Brother Bird Design was established in January 2009, providing a range of services including project management, web strategy, print and multimedia design, film editing and production.

Key elements of this role included leading the implementation and roll out of a major rebrand of Gambler’s Help North & North Western, and undertaking community education and engagement activities with organisations across the community and allied health sectors.

As Project Officer Partnerships and Participation, I developed a range of projects and events that strengthened the West Heidelberg community, embedding improvements to capacity, participation and self-reliance. These include the development of a community governance model, coordination and delivery of a community consultation and visioning process, coordination of events to celebrate the pride and capacity of the local community, and facilitating a range of community development projects.

As Community Planning and Engagement Officer I facilitated the council engagement presence in St Albans, through the delivery of engagement activities including listening posts, partnership events, and the implementation of the council’s engagement strategy for the St Albans Structure Plan and District Connections Strategy. I led the planning and delivery of a range of community engagement and capacity building initiatives, including partnership projects with state government, Strategic Partnership and Service Provider Networks, and Leadership Programs with CALD community members.

In this role, I was responsible for fostering initiatives to expand the capacity for mission of Outreach Ministries, through the creation of partnerships with government, non-government and philanthropic organisations, attracting new sources of funding into the Commission for Mission.

The Alternatives to Empire Project is a joint initiative of Pax Christi Australia, the Commission for Mission of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, and the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) in Malaysia. As Project Coordinator I was responsible for developing an international network of activists, intellectuals, religious organizations and other concerned members of global civil society, through mailings, the facilitation of focus groups, dialogues on interfaith issues, and writing and editing of materials for the project website, alternativestoempire.org. I also planned, organised and event managed the ‘Another World is Possible’ Conference, held in November 2007.

As Disability Project Officer, my role was to facilitate the inclusion and participation of people with disabilities in Uniting Church congregations across Victoria and Tasmania and responding to the needs of people with disabilities, families and carers within the Church. Other elements of this role included the identification of policy issues affecting people with disabilities and advocacy for these with State and local governments.I managed a grant application process to facilitate the accessibility upgrade of a Uniting Church camp and conference centre, providing state of the art site access, facilities and recreation experiences for people with disabilities. I liaised with access consultants, local and state government and peak providers in the camping and disability sectors, to attract logistical, financial and in-kind support for the project.

n this role, I was responsible for the coordination and management of staff and nineteen residents across four sites in Southern Metropolitan region. Duties involved the provision of personal and logistical support to clients, client advocacy, and the performance of all aspects of service management, including direction and support of staff, liaison with senior management, families, agencies and health professionals, and the completion of rostering, administrative and reporting obligations.

As a carer, I provided support and assistance to clients with a wide range of physical and intellectual disabilities, as well as challenging behaviours. My personal focus in this area was the facilitation of client empowerment, with the goal of enabling them to lead full and active lives through a commitment to dignity, respect and equality in the execution of the carer role. Duties involve providing assistance as required in all aspects of the daily life of residents.