Community Changemakers Program - Expressions of Interest

After a traumatic experience, Martina found that writing was a really helpful tool in her healing process.

After enlisting the help of a friend, Martina set about in creating Healing Harmonies, a program that aims to help other women through their trauma, through the power of music and writing.

One of the factors in supporting Martina to create Healing Harmonies was her enrolment in Council’s 2021 Community Changemakers Program.

Martina said she found the program very useful in helping reflect on her values and instilling the importance to her of helping maker her community a more inclusive and diverse place to live.

“I feel I gained confidence in developing ideas from scratch and putting them into action,” she said.

“Through the program I felt I was able to develop my skills in group work, public speaking, working with different groups of people and listening actively to all voices and ideas.

“I really enjoyed watching everyone's presentation of their ideas at the final session. To see how far we had all come in identifying projects we wanted to do in our local area, developing them and watching them be brought to life and then presenting them to the group, Mayor and other council staff was such a thrill.”

And Martina’s advice for any community members thinking about applying?

“Absolutely get onto it! It was so amazing to meet such incredibly inspiring people, to learn more about yourself and your community, to make our region a better place and to be the change you want to see!

“I still have my certificate on my wall at home to remind me that anyone can be a "changemaker" when you have passion and commitment!”

An Upwey local, Jackson was a part of the 2023 intake of the Community Changemakers Program.

Passionate about environmental and social issues that affect the wellbeing of people and the planet, Jackson joined the program wanting to be a more effective and engaged member of the communities that he’s a part of.

“Over the past five years since being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, I’ve been learning how to manage my condition which has also led me down the path of health and disability advocacy,” he said.

‘Advocacy, reconciliation, project planning, community engagement and working with government were all areas that I could see I lacked confidence in managing.

“Acquiring skills in these areas and learning alongside other passionate locals has been an empowering experience.

'Learning about First Nations cultures and how to engage with First Nations stakeholders has helped me overcome insecurities I had about respectfully speaking to First Nations people and sharing knowledges that are derived from their cultures.

“Sharing my MS with the Community Changemakers group and discussing it as a disability for the first time led me to participating in the Disability Advisory Committee - which I have been contributing to for over 12 months now.

“Through my role on the DAC, I have been able to contribute to discussions about infrastructure, amenities and events that effect people living with disabilities.

“The opportunity to sit with the team of people with lived experience and carers all committed to improving the wellbeing for those with disabilities has given me courage to speak about my experience in public such as at the International Day for People with a Disability event in 2024.”