The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate action of its members.

From the CEO with Marion Short

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate action of its members.” Coretta Scott King

Back in December last year (and doesn’t that seem like a long time ago!) I talked about what a difficult month it had been. And, as we now are all experiencing, it has been, in fact, a difficult few months for those in bushfire affected areas.

In early January, IAP2 mobilised members of the Engagement community to contribute services and resources into a one-stop “hub” for those engaging with affected communities in disaster response and recovery.

And the response from you – our engagement community – has, and continues to be, immense.

Thank you to everyone who contributed, from those offering pro-bono professional services to others who were generous in sharing resources and toolkits. Our Chair, Tony Clark, elaborates on all the wonderful stuff that our members have contributed in his whole-hearted editorial this month.

In particular, thank you to Anne Leadbeater OAM who found the time in the midst of her own work in disaster engagement to record a podcast interview.

Please take a minute now to visit the hub – you will find a wealth of resources there.

We have sent a digital thank you badge to all those who contributed to the hub – and we hope you join with us in thanking any in our engagement community who display the badge in their emails and communications.

However, our work is not complete. We know that many learnings will come out of the last few months, and we invite you to contribute any stories, ideas or knowledge that you feel would benefit our community to info@iap2.org.au. There are still many conversations to be had, and we predict that this will inform the content for our events, training and resources for months to come.

And please, share the IAP2 Bushfire Hub with any organisations or Government agencies working in the areas of response, recovery and rebuild.

BIG THINGS ON THE HORIZON

 The IAP2 team have been working hard to launch a suite of new services to build value for members. Keep your eyes open for:

• Podcasts
• More local events
• Short courses and masterclasses
• Webinars
• New resources, particular in the Indigenous engagement space
• New Communities of Practice and opportunities to connect

If you are in New Zealand, save the date now for the next NZ Community and Stakeholder Engagement Symposium (12-13 May) at Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre.

And, we are also pleased to announce at the 2020 IAP2 Australasia Conference will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre over 20-22 October.

Finally, make 2020 YOUR year by entering into the Core Values Awards. Entries are invited from now until 6 April and you will find all the important information on our website.