Wednesday 17 May
(PRE-CONFERENCE DAY)

 

Attendance on this day is only required if you have an accommodation package (check-in from 2pm)

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12pm

Gender Equality Masterclass (optional extra)

This workshop, hosted by Wellsprings for Women, is available at a small additional cost. Lunch is included. Find more information and register here

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2pm

Accommodation check-in opens

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4pm-6.30pm
Neighbourhood House Networking Drinks

This is an optional networking event for attendees to meet the teams at other Houses, connect, and share ideas.

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6.30pm

Casual movie & pizza night

Details TBC

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Thursday 18 May

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From 7am

Breakfast for accommodation-package attendees

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8:30am

Welcome to Country
With Jarrod West, Bunurong elder

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9am

Opening

Includes Presidents Welcome from Shima, CEO Update from Keir and a statement from the Minister.

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10am

Keynote: Costa Georgiadis

Find out more about Costa here

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11am

Morning tea

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11:30am

Breakout workshops

The schedule for breakout sessions will be finalised shortly. See the presentations here.

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12:30pm

Lunch

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1.30pm

Lightning Talk: Michelle Willoughby, Pathways 4 Carers

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1.40pm

Keynote: Sue Woodward

Find out more about Sue here

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2.20pm

Sponsor Talk: Good Shepherd

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2:30pm

Breakout workshops

The schedule for breakout sessions will be finalised shortly. See the presentations here.

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3:30pm

Afternoon tea

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4pm

Social Prescribing Panel

Michelle Lim, Ending Loneliness Together, will be joined by guests from the Neighbourhood House network to talk about the essential role that Neighbourhood Houses play in social prescription.

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4.50pm

Closing remarks

NHVic CEO, Keir Paterson

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GALA DINNER

Movie Magic!

Come dressed as your favourite movie character and celebrate!

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6pm

Keynote: Jacinta Parsons

Drinks and Gala dinner welcome followed by drinks, dinner and fun!

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Friday 19 May

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From 7am

Breakfast and checkout for accommodation-package attendees

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9am

Opening

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9.05am

Rueben Berg

Member of First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria

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9.30am

Presentation: David Perry

David Perry discusses research and results of the sector survey, data and advocacy.

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10.30am

Morning tea

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11am

Lightning talk: Sheena Watt MP

Parliamentary Secretary for Volunteers

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11.10am

Keynote: Thu-Trang Tran

Thu Trang, Volunteering Victoria, discusses the challenges and methods of engagement for Volunteers.

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12pm

Keynote: Meredith Bowen

Meredith Bowen, from Transitioning Well, will speak on self care, work life integration, and reducing the impact of burnout.

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1pm

Lunch

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1:30pm

Concluding statements

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2pm

Networking Workshops

The group will break out into networking groups to workshop issues, goals and programs.

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3pm Conference concludes

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BREAKOUT PRESENTATIONS

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There are two breakout presentation sessions on Thursday 17 May. The specific schedule for these sessions will be finalised based on interest, capacity, and speakers availability. Each attendee will have the opportunity to select two from this list:

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11:30am Breakout Session

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Carers: Crucial to the Sector with Kristine Rawlinson

• Some of our success stories from the Carer Employment Support Project share how beneficial carers can be to your Neighbourhood House. Seeking out carers in your community can bring in more opportunities, personality and funds for your Neighbourhood House, and Kris is the perfect person to help you capture the audience.​

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Social Enterprise panel

• Nick Verginis, CEO of the practitioner-led statewide network of social enterprises, will facilitate a panel discussion about social enterprise and SENVIC. The expert panel of Neighbourhood Houses  will demystify ’social enterprise’ for the unfamiliar and provide practical examples of how the business model can increase the social and environmental impact of your Neighbourhood House. Sharing insights from lived experience, we build a community to connect, learn together and strengthen our advocacy into government.

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Community of Practice with Casey Connect

• The Casey Connect and Learn Alliance share their experience working together to move away from, what may have been previously seen as silos, to a Community of Practice. No longer looking at each other as sometimes competitors, but as a team where together we are stronger. We have identified the different personalities of each house, and each uniqueness. How each of us fit into the jigsaw that is the Casey Connect & Learn Alliance.Through this work we have been developed the caseyconnectlearn.com.au website and social platforms through a project funded by ACFE and been able to maintain and grow this site for our community. This site has offered a central place to the front door to our Neighborhood Houses.In other projects, we have worked together, sharing course developers and educators, offering shared workshops and PD opportunities. We are continually looking at ways we can grow our work and profile in the community together.

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Lessons from COVID panel

• A selection of Neighbourhood Houses share stories and learnings from COVID. They'll discuss the changes and programs that got them through COVID and how those programs and practices are impacting the Houses now that the world has opened up.

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Community Gardens panel

• Jane Grimwood will host an opportunity to workshop issues and opportunities that arise in your community garden. Every garden is unique - with unique challenges and opportunities - and together the group will explore actual problems and possible solutions for garden development and innovation.

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2:30pm Breakout Session​

Climate, Disasters and Resilience panel

• Some of our wonderful Neighbourhood Houses will talk about their experiences with disaster response and resilience. They'll discuss the importance of our sector being recognised for our wor kas resilience hubs, how you can prepare for disasters, and how we can respond to these issues as a sector.

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How to set up a social enterprise – key legal questions with Justice Connect

• In the current climate of funding uncertainty, social enterprise is one way to create an independent funding stream through activities that inspire and connect the community. The law in this area can be confusing, and it’s important to get things right. Whether you’re thinking about starting – or in the early stages of running – a café, shop or other social enterprise initiative, this interactive session is for you. We’ll step you through:

• What is a social enterprise?•      

• Factors to consider when starting out – your mission and business plan

• Financing a social enterprise

• Choosing a legal structure and setting up your social enterprise to succeed

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Technology for Efficiency panel with Clevero, Social Planet, and SpacetoCo

• Find out how software and technology can help improve efficiency in your Neighbourhood House. We'll hear from some great providers in the field and the experience of a Neighbourhood House who have implemented systems to improve their workflow.
   

Accessing disability support pensions (DSP) with the Disability Resources Centre

• The presentation provides practical guidance of the entire application process and will cover various types of disabilities which are eligible for the pension, the navigation and application of the Social Security Impairment tables and the key to DSP successful Medical and Allied health Reports. Furthermore, The DSP workshop will address the significant intersection between disability organisations and Neighbourhood houses, providing an overview of the disability sector. The session is interactive, with case studies and group discussions, to encourage knowledge sharing and problem-solving. Participants will leave with practical tools and resources to support their application processes and improve their understanding of the pension system.
   

Community Organising with The Real Deal

• Community Organising involves collaborating with organisations beyond our own sectors to work on issues for the common good. It is based on successful models from the Sydney Alliance, the Queensland Community Alliance, and overseas. Community Organising offers a way for community to participate in solutions to big issues by building community participation in these issues which impact us all. It’s a way for the community to get involved in structural change, rather than dealing with symptoms of policy failure.

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what to bring

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We want our conference to be environmentally sustainable so we will no longer be providing printed programs, showbags, pens, and notepads.

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Please bring with you:

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• a smartphone, tablet, or laptop to view the conference program online. For easy access, add this page to your home screen

• pens and notepad

• water bottle and keep-cup

• a tote or reusable bag to store things you may receive from the marketplace

• costume for the Movie Magic Gala Night

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If you have accommodation:

Aside from the usual items (clothes, toiletries), you may want to bring:

• bathers for the swimming pool (indoor and outdoor)

• workout clothes for the gym

• your tennis racquet  (these will also be available to borrow from the venue)

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