Community Southwest 2010 Collaboration Conference attracts large attendance – welcomes Senator Stephens

The Community Southwest 2010 Collaboration Conference attracted well over 500 people to the opening day of the Conference in Warrnambool  on the 25th March 2010.

Estimated numbers attending the Opening of the Conference by Senator Ursula Stephens, Parliamentary Secretary ofr Social Inclusion and Collaboration was great than expected with an estimated 200 people in attendance – with many standing to hear the Senators presentation. 352 people attended the sessions conducted by Professor Attwood in the adjoining Eva Gaspar Theatre at the Warrnambool Entertainment Centre.

The Conference organisers were delighted with the attendance and by the way Senator Stephens and Robert Fitzgerald AM were able to set the direction for the conference which had the underlying theme of colaboration and social inclusion.

Robert Fitzgerald AM, who was the Presiding Commissioner on the study into the Contribution of the Not for Profit Sector challenged the audience and particularly those involved in the Not for Profit Sector to consider “whether we are meeting the right objective” and “are we doing it the right way” and encouraged all involved in the sector to consider the progress or changes over the past 20years and the potential changes in the next 20 years.

Stephen Duns of Success Works http://www.success-works.com.au/ then provided delegates with some wonderfuls ideas and tools to help them plan for the future.

David Crosbie, CEO of Mental Health Australia was the other speaker during the morning session – see forthcoming post

Bruce Esplin – Emergency Services Commissioner to address Warrnambool Conference

Victoria’s Emergency Services Commissioner, Mr Bruce Esplin is to address delegates at the Community Southwest Collaboration Conference at the Warrnambool Entertainment Centre on the 26th March at 9.00am.

Mr Esplinholds a vision for progressive emergency management arrangements where communities are active participants in their own safety planning and decision making.

Mr Esplin, who has been closely involved with review of Victoria’s disatrous 2009 bushfires will address delegates on “ Creating resilience through information and action” enabling delegates to better understand our new risk environment and to redefine thinking about the whole process of emergency mangement – the pre to post emergency initiatives. Bruce will provide information on why partnerships are vital if we are to improve public safety which will assist the public (and organisations like Community Southwest alliance) to better manage the future challenges.

The importance of cross sector ans cross organisational collaboration is behind Community Southwest’s decision to make Mr Esplin’s presentation available to everyone – free of charge.

All emergency services and organisation involved with any emergency planning or delivery are encouraged to attend Bruce’s presentation.

Promoting wellbeing and good mental health in the workplace

Mental illness is often hidden from employers due to stigma around mental illness. People with a mental illness are often excluded from the workforce or contribute to high absenteeism and frequent role changes The cost to employers and employees, of the problems associated with poor mental health is considerable. There is a distinct lack of training and support programs for employers to develop the skills sets required to identify and appropriately support and manage these workplace issues. 

Bob Biggin of South West TAFE , Warrnambool and Carmel Morgan of Norwood Association will discuss these issues at the Towards 2020 Collaboration Conference at Warrnambool on the 25th March 2010. The session will also draw on the audience for input to the “Promoting wellbeing and good mental health in the workplace project project” as it aims to inform the Vocational Education and Training ( VET ) sector on specific industry requirements to facilitate the development of appropriate training and support to address industry needs.

2010 Collaboration Conference brings top Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Experts to Warrnambool

The Community Southwest Not for Profit Conference will host four of Australias leading experts in alcohol, drug and mental health management.

Dr Lynda Berends of the Turning Point Alcohol & Drug Centre; Dr John Howard Senior Lecturer , National Drug & Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales; Scott Wilson, Chair of the Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation and Mr David Crosbie, CEO of the Menatal Health Council of Victoria will all present sessions at the Towards 2020 Conference.

Topics will range from  roles and values of Non Profits and the need to move beyond doing “more of the same”, how to make the best use of research undertaken in the drug and alcohol sector, how to ensure the longevity of an organisation through collaboration and strategic planning  and on learning from projects undertaken overseas.

In addition to these sessions there are several others focussing on social inclusion, collaboration and strategic planning which provide great opportunities for personal development for business leaders and aspiring business leaders.

Refer to www.communitysouthwest.com for further information

Stephen Duns of Success Works, to present on Business Strategy at the Towards 2020 Collaboration Conference at Warrnambool

Community Southwest is delighted to welcome Stephen Duns to our Towards 2020 Collaboration Conference.

Stephen’s passion is to help individuals, organisations and communities identify their potential and support them to transform themselves to achieve their intrinsic magnificence.  Stephen believes deeply that a strengths-based approach, storytelling and systems thinking are key factors in human emergence.  Stephen is  a trained coach and experienced mentor.

Stephen’s career experience includes several Chief Executive Officer and general management roles in health and community services in Australia and the UK.  He has also worked extensively as a consultant, primarily in the not-for-profit and government sectors.

Stephen will provide an extraordinary learning experience for any business strategist or aspiring business manager through his topic “Systems Thinking and a Focus on Strengths”

Systems thinking is an holistic approach which focuses on the interrelationships within a system and the context of that system.  We believe that systems are best understood when the relationships between the various elements within them and with other systems are identified.  The only way to fully understand why an outcome occurs and persists is to understand the parts of the system in relation to the whole.

In this workshop you will be introduced to a range of tools to uncover the underlying systems and their interconnection, including Project Logic, Socio-Ecological Analysis, Theory U and Causal Loops along with the use of Appreciative Inquiry and other strengths based approaches.

PROF ATTWOOD AUTISM & ASPERGERS SYNDROME SEMINARS – WARRNAMBOOL MARCH 25TH

Community Southwest Ltd Proudly presents Prof. Tony Attwood. Tony is a world renowned expert on Autism & Aspergers Syndrome. Session topics include Managing Feelings: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to manage anxiety, sadness and anger & Cognitive Abilities: A different way of thinking and learning profile. Please note that the topics are different from those presented in 2008.

Tony will present his seminars at the Warrnambool Entertainment Centre, 189 Timor St Warrnambool. For further information and bookings call Mpower Reception on 55618111 Or visit www.communitysouthwest.com

Limited seats available!!!!!!

Collaboration Open Forum – Invitation to Participate

This is an exciting component of the conference and will be led by our MC Brett De Hoedt, who has substantial experience in the media arena. Brett will initiate a range of probing; inquiring and searching questions to provoke responses from our forum members regarding collaboration.

The purpose of the forum will be to tease out comment from those involved on the values of collaboration between people, organisations and government.

Those that believe they can contribute to the content of the Forum and to the development of local collaborative initiatives are welcome to contact the Executive Officer Community Southwest via   executiveofficer@communitysouthwest.com to register their interest.

Numbers are strictly limited.

Perhaps the forum will provide answers to:-

• How we move from concept to a strategic vision for collaborative effort?
• How we ensure our strategic vision is shared by all?
• How we create value or generate benefits from collaboration?
• How we manage the varying resources that can be committed by collaborative partners?
• How those involved achieve personal fulfillment from their roles as a collaborative partner?
• How we invigorate (or re-invigorate) commitment to the collaborative alliance?
• How does a stakeholder feel or see the value of collaboration?

Western District Employment Access Social Inclusion & Collaboration Awards

Background and purpose

The aim of the Western District Employment Access (WDEA) Social Inclusion and Collaboration Awards is to encourage innovative processes and partnerships for improved social inclusion and collaboration throughout our regional community. This is the second time WDEA have sponsored these awards, the first time being in 2008 where members of Community Southwest were invited to submit programs for consideration that delivered these beneficial community outcomes. In 2010 WDEA generously continues this sponsorship and has invited participation from other community organisations in an effort to showcase the very positive programs taking place across the region. This approach provides opportunities to further distribute these social inclusion and collaboration experiences as potential models for further implementation and development by other groups.

Submissions received.

 Community Southwest was pleased to receive 18 applications for the WDEA Social Inclusion and Collaboration Awards. Submissions have been received from Portland, Hamilton and Warrnambool. The breadth of the types of activities and the types of organisations applying demonstrates that throughout the region social inclusion and collaboration efforts are a key priority for many community groups.

 Winners for 2010

The Winners for the WDEA Awards will be announced at the Conference Dinner. Winners and place-getters will be invited to the Conference Dinner as guests of Western District Employment Access.

Damian Drum MLC to address Community Southwest Collaboration Conference.

Community Southwest is delighted to announce the participation of Damian Drum MLC at our forthcoming “Towards 2020: Collaboration – Doing it better in 2020” Conference.

Damian Drum MLC is the deputy leader of the Victorian Nationals in the Upper House.

He is also the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Rural and Regional Development.

Damian is chairman of the Parliament of Victoria Rural and Regional Committee which is an all party, joint investigatory committee of the Parliament of Victoria and as such Damian is the Chair of the Parliamentary Inquiry into the Extent and Nature of Disadvantage and inequity in Rural and Regional Victoria.

Damian’s participation at our conference is most welcome, especially considering one of the purposes of the Community Southwest Conference is to enhance collaborative initiatives and to enhance the wellbeing of our Community. This closely aligns to one of the aims of the inquiry which is to “identify priorities for action by Government to tackle key rural and regional disadvantage issues”.

Damian’s presentation will be a fantastic opportunity for delegates to hear comment on some very topical issues from a leader in Rural and Regional matters.

Professor Chris Brook has advised of his withdrawal from the Community Southwest Conference.

Professor Chris Brook advises that recent emerging commitments have excluded his participation at the Community Southwest Collaboration Conference – Prof Brook sends his apologies and wishes delegates and speakers a successful conference.