News
29th October 2002
CREATE's Horticulture & Environment Co-ordinator Gains Recognition
| Congratulations to Anthony Coyle CREATE's Training and Development Co-ordinator for Horticulture and the Environment who took out 4 awards this week at a recent rose growing exhibition. Amongst some tight competition, Anthony was awarded notoriety for his growing expertise in rose miniatures and no doubt we will see some of his handy work at local CREATE sites soon. Well done Anthony!
NB: CREATE will bring you updates on individual participant and staff achievements on this website |
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26th September 2002
CREATE (Geelong) Inc 13th Holds Annual General Meeting
CREATE recently hosted its public13th Annual General Meeting with guest and keynote speakers Mr. Frank Costa President of the Geelong Football Club Inc, Sue Christophers General Manager for Adult Community Further Education Victoria, Ms Jenny Vizec Manager Community Jobs Unit and Mr. Hugo T Armstrong Director Queenscliff Music Festival. The AGM was graciously hosted by Mr. David Burke Manager for Youth Services City of Greater Geelong with the venue provided by the Geelong Football Club Ltd. Below is a transcript from the Chief Executive Officers Report highlighting notable yearly events and achievements for Financial Year 2001/2002
Chief Executive Officers Report AGM 2001/2002
Overview
On reflection it is often difficult to prioritise and notarise significant highlights and critical impacts upon an organisation such as ours and limited within a timeframe of 12 months and one that is restrictive to Financial Year reporting in terms of program and community development. Many highlights and critical impacts do indeed overlap particularly since our organisational re-focus some 3 years prior and this is reflected within all reports embedded within this document.
Each of our Annual Reports and the Annual General Meetings since then has maintained a particular focus and those being: Redevelopment (1999/2000), Community Partnerships (2000/2001) and this report best typified as Consolidation and Growth. Once again, all have relevance and maintain a common theme, strengthening existing community partnerships whilst promoting new ones, assistance in building the learning community itself, promoting a community learning as a vehicle to personal progression for the individual and the family unit and one that builds upon existing community assets.
The involvement of youth within all our program areas is critical to the continued growth within our local and broader communities. The involvement of adults participating within our community education programs is also critical and of equal priority and importance. The personal and professional progression of all our target groups and those of adults ultimately impacts, reinforces and encourages the same positive progression for young people themselves and once again builds upon the community for the future.
The continuance of this philosophy is embedded within the Mission Statement of CREATE has held us in good stead and one that we continue to embrace and promote within the community itself for the coming years ahead. The concept of the right of access to learning and learning for all regardless of situational, cultural, physical and economic circumstance is one that CREATE as a community organisation shall continue to hold within its future development.
Program Area Development
Our community education programs funded through Adult Community Further Education (ACFE) continued at a similar level to that of the previous year bringing with it new challenges and the increased responsiveness to learners needs. As part of the ever-changing face of the community educational structure the organisation embraced new requirements and procedures and utilised these important and critical changes to further develop its own agency policies. My thanks are given to the Vivienne Burke, the staff of ACFE and the Regional Council Barwon South Western Region for support and guidance in these important areas of development.
Additional program development saw the implementation of our Apprenticeship Traineeship Placement Program with 40 individuals undertaking varying streams of vocational employment in areas such as Retail, Office Administration, Community Services, Building and Construction and Horticulture.
It is fair to report
that the previous financial year was indeed a hectic one for the community
education sector of CREATE and indeed for its partnerships within the Northern
Community Education Network (NCEN). I wish to publicly acknowledge Audrey
Ysenbruks’ invaluable input into the further development of NCEN and
support by the members therein. Those being: Cloverdale Community Centre,
Rosewall Neighbourhood Centre, Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative, YWCA (Geelong)
and our associate members Flinders Peak Secondary College, Corio Bay Senior
College and The Geelong Audio Education Centre.
2001-2002 also saw an expansion in the youth programs, originally funded through
the voucher system with a program transfer to the Youth Pathway Program administered
by ACFE through the Victorian State Government. In addition was the introduction
of Managed Individual Pathways Funding which essentially underpinned and reinforced
the position of participant support worker, a role developed by CREATE at
the commencement of the last financial year.
The youth programs expansion was in key specific course development and venue locations. The partnership with the Geelong Football Club Ltd was one of these areas where some 20 young people accessed services under the work education program. We also saw the further develop of the AusMusic accredited Music Industry Skills course more affectionately known by our young people as ‘Loaded with Sound’.
I extend my thanks and congratulations to these two project partners who have provided our young participants a unique and innovative learning experience within these venues.
On the subject of learning experiences our organisation has expanded its own knowledge and resource base by establishing for the first time in the central Werribee District, a youth program modeled upon the activities of the Norlane Centre. Strong support for this project was provided by the WynBay Local Learning and Employment Network (LLEN), 95.5 K-Rock, Geelong Football Club Ltd, Member for Werribee Mary Gillett, the proprietors of the Werribee Business Centre and its Centre Management. The Werribee Youth Program from its opening in 2001 is well supported by all local agencies and most importantly the secondary schools themselves and the partnerships alone reflect the community’s involvement.
Without the resources and expertise of our existing staff from the Norlane Youth Centre, the transition of strategies to assist young people in a learning context would not have been as seamless and efficient. My sincere thanks are extended to our youth programs team on their dedication and indeed foresight in providing education and life learning opportunities for young people across two distinct communities.
Mid 2001 CREATE
was successfully placed for funding through the Department of Human Services
and the subsequent development of the Futures for Young Adults CREATE program
was established. From the initial implementation of the program a distinct
area of service provision was formed and a new department within CREATE. Under
Ann Drieberg’s leadership, her team has embraced the challenges and
growth in both service provision and innovative projects are apparent. I take
this opportunity to welcome Ann, Belinda, Laura and Louise, team members of
CREATE’s Disability Support Services. I also acknowledge the Department
of Human Services, the partner schools and thank them for their continued
commitment to effective client service provision and project evaluation and
our Project Officer Ralph Menchise for his continued support.
Community Development
CREATE continued its development of the Gateway Reserve Project through Community Jobs Program funding and I am pleased to announce the completion of Stage 3 of CREATE’s Horticulture and Training Facility coupled with its community garden concept. The facility has provided so many opportunities with 24 young people employed to date to develop the facility and participants from the ACFE funded Horticulture courses in both 2001 and 2002 actively applying skills to the broader community.
The Community Jobs Program also provided CREATE with opportunities for growth as the Registered Training Organisation for some 9 projects to date with partners as diverse as their projects. These include the City of Dandenong, Jesuit Social Services, the Courthouse Youth Arts Project, the City of Greater Geelong and more recently the City of Kingston.
In the latter part of the financial year CREATE commenced negotiations with the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment and Parks Victoria for the re-development of the Stieglitz Camp and New-Chum School. Our association with Barwon Older Adults Recreation Network (BOARN) assisted greatly in this progress with all stakeholders committed to developing the site into a fully functional learning and recreational centre for the community, schools and other agencies. The Board and staff see the development of this centre as forming an integral part of our future development and one that will greatly enhance programs and courses for the local community. I thank David Gough and the Committee of BOARN for their continued support to the venue, its heritage and its history.
Our Living Skills Unit in Robin Ave Norlane and affectionately known to staff and participants as “Rob Av” developed through 2001/2002 with funding provided by ACE Capital Works Grants. The centre, whilst due for completion in January 2003 is currently housing two very important projects which are of a direct consequence of identified community needs. Other community groups are also currently accessing the centre and it is envisaged that this will continue to increase in the future. The venue itself will play a major role in linkages to the Norlane Centre, The Gateway Reserve Project and Steiglitz Recreation and Learning facility. Experiential learning is a concept embraced by CREATE and one that underpins the activities within its more formal learning environments and the development of these venues are indeed reflective of this.
CREATE in partnership
with Geelong Adult Training and Education (GATE) and its Job Pathways Program
(JPP) embarked on a new program during the year linking some 4 schools to
the community education and support sector delivering an innovative program
the “Life Style Assist Project”. The project aimed at providing
maintaining school attendance was indeed successful and currently continues
into this year with 6 schools under the program title “Shine”.
I offer my thanks to the JPP team and look forward to the future development
of our partnership to further linkages between schools, community agencies
and the community in general.
CREATE enjoyed expanded support from the local community and indeed the business
sector during the year which was extremely effective in adding valuable resources
to our program areas. To the local business community and our inter-agency
partners that has supported the organisation by In-Kind support, a sincere
thank you. I make special mention of United Way (Geelong) and its contributors,
the people of Geelong that has provided an invaluable funding allocation to
allow the continuance of our work within the schools sector and the establishment
of the “NCEN United Way Scholarship for Adult Learning”.
CREATE being a member of the original working partnership to establish the Smart Geelong Region LLEN continues to assist in the development of its community building and partnerships. This has included an involvement in the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) pilot with our partner school Corio Bay Senior College and the concept of a fully functional Child Care Facility within the school itself to which CREATE will continue to support whole heartedly as an existing and identified community need.
Conclusion
As Chief Executive Officer I thank the Board of Management of CREATE for its continued vision and it’s Chair for the “tri-weekly” visits and daily support to myself and all CREATE staff. I make special mention to the Management Team of CREATE all of whom have offered support to myself and staff within the organisation both above and beyond their own individual departmental roles. I also offer an organisational thank you the CREATE Marketing and Community Development Co-ordinator for his continued commitment to the development of our innovative community partnerships. A special thank you is afforded to our Patron and to those volunteers and students from tertiary and university welfare programs who contribute to community and enhance the learning of everyone involved with CREATE (Geelong) Inc.
Robert M Gardner
September 26th 2002
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