Tessa Kowaliw: Community Builder

⚡️Yesterday, Kristian (GM of The Distillery) and I had the pleasure of attending Scotch College to help their students celebrate the launch of their brand new GAIL Connect online portal... Which we co-designed with them over the past six months.

⚡️GAIL is the Global Alliance for Innovation in Learning, and is comprised of eight member schools across the globe with aligned values and commitment to driving positive change through collaboration.

⚡️Pre-COVID, this group galvanised connection with an interschool calendar of conferences, student exchanges and face-to-face events which took kids from one part of the world to another. However, once COVID hit, this type of engagement with each other was simply not possible anymore... And, GAIL quickly recognised the need to pivot and adopt a new way of working.

⚡️Less than two years later, and under the leadership of David Albano and his GAIL leaders at Scotch, the students of the GAIL Community now have an opportunity to find ready, accessible and enjoyable connection with each other via their online platform, GAIL Connect. This is a perfect, contemporary and future-proof evolution of the essence of GAIL - students can now build relationships with each other across borders, any time of day.

This is so much more than a social platform, too. Poll features will be perfect for capturing international perspectives in Year 11 Research Tasks, for example, and it is also possible this will blossom into formal, interschool summative learning activities for kids hosted online... The ROI on this project is clear, both in today's solution and its ability to inspire innovation and collaboration into the future.

Also fantastic to have John Newton, principal and CEO of Scotch College (pictured), Heather Holmes-Ross, Mayor of Mitcham Council (pictured), Angela DiFabio, RAA Innovation Manager, and Sumen Rai, Director at Defence Innovation Partnership (and one of Adelaide's 26 most inspiring women, literally!) in attendance. How wonderful that the students were able to share their experience with you. ❤

We congratulate students on their commitment to collaboration, their ability to work with us and other schools in genuine partnership, and their infectious enthusiasm for the cause. We know GAIL Connect is in great hands, and can't wait to see where it goes next!

If there's one sure-fire thing about community building, it's that part of the fun is making lifelong friends. 💛

Michelle, Rose and I have known each other since we came together to hold a space for women in the birth community. In the time we have known each other, we have had pregnancies and babies of our own, we have helped others to navigate the maternity system, we have campaigned, stepped back, and changed tack.⚡

Either way, we each continue to fight the good fight in our own ways *and* to find easy connection in our shared experience... Even 13 years later. 🙌

This is the power of birth as a rite of passage, and of like-minded folks finding each other in true community. 💛

In this picture, you'll see folks who are:

⚡Active community volunteers
⚡Folks who have recently migrated to Australia, and others who are now the fourth generation to call Adelaide home; and
⚡Members of marginalised communities who deserve to be heard.

What you won't see here is how these folks typically spend their time:

⚡Working in homeless shelters, vulnerable communities and Neighbourhood Watch
⚡Assisting those in need to access welfare and designing products to support social inclusion for people living with disability
⚡Providing compassionate professional services to local families as they grieve loved ones who have passed; and
⚡Craving more genuinely empathetic politicians with proven skills in social work and innovation. 😉

Lastly, if you look *really* carefully, you may also spot:

⚡One hardworking sole trader who consistently serves up the best coffees in Adelaide (and who generously accommodated our group this morning!). ☕☕ Giro Espresso Mawson Lakes

BUT, the Big Picture here is the power of the new way of doing politics. 💥

It disrupts the toxic, stagnant "legacy" political dynamic and puts *people* back at the centre - in all their wonderfully diverse glory.

There's no need to be stuck voting party die-hards into Council this October. Vote for change!

💛 Thank you for offering the community your time (and ear!) this morning, Emily Williams Candidate for West Ward, City of Salisbury, and thank you for attending the event in support, Connect With Ly - Lee - all the best for coming weeks! 💛

Chances are, if you've seen one of these intro letters from Emily Williams Candidate for West Ward, City of Salisbury , you know you can catch us with Connect With Ly - Lee at Giro Espresso Mawson Lakes from 9.30am this Saturday morning... And, if you didn't, well, you now do! 🤣

Hope to see you there (over a delightful single origin brew!). ☕

P.S. Can 100% vouch for Adrian's superior barista-ing. 💛

How cool is this! 💛

Come along and enjoy making a beautiful small basket using traditional Aboriginal weaving techniques. These fun, interactive workshops will be run by Marra Dreaming weaving artists.

Burton Community Hub
For people aged 65+
Thursday 18 August
10.30am to 12.30pm
Bookings essential: JYC Reception 8406 8525

Para Hills Community Hub
For people aged 50+
Thursday 22 September and Thursday 29 September
10am to 12pm
Book here: https://basketweaving.eventbrite.com.au

Salisbury Community Hub
For people aged 50+
Thursday 20 October
10am to 12pm
Book here: https://basketweavingsch.eventbrite.com.au

These sessions are funded by 'The Office for Ageing Well' grants for seniors.

Pooraka residents may be interested to know that we have a Neighbourhood Watch meeting next week.

Unsure of where this has been advertised - please help to get the word out. 💛

Sad news this morning. 😥

Fatal crash at Pooraka Two people have died following a fatal crash at Pooraka last night.