President’s Welcome
What is the value of experience? In our working lives we often seek the support of others to help show us the way, to challenge our thinking and to encourage us to grow. We accumulate knowledge along our professional journey and naturally we can choose for this improved mastery to be only self-serving. However, consider the following 19th century quote from Robert Ingersoll, an American lawyer, Civil War veteran for the Union Army and politician who said,
We rise by lifting others.
To me, the idea behind this quote is at the fundamental core of what Educate Plus stands for. If you have worked in the industry for three or more years, don’t let the accumulated knowledge and experience end with you, instead choose to pay it forward and become a mentor. You will find it a rewarding validation of how far you have come as a professional in this industry.
Of course, if you seek support from someone who truly understands your role, or you want to test your plans or explore new and innovative ideas, then perhaps you should apply to be a mentee.
To register your interest as either a mentor or mentee, contact mentoring@educateplus.edu.au
The International Conference, in Auckland on Tuesday 4 to Friday 7 September, is continuing to build momentum and already 37 professionals from WA have placed their bookings. This event is at the very pinnacle of PD opportunities in Australasia and I encourage you to join us if you haven’t already secured your spot. The board has kindly agreed to continue the discount offered to the WA Chapter, keeping the WA Member conference ticket price at $868, so don’t forget to use the code “EPAID2018” when registering for the conference. Read more…
With the aim of trying something a little bit different for its next meeting, the Alumni and Community Relations Special Interest Group will embrace the topic of how a mentoring program can build meaningful engagement. The interesting twist is that in the furtherance of our mentoring ideology and to create a supportive environment, registrants will be able to participate in an informal speed mentoring session. This meeting will take place at 2.15pm-4.30pm on 22 June at the University of Western Australia. Read more…
While on the topic of support, in this edition we showcase one of our Organisational Platinum Sponsors, AskRIGHT. Specialists in fundraising, AskRIGHT has written an interesting guide on how educational leaders can deal effectively with external fundraising causes. Read more…
We are excited to visit Geraldton later in the year and offer professional development to institutions in the region. It was our hope to carry out this PD at the end of May, but there were complications with this date and feedback indicated that a time later in the year would be best. Our thanks go to Nagle Catholic College for agreeing to host this event and we will advertise the new date as soon as we can.
Whether you are experienced or new to the industry, I hope you will increase your engagement with the Educate Plus community at either one of our collegial PD events, or as a part of the mentoring program as a mentor or mentee. To help us all “rise” together, please give what you can and ask for help when you need it.
David Williams F.Edplus
WA Chapter President
Tel: 9377 8522
Email: david.williams@ggs.wa.edu.au
