) spoke about the Great South Coast initiative Beyond the Bell. Sobering statistics from our region were presented, it’s a complex problem with many underlying issues including obesity, homelessness, youth unemployment, mental health and family violence at its roots. Helen discussed the opening of nurturing rooms at local schools and how these have become a safe haven for young people, supplying the basics that we all take for granted, to prepare the child for a learning environment.

The LGSC participants were treated to an enlightening Bridges out of Poverty from Sally Sudweeks, Beewise In. Sally broached the subject of poverty, language bases and the importance of family structures. There is poverty in Australia and it is relative.  Some people believe that they are wealthy without the material possessions that you and I might associate with wealth. It is what you perceive as important to you.

Matty Stewart, co-ordinator of Standing Tall in Warrnambool, enthusiastically spoke about the youth mentoring program aimed at 12 to 14 year olds that operates across our region. There are many positive stories about the support that this program brings to the disengaged youth ultimately maintaining engagement within education.

Damien Farley School Co-ordinator at the WAVE School hosted the final session of the day. Damien spoke candidly about the reengagement program, taking the group on a tour of the facilities, and giving insights into WAVE challenges and successes. WAVE delivers VCAL for 15-19 year olds who have disengaged from the mainstream education system.

The question is…as leaders within our businesses and communities what can we do now and in the future to improve education attainment within Great South Coast?

Many thanks to all of the wonderful presenters and our hosts Southern Way, Warrnambool.

Economy Program Day (No 2)

The keys factors in building a strong sustainable regional economy include collaboration, thinking green and bringing the people in our community on the journey.

True collaboration is putting aside personal and professional agenda’s for the greater good was the message from Danny Halstead, Board Member from the Committee for Portland.  The united approach by The Committee for Portland is driving great results for the region’s economy.

Steve Garner, General Manager Keppel Prince, gave an insight into the impacts of politics in making progress on the Renewal Energy Target, stimulating investment and producing green energy.    

Vision, culture, people; leadership with open eyes were the key insights from Peter Chellis, Plant Manager Portland Aluminium.  Peter outlined Portland Aluminium’s focus on safety, stability and costs, engaging staff at all levels with these key drivers. 

The day finished with a tour of the Port of Portland by Business Manager Malcolm Geier.  The sheer growth in scale and volume of the Port demonstrates it importance as a key economic driver across the Great South Coast region.

Thank you to the Port of Portland for hosting our second Economy Program Day for 2015.

Thanks to the Committee for Portland for their ongoing support of LGSC.

Health and Wellbeing Program Day

What do we really know about the people who live in the Great South Coast Region? Do we really know our neighbours and the challenges of our own community?

Did you know that the Great South Coast region has a suicide rate twice the national rate or that the Corangamite Shire has the highest rate in the region for hospital visits for Dental caries which is substantially higher than the rest of Victoria?

The 2015 program Leadership Program participants today focused on people – the human capital of our region: not the impact of the global economy or climate change but the health and wellbeing of our community.  Lynda Smith, Health Promotion worker with South West Primary Care Partnership urged leaders to think and work “upstream” of some of the dire health and wellbeing challenges for our region.

It was a moving day in many ways as speakers bought some emotions to the surface, particularly as the afternoon moved into the area of mental health and suicide prevention.  Mandy van den Berg and Anna Azzopardi from the Mental Illness Fellowship gave us insights into not just the experience of mental illness, but the path to recovery and the importance of having a valued role and personal identity.

Belinda Clark, the Manager of Suicide Prevention Services at Lifeline South West shared the chilling statistics on suicide, far outstripping the road toll and having enormous impact across families and loved ones. Acting Senior Sergeant Kelly McNaughton of Victoria Police spoke about the day to day realities of working with people who threatened or attempted self harm and the immense workload and psychological impact that this had on members.

The day was a timely reminder of the reason we seek to have leadership roles, to make a difference in the lives of people in our community. By the generosity of our speakers we saw raw insights into the challenges that face our community and the hope that can motivate us to lead change.

Thanks to our presenters and our sponsor for the day, Timboon Health Services.

Phil Hose