— I had the pleasure of representing the Minister for Community Development in
the other place, Peter Batchelor, in launching the Leaders for Geelong program
on 30 May 2008. A community support grant of $180 000 was provided by the Brumby
Labor government to the Committee for Geelong towards the Leaders for Geelong
program, Growing Geelong’s Future Leaders Today project.
The Leaders for Geelong program offers potential and emerging
leaders within the Geelong region an intensive two-year program involving
interaction with today’s leaders and practical experience in team-based
community leadership through participation in community-related projects. The
project benefits local government, business and community agency employers,
along with the general community of the Geelong region.
Participation in the program is open to nominated regional
representatives who are, in the main, drawn from the Committee for Geelong
membership; however, two positions in the program are made available for
community participants at a reduced cost.
The leadership program is being run across three to four years
with each group of participants involved in a two-year program with a new
program beginning each year. At the event I announced the participants for the
third intake. The first group of 20 participants will graduate on Thursday, 10
July 2008; the second group of 26 participants in July 2009; and the current
group of 26 participants in July 2010.
I take this opportunity to wish all the participants well on
their journey to developing leadership and implementing programs in their local
communities and look forward to meeting many of them in their varied roles in
the coming years.