Events & Networks

NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK 2007
A VOLUNTEER REVOLUTION HALF-DAY SYMPOSIUM

Monday 14 May – 9am to 1pm
Level 13 Conference Room, 333 Adelaide St Brisbane

‘Leading the Volunteer Revolution’


PANEL

PROFESSOR SUSAN KENNY (KEYNOTE SPEAKER)
Sue Kenny is an internationally renowned expert in citizenship and human rights and a driving force behind innovative strategies for strengthening communities through local government partnerships in the volunteering sector.

Sue co-wrote “Tracking What Works: voluntary activity, community strengthening and local government” a report by Deakin University to the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), commissioned in May 2006.

Sue is Chair of the Institute of Citzenship and Globalisation and Director, Centre for Citizenship and Human Rights. Her research interests include studies of civil society, philanthropy and the third sector; community development and citizenship; the sociology of human rights; the welfare state; new managerials and contractualism and risk society. Sue is established as one of the leading Australian and international scholars of community development issues and trends. Her work has taken her to Russia, Vietnam, Sweden, New York, New Zealand, Switzerland and Indonesia.

RICHARD WILLIAMS (STATE GOVERNMENT)
Richard Williams is the Director of Strategic Policy in the Department of Emergency Services. The Department depends on a significant number of volunteers to support its operational requirements and like all organizations dependent on the goodwill and participation of volunteers it will be significantly affected by the likely trends in volunteerism. As an organization it needs to look at measures to attract, manage well and retain its dedicated volunteers. The first steps are to understand what the needs of volunteers are and what current volunteers are likely to be doing in 5, 10 or 15 years. Richard will canvass briefly some of these issues in his presentation.

MICHAEL LOCKWOOD (LOCAL GOVERNMENT)
Michael Lockwood is currently the Manger City Life within Brisbane City Council, a position he has held since October 2005. As Manager City Life Michael is responsible for leading Council’s strategy across the areas of art and culture, sport and recreation, public health, libraries and social policy - all areas where volunteers play a critical role.

Prior to joining Brisbane City, Michael worked for the Department of Communities in a variety of policy leadership roles, his most recent one being the initial development of that Department’s Strengthening NGOs project.

Michael has a keen interest in supporting the development of volunteering more broadly, and has worked closely with Volunteering Queensland over the years, both in his current role at Brisbane City, as well as in previous roles within the State Government. Most recently Michael and Volunteering Queensland joined forces to deliver an Australian first - Homeless Connect, of which I am sure he will tell us more about shortly.

ROBERT REED (CORPORATE)
Robert Reed received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986 and a Bachelor of Laws degree (with Honours) in 1988 both from the University of Queensland. In 1989 he commenced employment with the law firm Morris Fletcher & Cross (now Minter Ellison). Apart from some periods of travel, he has remained with that law firm primarily in the insurance litigation group but now in the employment law group and was appointed Senior Associate in 2001. In 1999 he was given full-time responsibility to formulate the Brisbane office's Community Benefits Program which was launched in December 2001 and which became the national Community Investment Program in 2003. Robert has continued to manage the Program in the Brisbane office and therefore coordinates all of the office's community work including pro bono legal assistance, donations & sponsorships and staff volunteering. He is on the Queensland Law Society Pro Bono & Access to Justice Committee, the CEO Challenge Board, the Brisbane Community Corporate Network Committee, the Queensland Representative on the Board of the National Pro Bono Resource Centre and is Secretary/Treasurer on the Queensland Public Interest Law Clearing House Management Committee.

MELINDA McLEAN (PRACTICITIONER)
Melinda McLean is the Catchment Coordinator for Enoggera Creek with the Water Resources branch of Brisbane City Council, a position she has held for the past 2 years. Her background is in natural resource management, bushland restoration and environmental education. Over the past 8 years, she has coordinated a range of community volunteer programs for Government and Non Government Organisations in the fields of bushland restoration, water quality monitoring, environmental education and catchment care.

In her role as Catchment Coordinator, Melinda works primarily with Save Our Waterways Now (SOWN), the Enoggera Creek Catchment Group, a group working to restore the creeklines of Ithaca, Enoggera and Fish Creeks in Brisbane's West. Melinda's role involves assisting SOWN to improve governance, incorporate new methods of volunteering and build capacity within the group and the local community to deliver key on-ground and strategic outcomes. The changes Melinda has helped SOWN achieve include the establishment of a member training program, a comprehensive volunteering program and the development of a range of community engagement tools. SOWN's unique approach to volunteering and community engagement resulted in them winning the 2006 NAB Volunteer Award for a community environmental organisation.