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Alpine Valleys Community Leadership Inc.

Annual Report 2015 - 2016

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Our Vision:

“Empowering people to shape their communities’ future”

Our Purpose:

Provide the Alpine Valleys Community Leadership Program, an experience and skills based

program that enhances the leadership capacity of people and organisations in North East

Victoria and border regions

Develop a range of leadership programs and workshops in response to community needs

Develop and strengthen regional community leadership networks

Promote community conversations about issues affecting our region

Enable people to make a difference and enhance their contribution to community

Provide support services to rural communities

Our Values:

Excellence: In the development and delivery of our activities

Agility: Being proactive and relevant to the changing needs of our communities

Innovation: Fostering creative ideas and identifying opportunities to strengthen our communities

Collaboration: Building relationships and partnerships that deliver mutual benefit and value

Integrity: Displaying transparency and accountability to our stakeholders

Respect: Conducting our relationships with honesty, trust and compassion

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Our Partners Alpine Valleys Community Leadership Inc. acknowledges and thanks the following organisations for their

support. Their assistance is both valued and appreciated.

Major Sponsors

Our Partners

ACRE Alpine Shire Council Australian Alpine Valleys Agribusiness Forum Alpine Health Australian Institute of Company Directors Belmores Accountants Bill Tilley MP Cathy McGowan MP Charles Sturt University DAIS Department of Justice & Regulation Department of Economic Develop-ment, Jobs, Transport & Resources Department of Education & Early Childhood Development Department of Health & Human Services Environment Protection Authority FRRR Gardiner Foundation Gateway Health Goulburn Murray Hume AgCare GOTAFE Goulburn Broken CMA

Goulburn Murray Community Leadership Holbrook Landcare Network Hugh Williamson Foundation Indigo Shire Council Into our Hands Foundation June Canavan Foundation Lindenwarrah at Milawa Lingford Consulting Lions International Mansfield & District Community Bank Mansfield Shire Council MIND National Landcare Programme North East Health Wangaratta North East Support and Action for Youth (NESAY) North East Water Parks Victoria Quest Wodonga Quality Hotel Wangaratta Gateway Renee Paola Graphic Design Regional Development Australia-Hume Committee Rotary International Rural Training Initiatives

Shadforth Financial Group Steph Ryan MP Tammy Atkins Consulting The Centre Community College The Communications Department The Regional Development Company Tim McCurdy MP Twin Prism Consulting Tourism North East Upper Murray Development Board Upper Murray Health & Community Services Victorian Healthcare Association Victoria Police Voices for Indi VRCLP Secretariat WWWART Design Services Winton Wetlands Committee of Management Yooralla

… and our extensive network of alumni, presenters, friends and associates of AVCLP

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AVCLP Board

John G Brown, AO

Anthony Griffiths

Deputy Chair

Lisa Mangelsdorf

Clare Kiely

Chair

Emma Avery

Ty Caling

Treasurer

Adam Morrison

(Res. March 2016)

Kirsten Williams

Kim Scanlon

Executive Officer

Karlie Langdon

Program Coordinator

Susan Benedyka

Facilitator

AVCLP Patron “In a year when elections are pending for both the Federal and Local Governments it is important to

consider the criteria for leadership that delivers good governance.

Good governance inspires people to give their best effort and work the for the greater good.

Maintaining morale and self-esteem are critical in developing effective partnerships. Waste and

error will then be minimised. Excellent negotiating skills allow “win-win” outcomes and should be

based on facts and data.

Most importantly, those we elect should behave with integrity, dignity, honesty and respect. If we

make our choices on these traits we can have maximum confidence that we will be well governed”.

Sheree McKenzie

Bookkeeper

Jemma Galvin

Dr Kevin Powell

Robyn Farley

AVCLP Staff

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Chair’s report

2015-16 has seen another successful year for AVCLP.

At the centre of our work, we have delivered another

very successful Community Leadership Program

producing 23 graduates who will join the 340 plus

alumni already in our community making our vision

of Empowering people to shape their communities’

future” a reality.

We have continued to build on our Community

Landcare and Agriculture Leadership Program. This

year, AVCLP and North East Catchment Management

Authority (NECMA) have extended their partnership to

include Goulburn Murray Community Leadership and

the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Author-

ity (GBCMA) to offer the program to 19 participants.

In partnership with the Australian Institute of Company

Directors (AICD) we have jointly offered two courses of

Governance Foundations for Not for Profit Directors.

We see this course as AVCLP’s way of supporting the

continued leadership that is offered in our community

by a range of Not for Profit organisations.

During the year the Rural City Of Wangaratta

approached us to design and deliver a new Community

Leadership Program for residents. The objective was to

‘Strengthen the Voice’ of grass roots community

volunteers. The program has encouraged participants

into pathways for future leadership training, and

developed their confidence to step up and join

community Committees of Management and Boards.

Four programs have been delivered this year,

averaging 12-14 participants in each session. The

feedback has been extremely positive.

In partnership with the Australian Centre for Rural

Entrepreneurship (ACRE) we ran a two day

‘Introduction to Social Enterprise’ course in September.

As an organisation we’ve continued to grow. A

restructure has allowed us to create a new position of

Program Coordinator of our Annual Leadership

Program, and to significantly change the role and

responsibilities of our Executive Officer role.

In January 2016 Karlie Langdon joined AVCLP as the

Annual Program Coordinator. Karlie moved back to her

‘home’ region after working and living in Geelong, and

brings with her tremendous experience and skills in

community leadership.

Given the significant changes to the Executive Officer

role, and in line with good governance, the AVCLP

Board advertised the new role. The incumbent Kim

Scanlon was successful in being appointed to the new

Executive Officer role. Kim’s wealth of knowledge, skills

and relationships across the North East of Victoria will

greatly benefit the future of our community leadership

offerings.

The changes in the Executive Officer role will now allow

us to explore further opportunities for growth and

development, and continued State Government funding

will enable us to implement our new AVCLP Strategic

Plan.

All this could not be achieved without the dedication of

our staff and volunteer Board, and I would like to

acknowledge and thank them for all their work and

commitment to this great organisation. This year, three

of our long standing Board members will be retiring. I

would particularly like to acknowledge their

contributions and dedication. All three are alumni of

the AVCLP and being on the Board is a great

demonstration of their continued leadership role in our

community. They are:

1: Lisa Mangelsdorf who joined the Board in 2011

after graduating from AVCLP in 2009

2: Emma Avery who joined the Board in 2013 after

graduating in 2011.

3: Jemma Galvin who joined the Board in 2014

straight after graduating from the Annual program.

I would also like to thank all our supporters and

sponsors of AVCLP. Your contributions are very much

appreciated.

Clare Kiely AVCLP Chair 2015-2016

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Executive Officer’s Report

The Annual Program

It is said that the only constant thing in life is change,

and so it has been for AVCLP this year. Our Annual

Program has once again supported a fantastic group

of 23 community minded citizens to explore their

personal leadership potential whilst developing their

leadership networks and being inspired by what this

terrific region has to offer.

The structured program of guest speakers, site visits

and skills workshops allowed our participants the

time and space to reflect on their personal values,

and to work out how they can most effectively

contribute to their community. Most importantly

AVCLP provided the inspiration for participants to

“get out there and have a go” and to not be afraid of

change.

This year’s cohort had to cope with an enforced

change as AVCL Inc. as an organisation grew. A year

of hard work by the Board and staff resulted in a

restructure of the organisation, with a new Program

Coordinator being appointed halfway through the

AVCLP year. The 2015-2016 participants handled

this change to the dynamic of the program with

grace and enthusiasm, and the transition to Karlie

Langdon taking over the role of Annual Program

Coordinator was seamless. I have no doubt that our

graduates will be involved in creating many positive

changes in our region in years to come.

Short courses

Highlights of the year included programs that

evolved from partnerships.

In partnership with Australian Institute of

Company Directors we delivered affordable

governance training for Directors of Not for

Profit Boards.

In partnership with ACRE (Australian Centre

for Rural Entrepreneurship) we hosted new

training for Australia- “Understanding Social

Enterprises”

In partnership with the North East Catchment

Management Authority, Goulburn Broken

Catchment Authority and Goulburn Murray

Community Leadership we delivered a third, very

popular Community Landcare & Agriculture

Leadership Program.

In partnership with the Rural City of Wangaratta

Council we designed and delivered a new

Community Leadership Program for RCoW

residents that serve on, or aspire to join,

community committees.

In partnership with the Williamson Foundation

we offered a small grants program to community

projects where groups are working with young

people in the environment and arts sectors.

The Organisation

Continued Government funding has supported us to

develop a new three year Strategic Plan. The Plan

outlines how we will continue to expand the range of

courses, workshops and events that the organisation

offers, into the future. Our aim is to become a key

regional resource for leadership development, training

and special events.

Our programs attract participants from government,

private enterprise and community organisations and

the diversity of the people that participate in our

courses provides a special dimension for participants.

We look forward to continuing our relationships with

our existing partners and to developing new partner-

ships so that together we can deliver new and

innovative programs to the region.

My thanks are extended to Karlie, Sheree and Susan for

their hard work and dedication to the organisation, and

to the AVCL Inc. Board for their support and vision. It’s

going to be an exciting period for the organisation in

coming years.

Kim Scanlon Executive Officer AVCLP

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Participants 2015-2016

Name Home Organisation

Margaret Anderson Wangaratta Dispute Mediator Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria

Lisa Basler Bright Human Resources and Governance Officer Parks Victoria

Catriona Brown Rutherglen Programs support Officer North East Catchment Management Authority

Nicola Burns Wangaratta Aged Care Assessment Officer Rural City of Wangaratta

Simon Crase Wangaratta Media and Communications Officer- Cathy McGowan Federal Member for Indi

Michelle Critchley Beechworth Disability Advocate DAIS (Disability Advocacy and Integration Service)

Andrea Davidson Beechworth Adolescent Health Nurse Department of Education and Training

Kellie Davies Albury Team Leader, Communications and Media City of Wodonga Council

Emma Ghys Wodonga Health Promotion Officer Alpine Health

Victoria Griffiths Albury Team Leader- People and Workplace City of Wodonga Council

Lauralee Hogg Biggara Store Manager Murray Goulburn

Renae Johns Katunga Community Work Program Coordinator Department of Justice

Matthew Kennedy Cheshunt Operations Manager MIND - Typo Station

Ben Kneebone Everton Team Leader- Compliance Strategy Environment Protection Authority

Rosemary Koop Glenrowan West Small Business owner Sheep/Cropping Farmer & Arts Advocate

Renee Leary Mansfield Assistant Service Leader Yooralla

Erin O’Connor Wangaratta Community Development Officer Department of Health and Human Services

Jason Perna Wangaratta Waste Management Coordinator City of Wodonga Council

Carolyn Sammon Wangaratta Small business owner North East Survey Design

Victoria Schmidt Bright Small Business owner Business consultant- Marketing

Allan Thrum Wangaratta Building Management Officer Rural City of Wangaratta

Courtney Ward-Jackson Wangaratta Team Leader- Speech Pathology North East Health Wangaratta

Andrew Whitehead Towong Upper Small business owner Beef Farmer/Mechanic

Fiona Wigg Beechworth Small Business owner Vigneron- Madman’s Gully Wines

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AVCLP Program: 2015-2016

Date: 2015

Event Venue Location

Friday/Saturday 17 & 18 July

Opening Retreat Albury Lake Hume Resort Albury

Friday 31 July Day 1 The Regional Economy

Brown Brothers Milawa

Friday 14 August Skills day 1 Lakeside Community Centre Benalla

Friday 28 August Day 2 Community Development

Mansfield Shire Council offices Mansfield

Friday 11 September Day 3 Health and Wellbeing

Upper Murray Health & Community Services

Corryong

Friday 25 September Skills Day 2 Dept. Economic Development, Jobs Transport & Resources

Rutherglen

Friday 9 October Day 4 Young People

Wangaratta Regional Study Centre Wangaratta

Friday 23 October Day 5 Tourism

Alpine Shire Council offices Bright

Friday 6 November Day 6 Justice

Beechworth Correctional Facility Beechworth

Friday/Saturday 20& 21 November

Mid-year retreat YMCA Howman’s Gap Alpine Centre Falls Creek

Date: 2016

Event Venue Location

Wednesday 20 January

Skills Day 3 Wang Central offices Wangaratta

Friday 5 February Day 7 Community Advocacy

North East Water Headquarters Wodonga

Friday 19 February Day 8 Government

Rural City of Wangaratta offices Wangaratta

Friday 6 March Skills day 4 Mudgegonga Community Hall Mudgegonga

Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday 21/22/23 March

Days 9/10/11 Melbourne visit

Various locations in the Melbourne CBD

Melbourne

Friday 15 April Day 12 Environmental Sustainability

Winton Wetlands Winton

Friday 29 April Day 13 Small Towns/ Big Ideas Yackandandah Sports Park

Yackandan-dah

Friday/Saturday 13 & 14 May

Final Retreat Lindenwarrah at Milawa Milawa

Thursday 26 May Graduation Gateway Quality Hotel Wangaratta

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Regional Leadership Development

Wangaratta Leadership Program

This year, the Rural City of Wangaratta Council

commissioned AVCL Inc. to design and deliver a new

civic participation Community Leadership Program for

residents of the municipality. Designed for community

members serving on, or aspiring to serve on

community committees of Management, Council

Advisory Committees and the like, the four day

program encouraged participants to “Strengthen their

Voice”. The programs examined:

Personal Leadership skills

Community Leadership

Governance of Committees and Boards

Understanding Government

Leading change

Four of these programs were delivered between

October 2015 and May 2016 and participants deemed

the programs a great success.

Alumni

AVCLP now has an alumni network of over 345

community leaders. AVCLP alumni contribute to their

local communities, the region and at state and federal

levels in a variety of ways, including as

Government, industry and community Board

members

Regional representatives, reference and

advisory group members

Local government councillors

Managers of community projects

Guest speakers and MC’s at regional leadership

and community events

Community mentors

Volunteer organisation members including

welfare, tourism, emergency management,

environmental sustainability, health services,

economic development, and agribusiness

Volunteers for overseas aid projects

Charity and philanthropic initiatives

Projects and Partnerships

AVCLP continues to build regional leadership

capacity through the delivery of short course leader-

ship projects and skills workshops, delivered in various

locations across the region. These projects are

designed to address specific leadership needs in our

region and AVCL Inc. acknowledges the support of our

many project partners to deliver these initiatives.

Understanding Social Enterprises

In partnership with the Australian Centre for Rural

Entrepreneurship (ACRE) AVCL Inc. was proud to host

an introductory course to the region- “Understanding

Social Enterprises” This two day course attracted a

range of alumni and community members, and was

facilitated by guest presenters from the Scottish Social

Enterprise Academy, who have delivered their award-

winning training throughout Scotland since 2004.

RCoW Community Leadership Program graduates with CEO

Brendan McGrath and Administrators Ailsa Fox and Irene Grant

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Regional Leadership Development

Show us your Pitch

With funding support from the Hugh Williamson

Foundation’s Bug Blitz program, AVCLP offered

community groups a chance to bid for part of a

$10,000 pool of funds that supported the

implementation of small community projects that

benefited environmental development, the arts and/

or young people.

The applicants pitched for their share of the funding

through a “Shark Tank” style of presentation, some-

what like those made on the television show. Of the

many, varied submissions that were received, three

projects were funded:

Bring Ya Bug Along- Petaurus Education Group

implemented a field day at a local wetlands where

experts could identify the bugs that children

collected. The collection was photographed and

collated into books for regional school libraries

Sensory garden for Wodonga Flexible Learning

Centre- Students planned, landscaped and

decorated a corner of the school yard to create a

peaceful student retreat.

The Centre Youth Photographic competition- VCAL

students organised a photographic competition

where young people expressed their version of “My

Environment” through digital photos.

This project provided AVCL Inc. with the opportunity

to reach a number of new community organisations

and assist a number of small community organisations

doing great work in their respective communities. It

also increased the brand awareness of AVCLP, Bug Blitz

and the Williamson Foundation in our region.

Governance for NFP Board Directors

In partnership with the Australian Institute of

Company Directors, this year AVCLP delivered

another two of the popular Governance Foundations

for Not for Profit Board Directors The three module

program examined:

Duties and responsibilities of the Not for Profit

Board Director

Strategy and Risk Management

Financial Management

This course is really contributing to improving the

governance capacity of many of our regional Boards,

and it is our intention to continue to offer this

training at least once or twice annually.

Landcare Leadership Program

Another of our highly acclaimed Community Land-

care and Agriculture Leadership Programs was

delivered this year, in partnership with North East

Catchment Management Authority (NECMA),

Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority

(GBCMA) and Goulburn Murray Leadership. The

program attracted 19 participants from across North

East Victoria and the Goulburn Valley.

Designed for those working in the Natural Resource

Management and Agribusiness sectors, the seven

session program included sessions examining:

personal leadership

group dynamics

community leadership

resilience and capacity building

innovation and entrepreneurship

communication skills and networking

A two day field trip to the Holbrook Landcare region

provided the highlight of the program. The

culmination of the program included a program day

and dinner held at the Winton Wetlands, where

graduates celebrated their achievements with

representatives from all of the partnering

organisations. Photo winner: “Cloud Tower” by Katherine Box : 11 years

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Financial report: 2015-2016

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AVCLP Programs: 2015-2016

Annual Program

Community Landcare & Agriculture Leadership Program

RCoW Community Leadership Program

“Bring Ya

Bug

Along”

Project

Social

Enterprise

Training

Sensory

garden

planning