The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as Goulburn Murray Community Leadership opened the doors to its inaugural Regional Mobilisation Summit held at The Woolshed in Shepparton on the 16th October 2024. This wasn’t just another event on the calendar; it was a landmark gathering aimed at sparking transformative change through the power of community, creativity, and collaboration.
Photos from the 2024 GMCL Regional Mobilisation Summit
The summit drew an inspiring mix of individuals from all corners of the region, united by a shared vision for community improvement. These participants embarked on a day-long journey of exploration and connection.
“Community organisations are truly the lifeblood of our region. They provide vital services, enrich our cultural landscape, and foster the transfer of knowledge across generations. However, their foundations are usually underpinned by passion and volunteering. With the increasing complexity and balancing family, work and community life, these foundations are being challenged. The Summit asked the question, what are the new ways to govern and lead to ensure sustainability,” said GMCL Executive Officer, Nathan Bibby.
“For Goulburn Murray Community Leadership, the Summit was about being bold and trying something different to add value to the region. It was not only about leadership, but it was also about building communities, “ said Nathan.
Attendees were greeted with a series of ‘social experiments’, offering new ways to network, view challenges, and build meaningful and lasting connections. A panel session featuring community members - Jenny Foott, Doc McDonald and Daryl Bennett – offered a local perspective on community governance challenges in the region and some ideas on how these are being addressed.
Facilitators and guests, Scott Ko and Dr. Samuel Wilson, led a number of inspiring sessions on the day. Dr. Samuel Wilson outlined the meanings and tensions of the ‘common good’, connecting participants by the threads of commitment and passion they have for their organisations and community. Scott Ko prompted attendees to get curious about their community governance challenges and explore how to use ‘start-up thinking’ as they work to improve them.
“It’s remarkable to see how much progress can be achieved simply by bringing together a diverse group of people across the community and pointing their collective attention on the issues they care about.” said Scott Ko.
Dr Samuel Wilson said, “In the face of systemic challenges in regional communities, it is easy to feel hopeless and overwhelmed. It was so encouraging to see much these local leaders do, individually and collectively, to practice everyday leadership for the common good in their communities.”
Workshops and discussions encouraged attendees to think boldly and explore unconventional solutions to common community challenges. “I never imagined we could approach our community issues in such innovative ways,” remarked one participant. “This summit has opened my mind to endless possibilities.”
Some highlights from the day include the ‘Actions Wall – an opportunity for attendees to share their innovative experiments. Creating a visual tapestry of creativity, it allowed everyone to see the potential for collaboration, new partnerships and friendships that promise to extend far beyond the summit. The connections and ideas generated are set to drive significant community projects and initiatives in the coming months.
Goulburn Murray Community Leadership is committed to nurturing this momentum. Plans are already underway for follow-up events and support initiatives to ensure the ideas and connections from the summit continue to flourish. Applications have opened for their flagship program, the Fairley Leadership Program, for 2025 and past participants encourage anyone interested to apply.
For more information about Goulburn Murray Community Leadership programs, please contact Nathan Bibby at eo@gmcl.org.au.