We caught up with one of this year's Emerging Leaders cohort, Madeleine Brookes, Tourism Officer at City of Mount Gambier to find out how she's finding the program so far.

What made you sign up for the Emerging Leaders Program?

I’ll admit, before starting my tourism role with the City of Mount Gambier I had very limited knowledge about local government. It was only once I started that I began to learn about how passionate the sector was. I found myself looking to build my understanding of local government and increase my confidence and ability to work well within it. So, when I saw the opportunity to participate in the ELP I knew it would be the perfect fit.

The most recent module focused on Media and Engagement – what were some of your takeaways from this module?

In this session, we had some great discussions with a range of speakers. We explored the challenges that Councils face when communicating and attempting to connect with their community; the changing landscape and technology that impacts the way Councils use media; the opportunities Councils can use to better engage with media representatives and strengthen relationships; and how Councils can effectively engage all segments of the community including those who are diverse and vulnerable