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Greater Shepparton Women’s Charter Alliance Advisory Committee

‘Local Women Inspiring Change’

International Women’s Day 2015 Sunday 8 March 2015 – Shepparton

Evaluation

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Contents

Greater Shepparton Women’s Charter Alliance Advisory Committee ........................................................................... 3

All Women GV ................................................................................................................................................................. 3

International Women’s Day ............................................................................................................................................ 3

Date ................................................................................................................................................................................. 3

Venue .............................................................................................................................................................................. 3

Themes ............................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Local women inspiring change .................................................................................................................................... 4

Grown, picked, and packed ......................................................................................................................................... 4

Format ............................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Stalls ............................................................................................................................................................................ 4

Resource table ............................................................................................................................................................. 5

Pecha Kuchas ............................................................................................................................................................... 5

MC ............................................................................................................................................................................... 6

Entertainment ............................................................................................................................................................. 7

Speeches ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Partnership ...................................................................................................................................................................... 7

All Women GV ‘Stand Up and Stand Out’ photography display ................................................................................. 7

Sponsors .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Ticketing .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8

Audience.......................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Accessibility ..................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Suppliers .......................................................................................................................................................................... 9

Budget ............................................................................................................................................................................. 9

Advertising .................................................................................................................................................................... 10

Organising Committee .................................................................................................................................................. 10

Feedback ....................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Lessons for 2015 ............................................................................................................................................................ 11

Appendices .................................................................................................................................................................... 13

Appendix 1: Expression of Interest form................................................................................................................... 13

Appendix 2: Stallholders ........................................................................................................................................... 14

Appendix 3: Budget ................................................................................................................................................... 14

Appendix 4: Media coverage and advertising ........................................................................................................... 15

Appendix 5: Feedback ............................................................................................................................................... 24

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Greater Shepparton Women’s Charter Alliance Advisory Committee The Greater Shepparton Women’s Charter Alliance Advisory Committee (GSWCAAC) is a community advisory

committee (of the Greater Shepparton City Council) that is part of a broader network of Local Government Area

(LGA) advisory committees across the state that are guided and informed by the Victorian Local Government

Women’s Charter. The Charter recognises the need to increase women’s participation in key decision making

forums in the community and in democratic governance.

A three point action plan focussing on Diversity, Active Citizenship and Gender Equity guides the key strategic

objectives of this committee.

The GSWCAAC is made up of volunteer community representatives and Council Officers and is supported by

Greater Shepparton City Council.

The GSWCAAC meets monthly and community members are welcome to attend as guests, with an annual intake of

members undertaken in March each year.

All Women GV AllWomen is a Word and Mouth Ltd project funded through the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR)

ABC Heywire Youth Innovation Grants 2014 for the value of $9,000. The project is designed to highlight that all

women are extraordinary; from plumbers to mothers, farmers to artists.

The project is facilitated by local Jean Young who works with 11 girls from Shepparton High School and Kyabram P-

12 College. The project involved organising and implementing an AllWomen photography competition that

encourages people aged 12-25 years to submit an image of an inspiring and unconventional female. The project

also involved a social media AllWomen Campaign that utilised platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and a Word

Press blog to share images of local inspiring women. The third part of the project was to organise a free community

event for the Goulburn Valley community, held on the 8th of March 2015 (International Women’s Day).

International Women’s Day International Women’s Day began in 1909 after a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialised

world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

Since 1918, International Women's Day (IWD) has grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration

across the world. For decades, IWD has grown from strength to strength with the United Nations holding an annual

IWD conference to coordinate international efforts for women's rights and participation in social, political and

economic processes.

Annually on 8 March thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate

achievements ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities, and networking events

through to local women's craft markets, theatre performances, fashion parades and more.

Date Sunday 8 March 2015

2.00pm to 5.00pm

Venue St Paul’s African House, 54 Poplar Avenue Shepparton.

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Themes

Local women inspiring change

‘Local women inspiring change’ was the theme chosen by the GSWCAAC and All Women GV for the event. This

theme was chosen as the GSWCAAC and All Women GV felt as though it was important to highlight local women

who, in their everyday lives, are leading and encouraging others. This theme was strongly emphasised by the

format chosen for the event.

Grown, picked, and packed

Another theme of ‘Grown, picked, and packed’ was chosen for the event. ‘Grown, picked, and packed’ was the

theme of the 2015 Shepparton Festival. This theme was ideal for the event, with the GSWCAAC and All Women GV

building on the theme by inviting local women to showcase their diverse products and services.

Above: Some of the lovely produce available on the day.

Format “Wonderful warm event celebrating women – well done.” Feedback from an audience member.

Stalls

The GSWCAAC and All Women GV sought expressions of interest from local women – as individuals, business

women, or from not for profit organisations – to showcase their produce and/or services at the event. Please see

Appendix 1 for a copy of the Expression of Interest form. 17 women were selected, and a diverse array of

produce/services were showcased on the day. The stallholders were:

• Bed & Broccoli

• Country Women’s Association (CWA) Mooroopna

• Dookie Arts

• Frost Urself

• Goulburn Valley Pregnancy and Family Support Service

• Harmony Place

• Help Uganda Grow (HUG)

• Zahra Zaoli Henna Artist

• Liz Arcus Photography

• Longhaven Orchard

• Lorna Gillespie (Pro bono multicultural lawyer, selling items to raise money for legal work)

• Nikki Childs Massage

• Bella Sartori Nail Painting/Manicures

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• SALT – Supporting and Linking Tradeswomen

• The Eco Store (Shepparton Access)

• Vintage Chics

• Yiche Restaurant

Please see Appendix 2 for a brief description of each business/organisation.

Right: Members of the audience

were treated to free henna tattoos.

Resource table

There was a resource table with information regarding issues affecting women, as well as information about

forthcoming community events. The resources were kindly contributed by the following organisations:

• Familycare

• Goulburn Valley Pregnancy and Family Support Service

• Healing the Spirit (Robynne Nelson)

• Primary Care Connect

Pecha Kuchas

Nine women stallholders were asked to present a Pecha Kucha to the audience, highlighting their journey to where

they are today, and their business/organisation/product.

A Pecha Kucha is a presentation in which 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each – thus making the entire

presentation 6 minutes and 40 seconds in length. Presenters are able to speak whilst the Pecha Kucha is playing.

Left: Members of the audience watching

and listening to a Pecha Kucha.

The Pecha Kuchas were as diverse as the women presenting them, and provided the audience with a tangible

insight into what local women are achieving in the Greater Shepparton area, state-wide, and internationally.

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One of the presenters, Dr Lisa Shortridge of Harmony Place, chose to use her Pecha Kucha timeslot to conduct a

‘sound’ meditation using crystal bowls, a Tibetan gong, and her voice. It was amazing to see approximately 110

people meditating together.

Right: Dr Lisa Shortridge

conducting a sound

meditation.

MC

“Robynne Nelson was a good drawcard for me.” Feedback from an audience member.

Robynne Nelson (right), Yorta Yorta woman, Aboriginal leader, author, and business

woman was the MC for the event. Robynne also conducted a Welcome to Country.

Robynne Nelson is an inspirational woman who has been providing consultancy

services for the past 18 years. Robynne’s consultancy business is called ‘Healing the

Spirit Pty Ltd’, and she also has another business ‘Shepparton Colon Irrigation and

Massage Centre’.

Robynne is also the owner of the Mulana Kaalinya Wellness Centre, and

offers health services through Natremed in Shepparton.

Robynne is also the author of a book titled ‘Dharmalan Dana’, which she

wrote on behalf of her father George Nelson.

Further information about Robynne can be found at:

http://www.healingthespirit.com.au/#

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Entertainment

Entertainment was provided by locals Jamie Lea and her crew, who sang three songs accompanied by the sounds of

a beautiful guitar.

The St Pauls Lutheran Church African Choir

also sang some traditional African songs,

and their amazing voices resonated

throughout the beautiful St Paul’s African

House (left).

Speeches

Greater Shepparton City Council Councillor Dinny Adem, the GSWCAAC ‘Charter Champion’ gave a speech to mark

the significance of International Women’s Day.

Partnership The GSWCAAC partnered with All Women GV to present this event. Young ladies from All Women GV helped on the

day and also worked very hard to present the ‘Stand Up, Stand Out’ photography exhibition at the event.

A Memorandum of Understanding was drawn up between the GSWCAAC and All Women GV, and the input of All

Women GV was greatly valued.

All Women GV were supported by Word and Mouth, the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, and ABC

Heywire.

Left: Members of All Women GV worked hard to present the event

and on presenting the ‘Stand Up and Stand Out’ photography

display.

All Women GV ‘Stand Up and Stand Out’ photography display

Over the course of three months All Women GV ran the ‘Stand Up and Stand Out’ photography competition that

encouraged young people to submit an image of an inspiring female with a short blurb why. Forty seven images

were submitted into the competition from individuals from various ages and places around Australia. The

exhibition displayed images from the All Women Workshop that was held in Shepparton during the school holidays,

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the ABC HeyWire winners who developed the All Women concept, and images of the high school students/girls

who participated in the All Women GV project.

Above: Part of the ‘Stand Up and Stand Out’ photography display.

Sponsors The event was made possible due to the following sponsors:

• Greater Shepparton City Council provided funding (through the GSWCAAC), as well as

administrative and in kind support

• Word and Mouth provided funding and in-kind support (through All Women GV)

• The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal provided funding (through FRRR ABC Heywire

Youth Innovation Grant : All Women GV)

• Robynne Nelson of Healing the Spirit and Shepparton Colon Irrigation and Massage Centre

provided her services and expertise as an MC

• The St Pauls Lutheran Church Choir provided entertainment.

Ticketing Tickets were free and were available by contacting the GSWCAAC Support Officer at Council or online using

EventBrite. There was no charge from EventBrite for this service.

Right: The GSWCAAC and All Women GV were

pleased to be able to provide a free event.

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Audience

Approximately 110 people attended the event

(left). The audience was made up of mainly women

from a range of diverse multicultural backgrounds.

Age ranges also varied.

Accessibility The venue was wheelchair accessible and had designated parking for those with a disability.

Hearing loops were also made available on the day.

Suppliers The following organisations/businesses provided services:

• Avonlea Flowers – Flowers for table decorations

• Bed and Broccoli – Lucky door prizes

• Connect Integrated Systems – Technical support

• EventBrite – Free ticketing

• Frost Urself – Gift for Robynne Nelson MC

• Grace Sartori of Bella Sartori - Nails

• Greater Shepparton City Council – Funding and in kind support

• GV Party Hire – Table cloths

• Jacqui Walker Catering – Catering

• Jamie Lea and Crew – Entertainment

• Longhaven Orchard – Lucky Door prizes

• Nikki Childs – Neck massage

• Robynne Nelson of Healing the Spirit – Welcome to Country and MC services

• Shepparton News – Advertising

• St Pauls Lutheran Church Choir – Entertainment

• St Paul’s African House – Venue

• The African Store – Gift for Robynne Nelson MC

• WillPrint – Printing of posters

• Zahra Zaoli - Henna

Budget The event was funded by the FRRR ABC Heywire Youth Innovation Grant All Women GV (through Word and

Mouth), and Greater Shepparton City Council (through the GSWCAAC).

There was ‘in kind’ support provided, as follows:

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• Greater Shepparton City Council donated some communications, stationery, and staff.

• Robynne Nelson was the MC and conducted the Welcome to Country.

• The Shepparton Adviser provided free event coverage – before the event.

• The Shepparton News provided free event coverage – before and after the event.

• The GSWCAAC organising sub-committee and the Committee as a whole donated their time.

• All Women GV donated their time

Please see Appendix 3 for a full expenditure breakdown.

Advertising The following is a list of advertising that was used for the event. Some had a cost, and some was in kind:

• Flyer – distributed by committee members, via email and by Council

• Facebook – video and posts

• Shepparton News

• Shepparton Adviser

• Tatura Guardian

• The Situation

• The Shepparton Festival brochure

• Two media releases

• Greater Shepparton City Council website

• Greater Shepparton City Council Internal website

• Greater Shepparton City Council internal newsletter

• My Community Connect

Please see Appendix 4 for media coverage and advertising.

Organising Committee Jean Young and the All Women GV Committee (below).

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Greater Shepparton Women’s Charter Alliance Advisory Committee.

Below: Pat Moran from the GSWCAAC.

Feedback “I never give a top score – usually – but this was excellent – thanks.” Feedback from an audience member.

Feedback was very positive overall. 22 people filled out the feedback form. Of those, the majority attended the

event to support women.

The majority of respondents ranked the venue, format of the event, and performances to be of the highest quality.

See Appendix 5 for a full breakdown of feedback received.

Above: All Women GV handed out feedback cards at the event.

Lessons for 2015 As with any event, some things could be improved next time. Some suggestions are:

• To engage more young people to attend the event the GSWCAAC and All Women GV could invite a young

speaker to share their story.

• Advertise/promote the event further in advance – ensure a flyer goes out early.

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• It would be worthwhile to have more men attend the event. Men can be champions of change. Marketing

in a different way to ensure men feel invited and welcome could be one way to achieve this.

• It is sometimes felt that International Women’s Day is not given enough significance in Australia. The

GSWCAAC and All Women GV could revisit the history of IWD and examine how IWD occurs in other

countries – this may lead to ideas about how more significance can be placed on IWD and the event.

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Expression of Interest form

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Appendix 2: Stallholders

Bed & Broccoli Accommodation, vegan

cooking, and cookbooks

www.bedandbroccoli.com.au

Country Women’s Association

(CWA) Mooroopna

Women’s group,

women’s issues, arts,

crafts.

cwaofvicgoulburnvalleywest.blogspot.com.au

Dookie Arts All things Dookie www.dookiearts.com

Frost Urself Jewellery www.frosturself.com.au

Goulburn Valley Pregnancy and

Family Support Service

Support services www.caroline.org.au

Grace Sartori of Bella Sartori Manicure and nail

painting

Harmony Place Meditation and

associated practices

thingsofspirit.vpweb.com.au

Help Uganda Grow (HUG) Not-for profit

organisation for Uganda

www.hug.org.au

Liz Arcus Photography Photography lizarcus.com

Longhaven Orchard Fresh fruit, jams,

preserves

Lorna Gillespie Multicultural lawyer

Nikki Child Neck Massages

SALT – Supporting and Linking

Tradeswomen

Support for women in

trades

www.saltaustralia.org.au

The Eco Store (Shepparton

Access)

Fresh produce, sauces,

preserves, plants

Vintage Chics Fascinators, bags,

fashion accessories,

retreats

Yiche Restaurant Modern Asian cuisine www.yicherestaurant.com.au

Zahra Zaoli Henna

Appendix 3: Budget

Item Company Cost ex. GST Cost Inc. GST

Venue

African Community

House 409.09 450.00

Posters WillPrint 150.00 165.00

Table cloths GV Party Hire 340.00 375.00

Gifts Various 120.00 120.00

Advertising Shepparton News 363.64 400.00

Entertainment Various 190.91 210.00

HDMI compatible

computer

Connect Integrated

Systems 100.00 110.00

All Women GV Word and Mouth Ltd 4290.00

$6120.00

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Appendix 4: Media coverage and advertising

Below: Poster for the ‘Stand Up, Stand Out’ Photography competition.

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Below: Poster for the event.

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Below: Shepparton News, 17 January 2015, page 3.

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Right: Tatura Guardian, 27 January

2015, page 3.

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Below: Shepparton News, 30 January 2015, Page 40.

Below: The Shepparton Adviser, 25 February 2015, page 6.

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Below: The Shepparton News.

Right: The Situation,

March 2015, page 34.

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Below: Listing in the Greater Shepparton City Council internal newsletter, March 2015, page 13.

Below: The Shepparton Adviser, 4 March 2015, page 5.

Below: Shepparton News, 5 March 2015, Page 6.

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Below: Shepparton News ‘scatter ad’ which ran every day the week prior to the event.

Below: Shepparton News, 9 March 2015, page 5.

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Below: Shepparton News, 9 March 2015, Page 8.

Below: Shepparton News, 10 March 2015.

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Appendix 5: Feedback

Of approximately 110 people who attended, 22 people filled out the feedback form. Below is a breakdown of the

written feedback received.

How did you hear about our International Women's

Day event?

Facebook 3

Council/Emma 4

The Shepparton Adviser 2

The Shepparton News 1

Newspaper – not specified 1

From a GSWCAAC Member 2

Shepparton Festival booklet 4

Online 1

Email 1

Word of mouth/friends 2

Via All Women GV Project 1

What was your main reason for

attending?

Speakers 6

To support women 9

Attended last year 1

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Support Emma 1

Celebrate International Women’s Day 3

Entertainment 1

Network 3

Show my worth 1

Buy goods 1

Community connection 1

Support multiculturalism 1

Support my daughter 1

What opportunities will encourage women into leadership roles?

Women need to develop the belief they can do anything

More open days and visual stimulation. Show what is happening and available

Hearing what other women have achieved

Recognition of equality

Support networks, mentoring, workshops

Events like this

Hearing women’s stories

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Listening to the stories of successful women, and being with other good role models

Support in whatever way we can

More days like today

Positive, motivational, and hope

Support and mentoring

How would you rank the

following? 1 lowest quality,

4 highest quality 1 2 3 4

Venue 1

21

Performances 1 1 20

Format of the event 1

1 20

Opportunity for networking 1 1 4 15

Speakers 1

1 19

Refreshments 1

3 17

Please note: the person who provided a score of 1 for all of the above items actually gave positive feedback on the

rest of their form.

Would you be likely to attend other

community and cultural events in the

future? Are you male or female?

Blank 2 Female 20

Yes 20 Male

No

Blank 2

Maybe

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Any other comments?

Enjoyed the event very much

A Kyabram woman – only heard about this event via Liz

Arcus’ Facebook – probably need wider advertising

Very enjoyable event – congrats

Wonderful warm event celebrating women – well done

Very well thought out

I never give a top score – usually – but this was excellent –

thanks.

Great day

Well done. Great event

Congratulations on a wonderful event

Fabulous afternoon – well done to everyone!

Maybe more music from women

A very enjoyable afternoon

Well organised and run

Wonderful – thank you

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Below: Feedback form.