BTG Bulletin Edition 6 Oct/Nov 2013

Bulletin

BTG BULLETIN | Issue #6 Page 1

BTG Bulletin

BTG Bulletin

October / November 2013

Helping the Homeless

Read more about the joint venture between Bridging the Gap and MercyCare as they team up to break the cycle of homelessness.

More on Page 2

All Aboard

Get to know Sue Slavin and Les Hayward – Bridging the Gap’s two newest Board members.

More on Page 2

Issue Date

ABOVE: Raleigh International delegates gathered in Kings Park with BTG CEO, Colin Kerr.

With support from the City of Rockingham, Bridging the Gap hosted the Raleigh International Asia Pacific Conference in Perth from November 15-17.

This event saw over 40 young leaders from around the world gather in Rockingham for a weekend dedicated to the latest local and global citizenship activities driven by groups of committed people intent on making a difference in their world.

Raleigh International Chief Executive Stacey Adams said the conference, which took place at the Gary Holland Community Centre, brought together alumni of Raleigh expeditions that have taken place in Borneo, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Tanzania.

“Our alumni members include people from all walks of life, of differently nationalities and backgrounds – including some from Western Australia and Rockingham,” she said.

“These guys have experienced a Raleigh International expedition first hand; they’ve worked in remote communities living below the poverty line and contributed to sustainable and worthwhile community and environmental projects in these areas.”

Ms. Adams said the conference, which is held annually, is an opportunity for Raleigh to connect with previous participants to see how they’re applying their global experience at a local level.

“Our expeditions are designed to be life changing,” she said.

“We work closely in partnerships with youth focused organisations – like Bridging the Gap – to offer these opportunities to young people who are committed to bettering their own communities.”

To date, Bridging the Gap’s Crossing Point initiative has seen 45 clients go on to complete a Raleigh expedition.

“In partnership with Raleigh and other local organisations we are working with an increasing number of inspirational people of all ages across Australia,” Bridging the Gap’s Head of Youth Development Andy Wahid said.

“Recently we were pleased to support 25 people from remote communities in the Northern Territory experience the expeditions locally with eight then progressing onto a global expedition.”

Ex-Raleigh delegate and member of Crossing Point’s alumni program, Ben Piggott, said the experience changed his life.

“The Crossing Point and Raleigh expeditions are designed to challenge you physically, mentally and emotionally,” he said.

“It wasn’t until I returned home that I realised my outlook on life was different, that Raleigh had changed me.”

Bridging the Gap also hosted the Tomorrow’s Leaders Luncheon on Friday November 15 as a pre-curser networking event to the conference.

Mr. Wahid said the luncheon was an opportunity for youth workers, and those committed to the development of young people, to hear from representatives of government, education and industry and learn more about the most innovative programs in practice for supporting youth development.

“Bridging the Gap was delighted to bring together Raleigh International, the Foundation for Young Australians as well as the Minister for Local Government, Community Services, Seniors, Volunteering and Youth,” he said.

If you would like more information on Bridging the Gap’s Crossing Point initiative or Raleigh International, please contact Chloe Lawler on (08) 9550 1111 or via email at: [email protected].

Raleighing in Rockingham

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BTG Welcomes Two New Board Members

ABOVE: AHFL participants pictured with Bridging the Gap’s Colin Kerr, Dan DeCeglie and representatives from MercyCare.

With youth unemployment nearing 20 per cent and over 13,000 people sleeping rough every night, Bridging the Gap has partnered with MercyCare to deliver an innovative new program that provides young people with access to housing, training and sustainable employment.

The Affordable Housing for Life (AHFL) initiative ultimately aims to break the cycle of homelessness by providing at-risk youth aged between 16 and 25 years with long term solutions for sustainable employment, training and housing.

Through a number of links with industry bodies and residential construction employers, AHFL facilitates practical and paid on-the-job training linked to real employment opportunities.

Bridging the Gap Chief Executive, Colin Kerr, said the program, which commenced in September, will see his staff locate eligible young people to join the program and work together with network partners to respond to the strong correlation between unemployment and homelessness.

“Homelessness can be caused by an isolated event, or a combination of events and they can range from unemployment and low income to a lack of affordable housing or a breakdown in family relationships,” he said.

“By providing these young people with job opportunities and access to accredited training we can effectively break the homelessness cycle.”

Mr. Kerr said the program will see young people receive intensive and individualised mentoring and support, as well as assistance in completing a Certificate II in General Construction and access to employment and social housing.

“Alongside MercyCare we hope to equip participants with the lifelong skills necessary to ensure they are not exposed to homelessness in the future.”

The first cohort Affordable Housing for Life participants recently celebrated the completion of their pre-employment program which saw all six clients complete the first four modules of a nationally recognised construction qualification, gain a White Card and finish a carpentry module.

“We’re exceptionally proud of these guys,” Mr. Kerr said.

If you would like more information on the Affordable Housing for Life project please contact Daniel DeCeglie on (08) 9380 4705.

The team at Bridging the Gap is pleased to announce the appointment of Sue Slavin and Les Hayward to its Board of Directors.

Sue is delighted to share her wealth of knowledge and skills with Bridging the Gap and accepted a position on the Board in July, 2013.

For nine years Sue served as the Chief Executive Officer of one of Perth’s largest public training organisations, West Coast Institute, where she was responsible for leading the repositioning of the institute from a single campus facing serious financial issues, to the thriving future focused organisation it is today.

More recently Sue opened her own Strategic Leadership Consulting and Coaching business, specialising in strategic leadership; building resilient, future focused organisational cultures; coaching for peak performance and to achieve professional goals; developing business

relationships with China; government liaison; public speaking and building effective networks.

Sue is a member of the Australia China Business Council WA Executive Committee and Chair of the ACBC WA China Relationships Committee.

In addition she is a board member of Workpower, former Deputy Chair of TAFE Directors Australia and a WA finalist in the Telstra Business Women’s Awards.

Les joins BTG from Elders Financial Planning where he is a Principal Advisor specialising in personal and business insurance and superannuation with over 20 years experience in the field of personal risk and wealth management.

Commencing his corporate career in 1991, after serving several years in the Australian Defence Force, Les has worked in various senior executive roles in both the private and

government sectors including Defence and Foreign government installations, HQADF, ASIO, Canberra Airport and US Embassy, as well as various national roles in strategy, business development, risk management, training and operations management.

Les’ notable successes include starting several successful businesses across a number of industries and achieving international awards for sales management and an appointment to the position of President of the Rockingham Chapter of Business Network International in March 2012.

A Helping Hand for the Homeless

BELOW: Sue Slavin and Les Hayward.

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BTG BITES

Our Community, Our Contribution

We're pleased to introduce our Annual Report for 2012/13.

Upon reflection, it was a huge year of achievements across the entire organisation and we are very excited to share with you the fantastic work we've been doing.

For the first time ever, our Annual Report can be viewed in online magazine layout through ISSUU.com.

http://tinyurl.com/BTGAnnualReport13

For more updates, keep your eyes peeled for new editions of the BTG Bulletin.

Awards for ASPIRE

Bridging the Gap would like to congratulate Nick and the team at ASPIRE for their recent win at the 2013 Rockingham Kwinana Chamber of Commerce Regional Business Awards, with our barista training project taking out the Corporate Community Award.

Bridging the Gap was delighted to bring together Raleigh International, the Foundation for Young Australians as well as the Minister for Local Government; Community Services, Seniors, Volunteering and Youth on Friday November 15 for the Tomorrow’s Leaders Luncheon.

This informative three hour session saw over 100 representatives from government, education and industry hear about innovation in youth development on a global, national and local scale.

Tomorrow’s Leaders at Lunch

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: BTG CEO Colin Kerr, Hayley Bolding (Foundation for Young Australians), Raleigh International CEO Stacey Adams, BTG Head of Youth Development Andy Wahid. BTG’s Andy Wahid, Caroline Marshall, Linda Colley and Colin Kerr with Pat Ryan (centre) from Dismantle. Margaret Banks (DEEWR) pictured with BTG Youth and Community Manager, Linda Colley (left) and BTG’s Andy Wahid and Colin Kerr with the Hon. Tony Simpson, Minster for Local Government; Community Services, Seniors, Volunteering and Youth (Centre)

bridgingthegap.org.au 10 Leghorn Street Rockingham WA 6168 Phone: (08) 9550 1111 Fax: (08) 9592 8217

Editor: Chloe Lawler Design: Farrah Millar