The Victorian Waterway Management Emerging Leaders Program held its second workshop for the year on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.
Mentors and mentees again got together for the chance to reconnect, re-energise and learn.
Day one started with the simple ice-breaking game Two Truths and a Lie, an exercise where participants share two true stories about themselves and a lie, with the remaining group left to try and decipher which stories are true.
Every time we run this activity we get some great responses from the group. This one was no different with answers including a swimming endeavour of the English Channel and opening the stage for the Red Hot Chili Peppers!
The first session kicked off with a talk from Siwan on the neuroscience of leadership and interpersonal communication, exploring how the environments we create in our workplaces can influence our brain chemistry in positive and negative ways.
After morning tea, the group embarked on the challenge of unpacking the Indigenous concept of positionality with Lucy. We explored our own positionality through reflection, and discussed why it is important to know who you are, where you come from and the multiple histories of Australia.
For the afternoon session we headed out to see more of the gorgeous Mornington Peninsula. The wild weather had been against us all morning, but we caught a break just as we arrived at Baldry’s crossing picnic area within the Greens Bush area of the Mornington Peninsula National Park. Here we heard from one of our lovely mentors Geraldine Plas and her colleague Ben Hudson from Melbourne Water. They gave us some background on the area and insight into some of the collaboration taking place. We also had the pleasure of hearing from Kim Cott from Parks Victoria, Michelle Stacey from Main Creek Catchment Landcare Group, and Adie Smith the Waterwatch coordinator. The community involvement in this area is apparent and we were honoured to hear from so many passionate people!
Afterwards we visited Coolart Wetlands & Homestead and were hosted by Casey Lee from Parks Victoria. We also heard all about the Merricks Coolart Catchment Landcare Group from member Jackie Everett. The tour of the grounds was amazing. The European homestead and exotic plants are contrasted by the surrounding wetlands and estuaries to create a diverse place with multiple values.
Day 2 began with a recap video and a presentation from Siwan about what we can do to ‘stay above the line’ in our work and personal lives.
After this we heard from our mentor/mentee pairs – a great chance to share and practice some public speaking skills. Each of the pairs presented on their projects and progress so far. We really enjoyed hearing from all our participants and cannot wait to see how the projects turn out!
We are extremely grateful for the support provided for the program in 2023 and again in 2024 by the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority and the River Basin Management Society.
The Victorian Waterway Management Emerging Leaders Program Builds on the previous Waterway Management Twinning Program which successfully ran from 2014-15 to 2019-20. More information about the program can be found at: Waterway Management Emerging Leaders Program.
