2013 goals achieved Did we do it? Yes we did! Reflecting on our goals for the past year is an important part of monitoring and evaluation at Green Gecko, to make sure we are heading in the right direction and achieving what we set out to do. Here is our checklist of major goals (from last year’s annual report) along with an update on where we are at with them and what we have achieved so far…
Connect more with our Gecko Guardians Gecko Guardians are our valued ongoing monthly supporters, the ones who give us the peace of mind to commit to long term programs. We wanted to have more regular and personalised communication with our Guardians and we have. There is still some room for improvement but we have been emailing newsletters and having a good ‘chinwag’ with our Guardians, sharing the good and not so great news and we thank you for your commitment to us.
Young Adult Program (YAP) Coordinator The Geckos are getting older and further education and careers are on their minds. With a multitude of tertiary education and work experience options looming, Mum needs advice and support. We were looking for an experienced and enthusiastic professional to come on board and we found her… in a past 2012 volunteer and secondary school teacher, Kate. Universities are being researched, programs are happening and kids’ dreams and goals are being discovered… and mum is a little saner.
Young Adult Apprenticeships Now that we have our YAP Coordinator, we have begun exploring different workplace apprentices. We want to provide Geckos – especially the ones who are much older than their peers – the chance to continue both high school and also gain experience in a field of that they are interested in. Two of our Geckos are now involved in a workplace apprenticeship – Srey Nao as a jewelry designer and Sottoum in all things music!
Kids Stepping Up It is important for us at Gecko that our kids are involved in our decision making processes and directions. We have our Governors. Who meet weekly to discuss problems and solutions, but we have encouraged more of our young adults to be involved in the future of Gecko. More and more Gecko family meetings have been happening, with the problem given to the group and a solution brought back to the Administration Team to consider. The biggest project taken on has been the task of encouraging our families to become financially independent. Talks have started and ideas are forming. We can’t wait to see what the Geckos come up with!
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