WELCOME FROM THE COMMITTEE
Welcome to the September edition of the
LG Professionals SA Women’s Network Newsletter.
The Network’s 2024 theme is ‘Belonging’, an opportunity to build on and encourage inclusivity, helping members to feel valued in their workplace, and empower you to always be your authentic self. The Women’s Network Committee is thrilled to have delivered three incredible forums this year based around this theme.
We’re super excited for the Network's flagship event which is the LG Professionals SA Women’s Network Conference on Friday 1 November 2024 at Morphettville Event Centre. It will be a day to focus on self, shared learning, and an
opportunity to network with women from other councils in varying roles, and celebrate the amazing work that women do to enrich the local government Sector. Please make sure you take a look at the program, get your colleagues together and join us for an inspiring day.
Please enjoy the newsletter, and if you have any
suggestions for content you’d like to see in future editions, we would be happy to hear from you.
Thank you and best wishes,
Women’s Network Committee Members
Ritu Datta, Jacque Opie, and Jayme Leis |
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REFLECTIONS FROM THE LG PROFESSIONALS SA WOMEN'S NETWORK FORUM: MY CIRCLE |
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Thank you to all network members who
attended the September Women’s Network Forum 'My Circle’ held at the City of Mitcham -Tiwi Kumangka (‘Return of the Yellow-Tailed Black Cockatoo’ in Kaurna) on Wednesday 11 September 2024. We were thrilled to have a sellout attendance for in-person participation at this forum, and it was great to see some of our regional members hosting hubs to attend together.
The forum was emceed by Jacque Opie, one of our Women’s Network Committee Members.
The discussions on the day were divided into three focus areas:
- Know your circle
- Grow your circle
- Show your circle
Nicola Lipscombe was our keynote speaker and spoke about 'Knowing your Circle: Inside and Out' and explored the
transformative power of professional and personal circles with relatable examples.
Nicola highlighted the following:
- In order to grow your circle you need to know your current circle/s
- We have multiple circles – physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual
- Understand which of our circles are full and which one/s need fulfilling
- Harness the various energies (analogy of the 6 Goddesses)
- What we are searching for is Belonging, Growth and
Opportunities
- Who we are looking for are Supporters, Knowledge experts, Advocates and Connectors
- By default, we often grow what we know and may already be full, whereas we need to grow where we have a deficiency
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Our amazing network committee members Gemma and Jayme facilitated a fun filled networking speed dating session which
enabled attendees to 'Grow Their Circle'. Talisha King, Reconciliation Officer from City of Adelaide and Pavani Paramasivam, Team Leader - Community Connections
(Libraries) from City of Mitcham 'Showed their Circles'. They shared their respective
journeys and how their own circles (family, friends, colleagues, leaders, cultural
communities etc) have shaped them as
individuals and progressed their careers. Great story tellers and we thank them both for their openness and for sharing their
personal experiences with us all.
On behalf of the Women's Network
Committee, I want to extend our thanks to all the speakers, to those who attended in person and on Zoom and especially to the City of Mitcham for hosting.
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Ritu Datta
Manager People and Performance
District Council of Yankalilla
Women's Network Committee Member
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LG Professionals SA Women's Network Forum: My Circle.
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AWAKENING THE GODDESS WITHIN
Nicola Lipscombe's latest online program UnleaSHEd – Awakening The Goddess Within begins on Tuesday 22 October 2024. Over 7-weeks dive deeply into the mysteries of the female psyche and connect to the powerful inner forces, the Archteypes that shape who we are in the world. Based on the work of Jungian analyst and psychiatrist Jean Shinoda Bolen, be guided by Nicola to open up to a new level of self-awareness and understanding.
Email: nicola@nicolalipscombe.com
Phone: 0410 717 265
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-lipscombe/ |
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SHOUT OUT TO THE WOMEN'S NETWORK FORUM REGIONAL HUBS
Attending Women's Network Forums provides valuable opportunities for our Network members, and we are thrilled that these are accessible to both metro and regional
participants.
Recognising that travel and time can be a barrier to attendance, LG Professionals SA is pleased to offer the option of virtual forum attendance. In 2023, we saw a surge in virtual registrations, through the formation of Regional Hubs. A Regional Hub allows one or more neighbouring councils to come together in one location, and participate in a forum whilst
having the opportunity to network with one another during the breaks. The last Women's Network Forum: My Circle saw three regional hubs formed. The Fleurieu Peninsula hosted by Alexandrina Council, Mid North hosted by Adelaide Plains Council and Upper Spencer Gulf hosted by Port Augusta City Council, - thank you for hosting hubs where surrounding councils can meet and network.
If you are interested in hosting a regional hub for a Forum in 2025, please reach out to Melissa Davis-Bishop, Manager - Professional Networks Engagement at melissa@lgprofessionalssa.org.au to express your interest. |
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Regional Hub attendees came together to virtually attend the Women's Network Forum: My Circle.
Left - Fleurieu Peninsula Hub, Right - Upper Spencer Gulf Hub
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We recently spoke
with Doreen von Linde of The Barossa Council about her role as Barossa Bushgardens
Natural Resource Centre Coordinator.
What’s
your role and how long have you worked in local government?
I am the
Natural Resource Centre
Coordinator at the Barossa Bushgardens and have started
in this role in February 2020, a few weeks before the first Covid lockdowns,
making it a very interesting first few months.
My role
is to manage and maintain the 7ha native display gardens as well as
environmental education. My position is funded by The Barossa Council and Green
Adelaide. I deliver workshops, addressing environmental and sustainability
topics and work with a variety of stakeholders,
including schools, landholders,
other
environmental organisations, Aboriginal nations, businesses, across
councils and Landscape Boards.
What does a typical day look like for
you in this role?
Tuesday and Thursday are our
volunteer days. Our Nursery Coordinator and I
currently manage 40 volunteers
that help us with site maintenance as well as nursery production. In the
mornings we catch up with everyone to assign the tasks. If we get a chance, we
support the teams doing the work. From Autumn until now, the site team has been
able to focus on adding around 1500 native plants to the gardens as the dry
weather has kept weeds from growing. That has changed over the last few weeks
and we now work on weeding, pruning,
irrigation and path maintenance. Often, we
have visiting groups taking garden tours or
Traditional Uses Trail tours,
learning about
edible plants and their medicinal uses and I am glad I have some
fantastic tour guides.
Wednesday and Friday are the days
where we have team and management meetings or workshops. These can cover a wide
range of topics, including (but not limited to) frogs, native bees, habitat
gardening, bird ID, edible weeds, mushrooms, wicking beds, composting and worm
farming. Most workshops are held on site and I love to make them hands-on to
support learning and information retention. I understand that it can be
challenging for some schools to organise transport and at times we visit
schools as far away as Clare and Gawler to run workshops with Aboriginal students
and children with different abilities.
What
important lessons have you learnt over the years?
Having a
great team around you and being supported by the other departments within
council makes my job amazing. Here at the BBG we are a great team with our
direct line manager being super supportive.
Going further up, management is
challenging our thinking in a good way, broadening our horizon and pushing us
to learn and adapt.
Our
volunteers are the most important
people and without them the Bushgardens
simply would not exist. I find it very important to listen to their ideas and
make sure they are involved in any new
developments and changes. Our teams are
very passionate and having them involved
ensures they are dedicated and take
ownership.
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What is
your proudest career moment?
There is
not only one, but probably about five! I will only go into two of them though.
The first is the development of our Food for the Soul Community Garden. We
organise activities for people with different
disabilities as well as dementia
and during the lockdowns in 2020, these were suspended. As a result, and to do
something about this in case it ever happens again, I invited five local
disability and mental health support groups to help develop an inclusive and accessible
community garden. We now have 8
wicking beds of which four are
wheelchair
accessible and four large enough for people to plant or harvest
standing up.
The garden has a shelter and wheelchair-friendly table setting and
is used by the community regularly.
The
second thing I am proud of is the organising of our first ever Barossa
Bushgardens
Bush School sessions during the last school holidays. We invited up to 10 kids
from 8 to 12 years of age to learn about fire and food, including fire safety,
fire
starting methods and native food plants in the first session, and birds,
traditional
shelters and tools in the second session. On both days we had the
children for 4 - 5 hours gaining knowledge and skills in
different survival
techniques, including
orienteering and having a better understanding about how
Aboriginal people managed to thrive in the Australian environment.
What do you like to do outside of
work?
After work I’ll usually have a play with my children and finish the night
with a book. Weekends are three days long for me and our family either spends
it hiking, at the beach, with friends or in our own garden, which has grown
into a beautiful little
paradise since we started planting ten years ago. My
husband and I homeschool and we use all the above mentioned
activities and
other opportunities to instil a deep love of the environment and learning into
our children. My six-year-old is not great in math but knows a few scientific
names of plants and can name most native animals without hesitation!
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Doreen von Linde
Bushgardens Natural Resource
Centre Coordinator
The Barossa Council
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THE POWER OF COLLABORATION: HOW WOMEN SUPPORTING WOMEN LEADS TO GREATER SUCCESS
In today's competitive world, the power of collaboration among women cannot be overstated. Traditionally, women were taught to compete due to the scarcity of top positions, but it has become evident that this strategy is counterproductive. Instead, raising each other up and harnessing the power of collective effort is the true path to success and fulfillment. This
article, authored by Shelley Zalis, explores the significance of women supporting women, the benefits of collaboration, and provides practical advice on building and nurturing a strong
network of female professionals. Zalis, known as the "chief troublemaker," is a pioneer for online research, movement leader, and champion of gender equality. By fostering these
connections, women can overcome systemic barriers, achieve greater success, and create lasting, meaningful relationships. Research shows that women benefit significantly from
collaboration over competition, with close networks of female contacts helping them attain higher executive positions.
Key insights from the article include:
- Power in the Pack: Collaboration among women enhances their strengths and
creates better outcomes. - Networking Redefined: Building relationships based on shared interests rather than formal networking leads to more meaningful connections.
- Prioritising Relationships: Investing time in building and nurturing relationships is crucial for personal and professional growth.
- Amplifying Others: Supporting and praising other women not only helps them but also showcases one's leadership and team spirit.
- Finding Your Squad: Having a support network of trusted peers provides valuable advice, boosts morale, and opens opportunities.
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INVITATION TO CONNECT
As the LG Professionals SA Women’s Network Committee represents you, we would love to hear your suggestions of content for future editions. Please feel encouraged to send relevant articles, links, profiles or information through to Melissa Davis-Bishop, Manager - Professional Networks Engagement at melissa@lgprofessionalssa.org.au.
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ABOUT LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROFESSIONALS AUSTRALIA, SA
LG
Professionals SA is a not-for-profit member based association representing
professionals working in local government in South Australia.
We have
the ability to link and connect people from different councils who may not
otherwise form relationships or share.
Our high
quality professional development programs and networking events are uniquely
local government – reflective of the culture of the sector and sensitive to the
needs of its
professionals.
The
content of our events and programs are informed by our members and people who
genuinely care about the sector.
We
provide a safe and supportive environment in which to grow and learn while
creating
opportunities to make time away from the office to work on the
business or on self.
We award and acknowledge
achievements of excellence. |
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