From the CEO May 2018
“Growth is never by mere chance; it is the result of forces working together.” James Cash Penney
Three new and great things…
There has been a lot of solid work and thinking happening here at IAP2 Australasia in recent weeks by a group of dedicated individuals and organisations – including (but by no means limited to) the IAP2A board and staff, member working groups and committees, focus groups, our trainers, our ambassadors and partners.
Hard work isn’t unusual, but I still always find it incredible to see first-hand what can be achieved by a group of individuals with a common goal. As a result of this work and collaboration, we are seeing several new projects which have been germinating over the past few months now come to life. It may be autumn here in the southern hemisphere, but it feels positively like spring with the new shoots of growth emerging.
Here are three new projects that I am particularly excited about this month.
Pitch for the Practice
You will soon see some big announcements be made as later this month we launch a participatory budget ‘Pitch for the Practice’ which will invite submissions from IAP2 Australasian members to receive funding for projects which demonstrate support for one or more of our three strategic pillars – advocating for engagement; strengthening engagement networks and advancing professional development.
Do watch out for more information as this is a splendid opportunity to receive funding for your project or idea, and all members will have input by deciding which shortlisted projects will receive a grant.
New professional development programs
Already this year IAP2 Australasia has launched the new training module, Engagement Facilitation, which has been trialled successfully in the ACT, and will now be rolled out in other training locations – starting from next week. We are particularly proud of this program which provides participants with the practical knowledge, skills and so confidence in those difficult situations when the engagement practitioner needs to “step up – right there, right then” during live meetings.
Later in the year, we will be launching another new program Engagement Evaluation and you will soon see more information on that coming your way.
We are looking forward to receiving member feedback on these new programs, and also exploring where to next when it comes to our ever-growing suite of professional development offerings.
New trainers are joining IAP2 Australasia
Not only are we seeing growth in our course offerings, but we are also in the process of recruiting new trainers to deliver our expanding range of courses and to build on our capacity to offer more training dates in more training locations. Our new trainers will be undergoing a comprehensive “train the trainer” program to ensure that all course participants will receive the same high quality of training across Australasia.
And we are growing in other ways as well
Our local network activities are going from strength to strength, and you can learn more about what’s been happening or what is planned for your area here.
Our movement to call for an International Year of Engagement is gathering momentum, interest and support.
This month the leadership team is coming together to collaborate on the 2018-2019 business plans – plans which are already revealing a series of new projects and initiatives coming up on the IAP2A horizon.
Are We There Yet? I hope to see you in Wellington.
If you haven’t seen the program yet for our flagship event in New Zealand – the NZ Symposium – then you may want to head over here for a peek – or better still, to register. A robust and forward-thinking program has been put together by the NZ working group.
If you are interested in what the future holds for engagement, or how to keep up in a changing world, then you won’t want to miss the symposium.
I’ll be there with bells on, and hope to see you there as well.