Communication Program Day 2014

The Communication Program Day delivered practical tips on understanding government, successful lobbying and personal media training. Skills the participants will utilise in their professional lives and in delivery of 2014 community projects. 

The LGSC participants received the inside tips on how to work effectively with the media presented by Karen Foster, Director of O2 Media. The key messages were stay in control, understand key messaging and establish strong relationship with the media. Social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest were explained with a business filter applied.

Understanding government and lobbying was presented by Emily’s List, National Co-Convenor, Tanja Kovac. Tanja stressed the importance of relationships and communication and advised reviewing politician’s inaugural speech to better understand passions and drivers. Essential lobbying techniques were presented and the group was given the tools to be able to frame a successful lobbying campaign.

The Peter’s Project lobbying story was shared by Vicki Jellie highlighting how to engage with and lobby government and the community in a successful project. The importance of engaging the media was highlighted. Vicki’s mantra “Nothing is Impossible” has enabled Peter’s Project to bring a Cancer Treatment Centre to the region.

Thanks to our Program Day Sponsor Moyne shire.

Education Porgram Day 2014

Education is the key to increasing life opportunities, enhancing prosperity and building regional capacity.
Venturing to RMIT Hamilton on a bitterly cold South West morning the Education Program Day began in earnest, with LGSC participants being provided with facts and figures around poverty that were specific to an Australian wide outlook. The data presented centered the mind of each participant to dive into the following session, Bridges out of Poverty facilitated by guest presenter, Sally Sudweeks from Beewise Inc.

Bridges out of Poverty is a body of research conducted by American educator Dr. Ruby Payne that essentially identifies resources for people to transition out of poverty. These resources are: financial, emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, support systems, relationships/role models, knowledge of hidden rules, coping strategies, language patterns and persistence. The Bridges out Of Poverty concept challenged each participant to think outside of their comfort zone and to consider and take a wide lens view of how complex the issues of poverty and breaking that cycle can be.

Mary Pendergast, Senior Advisor Regional Performance and Planning, Department of Education and Early Childhood development presented a thought provoking session titled “Retention of Children in School in the Great South Coast region of Victoria.” Mary took the group from a worldview of the education system in Australia in comparison to other jurisdictions and highlighted just how well Australia is faring. Data from our local region indicates that Year 12 completion rates for the Great South Coast region were among Victoria’s lowest.

Dr. Kaye Schofield, the next guest speaker, delved deeper into the issue of Year 12 attainment or equivalent and provided localized facts and figures across each of the shire boundaries. It is quite evident from the data presented that the Glenelg and Corangamite Shires have some of the lowest rates of year 12 attainment in Victoria. 

So how do we fix the problem? That was the burning question posed by the next guest speaker Helen Bayne, Partnership Broker South West Local Learning and Employment Network. Helen Spoke of an ambitious ground breaking Great South Coast Group project that was touted as the mechanism to fix this wicked problem. Titled “Beyond the Bell” the project seeks to lead a cultural shift in the way communities and service providers work to support our young people who live in the Great South Coast. The project aims to improve young people’s chances of attaining Year 12 or equivalent and better prepare them for a successful transition to further education and or employment.

The “Beyond the Bell” Project is progressing rapidly under a ‘collective impact’ approach as the project working group recognizes that no single person, organisation or sector, however innovative or powerful can accomplish the projects goals alone.

Special thanks to our Program Day speakers, our partner RMIT and Dan Tehan, Federal Member for Wannon who joined us for lunch.

Culture Program Day 2014

LGSC 2014 Program participants were inspired by a series of high level speakers who presented on the importance of embracing culture.

Leaders who spoke on the day included Rob Lane, Partner SED, Craig Biddiscombe, Advisor and Facilitator Culture and Leadership, Crowe Horwath and Lynda Ford, Facilitator Enterprising Partnerships.

Rob drew on his extensive experience in governance, emphasising the role of a board and its members, responsibilities, and the importance of having the appropriate processes, policies and practices in place for an organisation to thrive.  His presentation explored the benefits and challenges of taking on a board positions, a future opportunity for program participants.

Craig spoke about how to be a catalyst for improving the culture in your team/organisation. He gave real life experiences from his time working with the AFL and how you can use these experiences in our organisations to improve both cultural and performance of a business. Quotes that resinated with the group from his discussion were “too much rigger without relationship equals resentment” and “you can’t improve culture if you can’t get the buy in”.

“What do we not want in our team?” Craig asked the group. If you are passionate about culture, drive the right behaviours. Craig presented valuable tools and questions for us to improve culture and change the behaviours in our teams.

Diversity was also stressed as an important part of developing cultural awareness in a discussion led by Lynda Ford. Lynda stressed the importance of how strength lies in differences not in similarities and the importance of a team embracing different views in the development of a high performing teams. To complete the day the Great South Coast leadership group participated in a cultural experience that took us on a refugee’s journey. This was both compelling and confronting. The experience gave the participants an understanding of the anguish and resilience experienced by refugees as well as an insight into what it takes to leave their homeland and establish a new life in a foreign land.

Skills Day- Mid Year Retreat

Leadership Great South Coast program currently in its third year came together in Warrnambool for their mid-year event last Friday, this occasion provided the group of 16 aspiring leaders the opportunity to review and reflect from the Program Day key themes participated in over the past five months.

The group of emerging leaders received personalised motivational profile reports during the opening retreat in February, these reports are used as a reference point to develop skills upon and influence throughout the duration of the program. Facilitator Corrinne Armour from Extraordinary Future provides engaging and energetic insight to communication and leaderships styles, working with the group to develop innovative and inspired community leaders for the region.

As part of the leadership program participants have formed and scoped community projects, all projects have direct benefit to the Great South Coast region and will align to the Great South Coast Strategic Plan. The teams have engaged in action learning allowing them to engage with the community in fresh ways.

The current group of 2014 participants are currently involved in 4 projects that include the establishment of Western Victorian female dairy leaders with a view to expanding leadership capacity within the group provide a support mechanism for aspiring female dairy leaders.  Working with the local council, artists and local aboriginal community on the Gnatanwarr (welcome) Mural, an interactive art mural depicting significant contributors and cultural sites of the Gunditjmara land.

To inspire and encourage retention of students education and beyond by providing inspiration through conversation, in the creation of Podcast links accessible to all young people and increasing the connectivity and improving access to fun, affordable fitness options for better health and well being through running of physical activates though community houses.

Throughout the Program Day participants developed principles of leadership and learnt how to apply them to a personal context through choiceful leadership coaching.