17 June 2022 |
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There is a bite to the air! Despite the cold change felt across NSW and ACT, I am delighted to see Guides braving the outdoors to do what we do best: connecting, adventuring, and experiencing new and wonderful things!
Connecting and doing things for ourselves, to rejuvenate and reset, is important to uplifting our resilience and improving our quality of life. We have several exciting events and courses coming up for Members in coming weeks. Be sure to keep reading for more information and details to register!
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Restructure of North West Inland Region |
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Over the past few months, the State Commissioner Team and the Board have facilitated consultation and engagement efforts with Adult Members of North West Inland Region. These efforts were focussed on key questions around how Guiding recovers in a post-Covid world, but also, how can we better support Units on the ground to provide more opportunities for girls and young women to thrive.
After deep listening and collaboration, an operational change was decided upon to restructure the Region and merge the existing Districts into neighbouring Regions of Central West, Coastal Valleys, and North Pacific Coast. A broader announcement was made at Region Personnel Conference, and administrative changes come into effect from 1 July 2022.
This restructure will have no impact on the delivery of Guiding to girls (as far as Units and Districts remain the same). It will, however, alleviate several barriers the Region has experienced for several years. We welcome your openness to this change and grateful for the warm welcome the Members will receive in their new Regions. |
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What does this restructure mean?
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- Delungra, Inverell, and Armidale Districts will become a part of North Pacific Coast Region
- Moree and Boggabri Districts will become a part of Central West Region
- Tamworth District will become a part of Coastal Valleys Region
- Burrabaroo Camp will continue to be managed by the Camp Committee and become part of Coastal Valleys Region
- Girl Guides NSW, ACT & NT will now have 11 Regions, rather than 12 Regions
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Unit and District meetings and activities will continue as usual. Units/Districts can always cross over Region boundaries and connect with surrounding Districts for different activities. Access to our Guiding properties, and specifically Burrabaroo remains the same.
We are all Girl Guides, and with a focus on our Mission, we can continue to reimagine new ways to support our Guiding communities. |
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Farewell |
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Krista-Lee Fogarty has completed her final term as a Co-Opted Director on our Board and as Chair of the Risk Committee, following a substantial 5 years of service. Krista brought her deep commercial experience and significant risk background to Girl Guiding to help us better shape our approach to risk management and uplift our risk culture, and to consider the opportunities in a risk-based approach to strategy and change. She will be missed!
Krista was a Girl Guide when she was younger, and we were thrilled to reengage her some years later and we are grateful for her service! In recognition of this service, I am pleased to share Krista has been gifted membership with the Friends of the Asia Pacific WAGGGS (FAPW) – and I encourage you to think about how FAPW might be a meaningful way to recognise other Volunteers’ service. |
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Welcome |
I am delighted to announce several new governance level appointments: |
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- Irini Agollari takes over from Krista as both a Co-Opted Director on our Board and as Chair of the Risk Committee. Irini also brings significant commercial background as a risk executive. With her strong alignment with our core values, we look forward to her contribution!
- Nav Johal has been appointed as the Chair of the Governance Committee
- Race Barstow joins the Governance Committee
- Danni Dimitri joins the Membership Strategy Committee, and
- Michelle Kothe, who recently completed a term on the Board, has been appointed to the Risk Committee.
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I look forward to your contributions and am pleased to welcome this group of highly capable and dedicated women to continue our purpose-driven work to empower girls and young women. |
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Could you be our new YAC Convener? |
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Are you passionate about supporting girls and young women to raise their voices?
The YAC Convenor will help coordinate the YAC, including supporting youth consultation efforts and liaising between key stakeholders.
If you are interested in helping to raise up the voice and leadership of girls and young women in our decision-making processes, please contact Shaylah McClymont Deputy State Commissioner at: [email protected]. |
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More information |
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Help create a better society for women and girls in NSW! |
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Do you have ideas about how to best support women in your local community? Have your say!
You are invited to attend an (external) online focus group to help shape the NSW Government’s Women’s Strategy. Share your experiences and priorities to help form their 3-part strategy focused on: economic opportunity, health and wellbeing, and participation and empowerment.
You can be directly involved in shaping our broader community to better embrace girls and young women. |
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Find out more |
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Register for a Focus Group |
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Other ways to get involved: |
- Complete the online Women's Strategy Survey here
- Share a story here
- Read more about the Strategy here
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Activity Resource for Leaders! |
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An exciting resource has been made available by WAGGGS! This fun and interactive activity pack helps Leaders to run fun and engaging STEM-related activities with their Units!
There are seven activities to complete with your Unit in a 1-hour session. The feedback data from the activities will inform STEM related programming for Girl Guides in the near future. I encourage you to take part! |
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Find out more |
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If you take part, please input all consultation feedback into this WAGGGS STEM Form by September 11 2022. Leaders who take part and submit online feedback will be emailed a template certificate of appreciation for recognition and thanks to themselves and the Members who engaged in the consultation.
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Resources and Support Services Available |
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Looking after yourself and your mental health is a top priority. To thrive, we need to fill our own cups and take rest when we need it. To assist you, our organisation has a range of mental health resources and support services available for all Members and their families to use.
Each resource is free and extremely valuable. Please refer to these resources should you need them, and ensure other Members are aware of what is available to them. Support services are there to support you! |
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EAP (Employee Assistance Program - available for Volunteers & Immediate Families)
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What is EAP? |
An EAP is a confidential counselling and support service to help us deal with personal or work-related problems in a positive way, including volunteering through Guiding. We have chosen Acacia EAP (www.acaciaconnection.com) which operates 24 hours a day to be available to assist at any time. Our EAP involves short term counselling of up to 6 hours counselling per employee/volunteer and an immediate family member per year. If you tell us you have used this service, or you give our EAP provider written consent, then we will know you have used this service. Otherwise, this is a private and confidential service and we will never know how has attended counselling. The Privacy Act (1988) protects our EAP provider from giving us this information.
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How do I access it? |
You can access confidential counselling by calling Acacia EAP 24 hours a day on 1300 364 273 or you can lodge an appointment request/live chat with their team online at www.acaciaconnection.com or texting 0401 33 77 11.
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What can I use it for? |
Below are some of the areas where employees/volunteers and an immediate family member may benefit from accessing the counselling service:
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- Depression and anxiety
- Relationship and marriage difficulties
- Family and parenting issues
- Managing grief or loss
- Illness adjustment and management
- Stress management
- Addiction and substance abuse
- Work related stress
- Financial coaching - helps with managing financial difficulties and budgeting
- Legal referral - assists with short term legal referral to necessary legal services
- Sleep disorders
- Dietician support
- Eating disorders
- Domestic violence
- Mental illness
- And any other issues you may be faced with in your work or personal life
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EAP for Managers |
Acacia EAP also has several support services designed for those in Manager roles (i.e., people management).
Manager Hotline – available 24/7/365 - This hotline is available 24/7/365 to Managers that may be facing complex staff/people issues that may be impacting morale and workplace performance. Today’s world demands that Managers know and understand how to deal with quite complex people issues such as supporting others exhibiting suicidal behaviour; managing extreme behaviour and dealing with team conflict— this service ensures Managers receive assistance quickly and efficiently.
If you are in a people leadership/management role in Guiding, this service is available to you as well. If you require additional support in this area, please speak to Jimena (HR Manager via [email protected]) to request these or further information.
These services include (but are not limited to): |
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- Manager referral
- Welfare checks
- On-site supervision/support
- Psychological Fitness for work assessments
- Exit interviews
- Pre-Employment Testing
- Employee Surveys
- Workshops
- Outplacement service
- Mediations/ investigations
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Additional resources are available through the online Member’s area:
http://www.eapcounselling.com.au/employees-login
Username: GirlGuides
Password: !Guides1!
(Please note these are case sensitive, it is easiest to copy and paste into appropriate fields)
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eGuiding |
eGuiding currently offers the following modules around mental health and wellbeing:
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- Stress management
- Supporting colleagues with depression
- Supporting colleagues with anxiety
- Approaching an employee - mental health concerns (via Beyond Blue)
- Managing mental health risks at work (via Beyond Blue)
- Mental health awareness
- Developing resilience
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Other supporting modules that offer tools and address sources of stress, anxiety etc are listed below: |
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- Managing difficult situations
- Workplace bullying and occupational violence
- Change management for volunteers
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Refer to this Members Update |
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Events & Courses to Register for! |
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Science Camp & Greenlight for Girls Program |
When: 20 & 21 August 2022
Where: Canberra
Who: Guides aged 10+
Registrations open next week!
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Great Guide Sleepover |
When: 27 & 28 August 2022
Where: Sydney, Dubbo and Darwin
Who: All Guides aged 10+
Fundraising: This year we will be fundraising for the Platypus!
Registrations open next week |
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HUB Training in Darwin |
When: 8 & 9 July
Where: Parap Guide Hall, Darwin
Who: Adult Members
Registrations are open until Monday 20 June
Click here to register |
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HUB Training in Alice Springs |
When: 10 & 11 July
Where: Alice Springs Guide Hall
Who: Adult Members
Registrations open until Monday 20 June
Click here to register
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