The picture posted last week was of Marissa Smith, the Office Manager, taken when she was going to school in Bluff.  I think that most of you guessed this by the ABBA songs in the description.

NAME THE PLAYERS AND THE COACH

NEW STAFF ……….NEW STAFF…………………

Its a big welcome to 2 new staff at Darumbal.  Ms Marie Kemp is the new Family Support Worker in the Eaglehawk program and Ms Rose Melton is the acting Youth Support Coordinator replacing Tony Jansen.  Both women bring a wealth of experience from their previous work and community roles.

STAFF DEPARTING

Ms Sharee Willie is farewelling Darumbal from the 12th May 2010.  Darumbal would like to wish Sharee all the best and thank her for her commitment to the staff, clients and Board of Darumbal in the time she has been here.

DARUMBAL BOARD MEETING

The Darumbal Board meeting was held on the 28th April.  One of the key items was a presentation by Ms Julie Tanner who is a consultant working with CQID on the CQ WellBeing Centre.  Ms Tanner outlined to the Board the progress of this project with land being acquired at CQU by CQID.

“Taking It Back to Community” DARUMBAL CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW

A workshop was held for Board members with Mr Geoff Higgins from Performance People regarding the review of Darumbals Constitution.  A number of key ideas and points were put forward by the Chair, Mr Wade Mann and the Treasurer, Mr Jason Pfingst.   Community consultation meetings are being arranged with Darumbals Industry partners, staff and the general community.  A community BBQ will be held on Mt Archer on the 11 June commencing at 10.00am and all are welcome to attend.  Please RSVP to Chrissie at Darumbal if you are coming and if you require transport.

DARUMBAL CEO INVITED ONTO THE COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PARTNERSHIP

Margaret Hornagold was invited to be a member of the State-wide Community Mental Health Partnership Forum.  The forum gathers senior representatives of Disability and Community Care Services and a broad range of organisations representing the wider community mental health sector.  The forum members will focus on strategic and systemic issues arising from policy, programs and practice.  Members will engage collaboratively on the future direction of community mental health.  A 12 month work plan will be established.  The first meeting will be held on the 4th May 2010.

DARUMBAL MEMBER OF THE STOCKLANDS YOUTH ACTION WORKING GROUP

Ms Krystal Beazley, Ms Emma Harbin, Ms Laine Barclay and Mr John Harbin attended the meeting of the Stocklands Youth Action Group last week.  Darumbal is engaging an additional 4 VSM Youth Workers to link with youth at Stocklands on Thursday nights to address VSM and other behaviours.  The CEO of Darumbal, Margaret Hornagold along with Krystal Beazley and Emma Harbin conducted training for Stocklands Security staff on cultural awareness matters on the 6th May 2010.  Although the intent was to do a historical background on Murri issues, the main issues covered was the lack of activities for young people and the concerns that security staff had about the health and well-being of the young people who chrome around Stocklands.

CARPE DIEM………..CARPE DIEM……………..SEIZE THE DAY

We’re in the fight to help our youth

John Harbin, Brenton Doblo and Margaret Hornagold were all featured in an article in the Morning Bulletin on the 6th May following the successful launch of the Carpe Diem Gym program in Rockhampton.  The facility will cater for young people and assist them in getting back on track with discipline and hard work.  A number of local sporting identities along with government officials and the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Rose Swadling were present at the launch.  The item was also shown on the WIN news on the 6th May.  Hats off to John Harbin and Brenton Doblo for this exciting venture.

YOUTH TAKE MESSAGE TO MINISTER

As part of National Youth Week, two youth from the Edge of Dreaming Early Intervention program, Josh Doyle and Lorna Adams travelled to Brisbane along with Laine Barclay and Krystal Beazley to showcase a video made by the young people in the Early Intervention program.  They were fortunate to meet the Federal Minister for Housing whilst at the workshop.  The story was covered in the Morning Bulletin and the local news.

This is a NEW & EXCITING way to get outdoors and experiment with spray paint, brushes and graffiti LEGALLY.

Our program will run every Mondays, starting at 10am. Transport and lunch will be provided.

So if you think you are a deadly artist and would like to display your work within the local community, please contact Krystal Beazley or Emma Harbin on 49 226 180 to secure your placement.

It’s a free Operating System for your PC, laptop / netbook or server. It ’s a good alternative for upgrading from Windows XP or Vista.

What is Ubuntu?

Ubuntu is an operating system built by a worldwide team of expert developers. It contains all the applications you need: a web browser, office suite, media apps, instant messaging and much more.

Ubuntu is an open-source alternative to Windows and Office.

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS
Browse the web

Ubuntu includes Mozilla Firefox – for fast, safe web browsing. You can also choose alternative open-source browsers from the Ubuntu Software Centre.
Create professional documents and presentations

OpenOffice.org is fully compatible with Microsoft Office and has everything you need to create professional documents, spreadsheets and presentations. OpenOffice.org is easy to use, packed with the features you need and completely free.

Get free software

The Ubuntu Software Centre gives you instant access to thousands of free open-source applications. Browse software in categories including: education, games, sound and video, graphics, programming and office. Software is easy to find, easy to install and easy to remove.

Email and chat

Get chatting with Empathy. Quickly integrate your chat accounts from Yahoo, Gmail, MSN, Jabber, AOL, QQ and many more. Evolution Mail provides easy, intuitive email.

Social from the start

New in 10.04. Read and update your social networks instantly. Ubuntu’s new Me Menu lets you access your Facebook and Twitter accounts (and more) straight away. Connect to your chat channels and make updates through a single window. Being sociable has never been so easy.

Buy music while you listen

New in 10.04. Ubuntu’s new music player includes an integrated store, so you can buy and download new tracks with just a few clicks. And thanks to Ubuntu One’s file-sharing magic you can store your music online and listen to it from other computers and music players. Ubuntu works with most music and media players.
View, store and edit photos

Ubuntu is ready for all your gadgets. Connect your phones and cameras to download your pictures. You can organise your photos with F-Spot and use popular tools like Picasa, Facebook and Flickr. For advanced photo editing, find a free application from the Ubuntu Software Centre.

Mobilise your digital life!

All Ubuntu users get a free Ubuntu One account. Ubuntu One allows you to store all kinds of files online so you can access them anywhere. Store bookmarks, contacts, music and pictures. Take everything everywhere with Ubuntu One.

Make, play and edit video

Watch all your favourite content from YouTube, iPlayer, and MSN Player. Play your own videos with Movie Player or use Pitivi to edit your videos.

Start fast with Ubuntu

Ubuntu loads quickly on any computer, but it’s super-fast on newer machines. After loading, opening a browser takes seconds, unlike other operating systems that leave you staring at the screen, waiting to get online.

Choose from hundreds of free games

The Ubuntu Software Centre offers hundreds of games, including puzzles, adventures, tactical challenges and more. All free to choose and free to use.

Accessibility

At the core of the Ubuntu philosophy is the belief that computing is for everyone and access should be free and complete whatever your economic or physical circumstances. Ubuntu is one of the most accessible desktop operating systems around.

Modern Awards-QCSEA Workshop 19/4/10 in Gladstone.

Cely Baillie & Margaret Hornagold attended a workshop in Gladstone run by the QCSEA regarding the Modern Awards.  Darumbal has been to workshops run by QCOSS, ASU and now QCSEA as well as seeking advice from QCCI on what the award modernisation and transitions mean for staff at Darumbal.  Darumbal as a respondent to the old SAC’s award transitioned to the ‘new SAC’s’ award from the 1 January 2010.  We can start to make some changes from 1 July 2010 with the transition taking place over the next 12 months.  We are waiting for the regulations to be announced that go with the Fair Work Act 2009 that will determine pay rates etc.  A Heads of Agreement has been negotiated between the ASU & the Australian Government to protect those pay rates introduced through the State legislation.  A federal pay equity case is being run now.

I will endeavour to keep staff and Board up to date on the new awards and what it means for Darumbal.

AVSM Workshop in Townsville

Krystal Beazley attended the AVSM workshop in Townsville from the 19-21 April 2010.  A lot of information was gathered to assist the Darumbal VSM program and Krystal gave a presentation of what we do in Rocky.  Other services were very interested in the Pie Run project that Krystal set up and will be introducing this into their communities.  Good on you Krystal!

Its welcome to the new VSM Youth Worker, Emma Harbin.  Emma has hit the ground running literally as she has been working on the Touch with young people with Kylie ODonnell from PCYC.

Constitutional Review-Taking It Back to Community Project

Darumbal is currently reviewing its Constitution and Geoff Higgins from Performance People is assisting us with this.  Geoff met with 2 Board members on the 22nd April 2010 to go over some key questions and outline how the community, members, staff and industry partners will be involved in reshaping our Constitution.  It is called ‘Taking It Back to Community’ to reflect where it came from and the importance of  the communities views and ideas.

Tony Jansen is taking on a new role

Tony Jansen has been the YSC at Darumbal for the past 9 years.  He will be taking a 6 month secondment to be the Acting Team Leader at Budaroo House, our Homelessness Service.  He will work with Lenore Blair, Dereck Hornung and other staff to get ready for the new Action Plans and strategies rolling out from the White Paper on Homelessness.  Tony started at Budaroo on the 22 April 2010.

Ms Rose Melton will be starting in the YSC position from the 29th April 2010 for 6 months.  Those of you who have had dealings with Glenmore High School will know Rose from there.  We look forward to welcoming Rose to the team.

Staff Training and sharing information on programs and work plans for 2010.

A successful staff awareness and information sharing day was held at Darumbal on the 23rd April 2010.  Staff were asked to present their work plans for this year and the information presented has enabled staff especially those new to the service to learn more about what each program does and just where workers go to when they are not in the office.  The Administration, Finance and IT sections also presented their work charts for the year.

Staff Team Building Lunches

Marissa Smith & Chrissie Roder have been busy planning different venues with cultural themes for staff to get out of the office and debrief and clear out the cobwebs over lunch.  The venue last month was the Punjabi in East Street and today it was the Crooked Cactus at the Saleyards Hotel.  This is a delightful spot and the decor, service and meals were very enjoyable.

Hang onto your somberos, hombres

Staff Training in Certificates and Diplomas in Youth Work, Mental Health, Alcohol & Drugs, Community Services

All staff are involved in getting their evidence together for an RPL exercise as well as answering the questions for the different accreditation that they are doing.  It will be another successful training result when staff complete the training and are qualified in another range of skills.

parkour - wallrun

Parkour (and Freerunning). It’s an amazing method of movement. Practitioners live all over the world. You’ve probably seen it on TV or in movies. To explain a little more here’s a chunk of info from the Parkour and Freerunning Australia website:

…..What is Parkour?
Parkour is the most efficient way to travel from point A to B. In parkour, every motion must be as close to 100% efficient as possible in taking you from your start point to your destination point. Therefore vaults, drops, jumps, rolls, wall climbing, and catgrabs are part of parkour, but spins, flips, and direction reversals are usually not. “Traceurs” (the French name for one who practises Parkour) utilize obstacles and the spaces between them to create a forward flow, taking physical objects meant to restrict motion and using them to enhance it instead……..[more]