Issue #279 18 October 2017
Future Leaders 2017: “An experience I’ll never forget” A group of young staff and volunteers recently returned from this year’s Future Leaders program with new knowledge and skills, a large network of coworkers and friends, and a broader sense of the work the Y does.
Rebecca Martinelli, Marketing Officer, also attended this year’s program. Initially unsure if it would be her cup of tea she soon learnt that Future Leaders was a camp unlike any other - and she couldn’t be more grateful for the experience:
For the first time this year’s Future Leaders program welcomed a very special international guest from partner association Osaka YMCA, Julie Bae.
“Signing up to Future Leaders, I did not know what to expect. After hearing from numerous Future Leaders alumni that I needed to ‘keep an open mind’ and be prepared to ‘get out my comfort zone’, I was not sure what I had signed myself up for!
Julie is the Hyougen Communication School Coordinator at Osaka YMCA and recently visited YMCA Victoria to participate in this year’s Future Leaders program as well as visit some YMCA Victoria workplaces.
Initially I signed up to the program with the focus on improving my leadership skills, but what I gained from the experience was so much more.
She joined the 65 other staff and volunteers at Lake Dewar for three days to participant in a series of workshops and presentations around leadership. Julie even gave a presentation herself on yoga and instructed everyone into the downward facing dog position.
The experience not only provided me with a better understanding of leadership and who I am (that would be a combo of red and yellow, for any past Future Leaders reading this) but it also gave me the opportunity to get to know my fellow YMCA peers!
Julie’s role at Osaka YMCA is to help people with special needs to express themselves and communicate. She works with her students aged 16 -18 on a range of different subjects. She learnt yoga to help her students improve their physical and mental wellbeing.
Being based at state office, it is a rare opportunity to get out to centres and sites and get to know
She says she was so happy to be a part of this year’s YMCA Future Leaders program and also loved having the chance to meet with some other Y staff to share information about communications and marketing, learning and development and social enterprise programs.
The 2017 Future Leaders group at Lake Dewar
my broader YMCA team. Future Leaders allowed me to get to know what other people at the Y do and allowed me to expand my work network. Future Leaders was a fantastic experience for any young staff in (or looking to get into) a leadership role.” What other Future Leaders had to say: “The Future Leaders Program has helped me develop my professional and personal skills. It challenged me in many ways, and not only made me step outside my comfort zone, but equipped me with various skills and knowledge which I have been able to bring back to the workplace and use. It is an experience that I will never forget and I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to take part in such an amazing program” - Sandra McAlpine “Future leaders can be described in a word as extraordinary. The experience has allowed me to apply the knowledge I’ve learnt into my work and everyday life” Monica Cassar