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To celebrate International Volunteer Day, the Department of Communities hosts the International Volunteer Day Symposium each year. This year's symposium, Volunteering: connecting communities in new ways will explore contemporary trends and issues in volunteering including social innovation, social inclusion and corporate volunteering.
The following speakers will present and participate in panel discussions at this event on 4 December.
Mark Creyton is Manager Education, Research and Policy for Volunteering Queensland. He has more than 20 years experience as an educator and consultant working with a range of voluntary and non-profit organisations and groups. He has particular interest in supporting social innovation and smaller voluntary organisations and groups with their role in creating a strong and vital civil society. He is currently working with a range of young leaders, new organisations and initiatives exploring new models of engagement, leadership and sustainability. He is also jointly completing a book ‘Willing and Able’ which provides an approach to engaging community outside of traditional volunteer management approaches.
Mark has worked with more than 5,000 community and non-profit projects over the past five years. He is the Queensland consultant for the Australian Journal of Volunteering. Mark has a B.Ed. (Adult and Workplace) (1st Class Honours) and is currently completing his Masters in Education (Leadership and Management). He has previously worked for Community Aid Abroad and Amnesty International.
Jo Barraket is an Associate Professor at the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies at Queensland University of Technology. She has been researching aspects of the Australian not-for-profit sector for 14 years, and has been variously involved with the sector as a staff member, director, volunteer and consultant.
Jo’s research interests include social enterprise, and the relationship between nonprofit organisations and governments in the design and implementation of social policy. She has most recently edited a collection, “Strategic Issues for the Not for Profit Sector” published by UNSW Press.
Alissa Phillips had a simple idea that has grown into something special. With a Masters in Music Therapy, Alissa’s goal is to introduce the concept of ‘Inclusive Communities’ through the demonstration of what it would take to create one. In 2007, Alissa founded S.P.A.C.E (Specialised Programs and Community Endeavours).
Operating from a scout hall in suburban Brisbane, she set up ‘Big Night Out’, a monthly dance party where people with special needs can connect. From this grew a range of weekly programs aimed at engaging members of the community with disabilities in regular, dynamic and affordable developmental activities. Her work has garnered her a number of awards including 2007 Lord Major’s Youth Citizen of the Year, University of Queensland’s Young Alumni 2008 and winner of the Young Entrepreneur category in the 2009 Queensland Young Volunteer of the Year Awards. Alissa was also recently named one of ten emerging leaders by the Weekend Australian. Alissa believes that disability and difference can be embraced in our communities through dynamic conversations and education through positive and shared experiences.
Catherine Williams is the cofounder of a new youth empowerment organisation, Authentic. Authentic seeks to mobilise a community of youth who believe another world is possible and are actively creating it. Their activities focus around connecting, sharing and showcasing young people who are living authentically and aims to promote democratic engagement of youth on issues they are passionate about.
She was previously Campaigns Manager for the Queensland branch of the Oaktree Foundation, Australia's first and largest entirely youth-run aid and development organisation. Catherine coordinated the Queensland contribution to national campaigns, as well as hosting advocacy and leadership events, such as the Leaders for Change Conference at Parliament House. Her previous experience includes domestic and international experience in the humanitarian sector, including most recently working with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, Syria, and extensive facilitation experience through previous volunteer management, campaigning and executive roles.
Lesley Ray CFRE FFIA is an experienced fundraising professional with over 20 years broad experience fundraising in major health and disability organisations. She is Director of Fundraising for the Mater Foundation, the fundraising and community relations arm of the Brisbane-based Mater Hospitals and Mater Medical Research Institute.
Lesley is Chairman of Fundraising Institute Australia, the national peak body for professional fundraising in Australia. She is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), Fellow of Fundraising Institute Australia, and holds post-graduate qualifications in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies. Lesley is currently undertaking a Master of Business (Research) at QUT.
Leonie Bryen has a Masters of Business (Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies) from QUT and an intimate knowledge and understanding of contemporary volunteering issues. She has a keen interest in episodic volunteering research and training and is committed to the pursuit of excellence in the area. Leonie is currently writing several books on the topic designed to inform, educate and challenge individuals and organisations to embrace our changing volunteering community. Her first self-published book, ‘The Quest for EVE’ (2007) is essential reading for anyone involved in volunteering today.
Leonie delivers various training programs at Volunteering Queensland and is responsible for the development of a range of learning resources. She is well-respected in her field, with her research being presented and published at both national and international conferences. She has been involved in numerous research projects through QUT encompassing health and medical research philanthropy; and sustainability in nonprofit organisations. Leonie also works as a consultant to both government and nonprofit sector, providing a range of training, consultancy and research.
Jack Pool has been President of Stafford Meals on Wheels for the past seven years where he has been instrumental in engaging people from all walks of life as volunteers in the Meals on Wheels service. Jack’s unique ability to communicate with people and passion for helping others has seen him the recipient of the 2008 Lord’s Mayor’s Citizen of the Year for his community service. In addition, Jack also won the Brisbane Electorate Community Award in 2008, in recognition of his valuable contribution in the federal electorate of Brisbane.
Throughout his life and career, Jack has always had an interest in people with a disability, which possibly stemmed from his own experiences with a nervous breakdown at the tender aged of 10. During his school years, Jack joined the Junior Red Cross, and regularly took young people with a disability on outings to the beach, picnics or to a local park.
Throughout his working life, Jack’s affinity with people with a disability, and his natural communication style enabled him to create relationships and build rapport with people from all walks of life. Whilst working as a ‘paint finishes’ salesman, Jack visited the Endeavour Foundation, and took the time to talk to young ones as he walked through the factory.
Jack’s passion for helping people with a disability is evident as he speaks, and his down-to-earth, humble approach will leave you with goosebumps. Jack believes whole-heartedly that all you have to do is communicate with people, saying ‘Anybody can do it, if they really set their mind to it’. Spend some time with Jack Pool, understand what he loves doing, and you’ll be inspired to take some steps towards social inclusion.
Ricky is a young law student who participated in the 2009 Young Indigenous Leaders forum and the 2009 Indigenous Youth Parliament.
At 18 years of age, he has a long history of volunteering from youth work in the Murrabaay Language Centre in Nambucca Heads and Giiguy Gamambi Indigenous Preschool through to promoting the St Josephs College Indigenous Fund and tutoring Indigenous children from the college.
He has volunteered for the Indigenous Youth Leadership Programme (ILYP) and the Foundation for Young Australians on several occasions as a speaker, a panellist and a facilitator and was a member of the working group who organised the IYLP national gathering for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.
Ricky currently volunteers as a teacher's aid at Varsity College on the Gold Coast.
John Brennan is currently the Executive Manager of Surf Life Saving Queensland and has held this position for five years.
John joined Surf Life Saving in 1980 and was honoured with Life Membership of Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club in 1996. He has competed at all levels in the Association through to International, winning gold at the highest levels. Since retiring as a competitor, he has turned his focus to officiating where he is currently the Australian Championships Referee, a position he has held since 2006. More recently John has been appointed referee of the World Life Saving Championships in Egypt in 2010 which will see him as the youngest official appointed at this level.
John was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 for his services to Surf Life Saving and has also been honoured with a Citation of Merit in 2003 from International Life Saving. John has participated in many facets of Surf Life Saving from beach patrols through to helicopter rescue and to this day he still volunteers as an active surf lifesaver.
John’s qualifications are in Business Management and he is currently undertaking further studies in Executive Leadership at Central Queensland University. He has been a Director on the Sports Federation Board since 2000 and also sits on a number of other sport related committees.
Alan Huynh is a committed youth advocate, multicultural issues campaigner and medical student. He has an interest in advocacy on national youth issues, community consultation and engagement as well as co-ordinating new grassroots initiatives.
Alan is the Youth Chair of the Federal Ethnic Communities Councils Australia, the national peak body which represent and promote issues on behalf of Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds to government and the broader community.
In 2008, he led a team of 15 volunteers to create a socially innovative community initiative – the ‘Partners in Peace’ youth leadership camp, with the objective of building self esteem among young refugee students. Alan also volunteered as a tutor and mentor for young refugee students through the Queensland Program for Assistance of Survivors of Torture and Trauma.
For his work with young people from diverse backgrounds, Alan was the recipient of numerous awards including the inaugural Australian Human Rights Commission Young People’s Human Rights Medal and the Queensland Multicultural ‘Outstanding Young Achiever’ Award in 2008 and Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Australia Day Young Citizen of the Year in 2009. He was selected to attend an Australian representative to the global cultural exchange program – the 18th Ship for World Youth organised by the Government of Japan as well as the Australia 2020 Youth Summit last year.
Alan recently earned the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award through completing activities which enhanced his sense of cultural awareness and understanding.
Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer in June 2009, Jelenko was responsible for supporting and developing research and community/corporate initiatives at Volunteering Queensland, and developing and managing industry and community partnerships through the Collaborative Alliance Model - a strategy he developed for use in cross sector partnerships at Griffith University.
Jelenko has extensive experience in management and administration with more than 15 years experience in private, public and not-for-profit sectors. Jelenko also spent 11 years with Australian Red Cross, including five years as Regional Manager, South-East Queensland. He dedicated considerable time on projects assisting refugees in resettlement, improving services to the elderly living in isolation and youth and children in need.
Jelenko also has significant experience in volunteer management. Most recently Jelenko led a team of volunteers in assisting local communities in Central Queensland during the major floods in the region and previously in Far North Queensland communities affected by Cyclone Larry. Having lived, worked and studied in several countries over the years, he has developed a strong interest in cross cultural engagement, social innovation and capacity oriented partnerships.
Barry Lane is a well known Logan identity, widely respected for his business know-how and tireless work helping the people of Logan. Despite working up to 80 hours a week, Barry also donates his time to a number of community organisations including the Logan Chamber of Commerce and Rotary, is Patron of the Logan East Community Neighbourhood Association as well as being a sponsor for the Logan City Sports Awards. He also lectures in business at Logan schools, supports local sporting teams and is proud to employ young Logan residents at his businesses.
Matthew Cox has been with Red Cross since 2005 and oversees the movement’s service delivery in Queensland. Along with its traditional role in disaster recovery and emergency response, Red Cross is focused on making a difference in areas such as ending homelessness, addressing Indigenous disadvantage and capacity building in communities needing assistance. Red Cross has approximately 30,000 volunteers and members active across Australia.
Prior to joining Red Cross, Matthew was responsible for Brisbane City Council's community service program and worked as a policy advisor to former Lord Mayor Jim Soorley. Matthew has a background in human services, economic development, small business, public relations and marketing. He has worked in Brisbane, Melbourne and London.
Prior to his appointment as IBM’s Queensland State Manager, Bob Morton held several executive positions within IBM including Large Enterprise Sales Leader and System
Business Unit Executive both within the Systems and Technology Group. He was previously also Northern Region Manager based out of New Zealand.
Before joining IBM in 2001 he had a successful 10 year career at gen-i Ltd in New Zealand holding positions including General Manager of Client Marketing, General Manager of the Southern Region and several senior account executive roles.
Bob holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration degree from Victoria University in New Zealand.
Last updated 11 November 2009
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