Work Experience

Management

Dallas Neighbourhood House

2020 - 2023

I managed Dallas Neighbourhood House for over two years - a large part of which was impacted by lockdowns and restrictions. Despite the challenges of the pandemic I was able to achieve the following outcomes:

Reinvigorated and diversified the offering of programs and activities. Total weekly hours of programs increased by 45%.

Overhauled the organisation’s marketing which included the development of marketing plan, adoption of new branding and website, 50% increase in Facebook following and implementation of new marketing initiatives such as
e-newsletters and promotional packs.

Worked with the Committee to update the constitution, develop/review 40+ policies and develop a risk management register.

Increased overall annual income by 15% - this includes over $130,000 in grant funding and additional re-current State Government funding (ACFE).

Formed numerous partnerships, created efficiencies, implemented best practice all whilst wearing the additional hats of ACFE Coordinator and Community Development worker in four days a week.

By the time I’d left Dallas Neighourhood House I had transformed it into a professionally run organisation.

Kensington Neighbourhood House
2004 - 2020

Kensington Neighbourhood House was where I developed a passion for working in the community and a love of neighbourhood houses. Achievements and highlights over my 16 years at the helm include:

Winning Victorian Training Award in 2016 for Victorian Community Training Provider of the Year.

Co-convening the Kensington Community Network (KCN) (a network of 30+ agencies and resident groups that work in and around Kensington).

Led the KCN’s response to the early COVID lockdowns by establishing three sub-committees which addressed the areas of food security, health and wellbeing and access to technology.

Bought in hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding. In my final four years the organisation secured over $300,000 in unbudgeted funding.

Fabulous organisational culture with a strong and committed staff and volunteer team. The 2019 anonymous staff satisfaction survey showed 100% of staff were satisfied with their role at KNH. 85% strongly agreed and 15% agreed that their Manager is effective and leads well.

Developing formal collaborative partnerships with five other nearby Neighbourhood Houses. These partnerships are still going strong after nearly 15 years.

Project Management

Family Violence Peer Education Project 2022

This project was delivered in response to the high rates of family violence in Hume. It bought together 12 women from diverse backgrounds and trained them as Peer Educators to empower other women to take action. A short video, Take the First Step, was developed as part of the project. Click here to view the video.

This project won the Fiona Richardson Gender Equity Award at the 2022 Neighbourhood House Victoria Awards. It was also the subject of a webinar hosted by the Victoria Law Foundation. One of the keys to this project’s success was co-designing it with the peer educators; from the scripting and shooting of the video through to planning the launch.

As Project Manager, I initiated the partnership with Northern Community Legal Centre who delivered the training, wrote the successful funding submission, developed and enacted the project plan, recruited the participants, secured the services of the film makers, coordinated the video launch and wrote the funding acquittal.

Kensington Community Festival Community Building Opportunities Review 2021

The Kensington Community Festival started as a celebration of Housing Week in 2008 to showcase the diversity of residents living in the public housing estate. Over the next 11 years the Festival grew in size and popularity without a corresponding growth in funding and resources. Unison Housing, the Festival organisers, identified that the ongoing growth and their role in it was unsustainable.

I was contracted by Unison to identify alternative community building activities that they could deliver throughout the year that had similar outcomes to the Festival without the resource intensiveness of a whole day event. The review I undertook also identified future options for the Festival moving forward.

I consulted Festival participants (organisations and community groups) and attendees using a range of methods, analyzed feedback and made recommendations. Consultation included facilitated workshops, individual surveys in digital and non-digital format and in English and other languages. I also developed an activity to gather feedback from children.

The review was received favourably by Unison Housing and subsequently tabled at the Kensington Community Network to help inform future community activities and events.

Return to the Dollhouse
2018

This project combined the arts and community development to celebrate the women of Kensington past and present. It occurred 25 years after a similar project took place at the Kensington Neighbourhood House where women from diverse backgrounds made dolls to celebrate their cultural background and how they saw themselves as women. The dolls of 1983 are on permanent display at the House and are well known by all who visit. The 2018 project again used dolls as the artistic medium and added elements of story-telling and photography.

As Project Coordinator I developed the project idea, wrote the successful funding submission, recruited participants, doll making teacher and photographer, wrote the participant’s stories, compiled the project booklet, coordinated the end of project exhibition and acquitted the grant. I also made contact with some of the original doll makers to document their stories.

The 2018 dolls have now joined their elders on permanent display at the Kensington Neighbourhood House. A copy of the project booklet with doll maker stories and photos can be downloaded here.