FRSA’s National Conference 2023 did not disappoint!
Feedback from delegates has been overwhelmingly positive saying they thoroughly enjoyed the mix of keynotes, panels and concurrent sessions presented at the Conference this year. The value of face to face engagement was alive and well and there was much shared and learnt outside of the formal sessions as well. You can read more about it below. In addition, it is always our intention to showcase the work presented at Conference as broadly as we can, and we will be working on uploading the videos from the keynotes and panels as well as the concurrent session slides (where we have permission to do so) over the next week or so. To access the PowerPoint presentations from Conference, download the PDF version of the program and click on the session you are interested in. Also don’t forgot to see all the fabulous photos from the week on the Conference webpage.
To make sure you don’t miss out in 2024 – I am delighted to let you know that we will be taking National Conference 2024 to Melbourne from 13 – 16 May – the Pullman Melbourne on the Park 2024 will be the venue. Be sure to mark the dates in your diary!
This week is National Reconciliation Week and I really want to acknowledge and pay my respects to the amazing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women in our network. The difference you make each and every day should never be underestimated, and it was so good to see strong presentations made about the sector’s work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people, men, women and communities as part of the Conference showcasing opportunities. Many of these were presented by (or included) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our network.
The theme of ‘Be a Voice for Generations’ puts out a call to action in supporting the Voice to Parliament – which we have done.
The Reconciliation Australia website has a lot of fabulous resources and information and I was struck by the following passage on their page:
“Reconciliation must live in the hearts, mind and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
“We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures and futures”.
You can also get a sense of the range of reconciliation activities going on in the FRS sector in the ‘Member News’ section.
Please do take the time to read through the FRSA eBulletin this week – there is a lot going on. In particular, I did want to draw your attention to a webinar we are providing for members, on the back of the FRSA Conference. Professor Ben Mathews presented on the Australian Child Maltreatment Study he authored (as lead) as part of the Early Years panel on the first day of the Conference. The findings of that study evoked gasps of shock and concern in the audience. What we do with that information is most important and we will be doing some work on that front. But first, we really wanted to make sure the findings themselves are broadly known and understood.
