Workshops

Humans have stories to tell – towns and communities have stories to be told.

Catching Stories is an anthology project that can be adapted for specific communities.

Catching Stories inspires people to write and share stories of common ground.

The finished tales are then published as a digital anthology.

My Place is a short series of writing and photography workshops that give visibility and voice to human experiences of the surrounding environment.

My Place is an inclusive neighbourhood project that aims to broaden community connections and challenge dominant narratives.

The workshops develop creative instincts, empower individuals, connect communities, reflect resilience and explore the power of story to shape a person’s life and wellbeing.

All My Place participants are encouraged to take part in the annual My Place celebration campfire event at the Festival of 1000 Stories in Bourke.

Her Place is a 3-day series of writing and photography workshops for women living in isolated areas, that celebrates women’s connection to remote landscapes.

The event culminates in a celebration showcase, where participants share their stories and photographs.

Why Her Place?

For the past two centuries, Outback Australia has been the mythic domain of rugged men and bush poets. Women have long been a part of our remote landscape and yet precious little is recorded and preserved about their experiences and artistic and/or literary impressions.

When women are included in public celebrations of connection to land they tend to be defined by their relationships to the men of the land: wife, mother, daughter, sister. And they are categorised as a sub group; for example, ‘women of the west’.

Does it matter?

Most people living in farming communities know women who are dealing with succession issues – her right to own the land she works, independently or in partnership.

So yes, the fact women’s connection to land is not ‘the norm’, matters.

There are other shadows in this story.

One station owner told The Write Road:

“It constantly amazes me what women put up with to be out here – isolation, violence, poverty. It’s more than loss of financial assets or absence of resources that make her stay. In many cases she is unwilling to tear her spirit away from the land she loves.”

Her Place exists to give visibility and voice – in an everyday way – to this connection.

How easy it is for the young to dismiss the elderly as always having been old.

Look more closely – who are the people who now sit, quietly or otherwise, their eyes watching, their faces weathered, their minds tracing the pathways of their own youth?

And if you look around you and can’t see them – where are they?

The Elders Project seeks to connect students with the elderly in their community to explore the passions behind the person they now see only as old.

What changes did she fight for? How did her actions effect your life? Was he an artist, famous in his time? Who are his people and where is his work?

Who are you as a result of their lives and times?

The Elders Project teaches young people basic journalism skills – how to ask questions and how to transform the answers into a story others will want to read.

The project will incorporate writing and photography skills and students will be guided to insightful exploration of the person they choose to connect with and celebrate.

The journey from writer to published author is a minefield in the 21st century.

There are so many options for publishing – how do you work out which one is right for you?

This workshop explores the myriad publishing options available and offers insight in the advantages and challenges inherent in each.

One of the great advantages of modern communications technologies is news media is no longer the realm of elites – everyone can raise their voice in the public arena.

It can, however, be difficult to be heard above the clamour for attention.

Citizen journalism websites enable you to bypass news industry gatekeepers and catapult your voice into the national conversation.

By playing by a few basic rules, you’ll gather readers, build credibility and develop a reputation as a person of influence.

This workshop will teach you those rules!

“To succeed, a revolution has to have absolute dedication in the face of overwhelming odds.”

Emily Thorn, Revenge

So you want to start a movement for change.

Even the smallest changes are akin to revolutions – they require discipline, motivation, focus and action.

If your revolution is more than personal, it also requires supporters and resources.

21st communications can trigger movements for change overnight – or at least that’s how it appears from the outside.

Who’s the most important person in the video above? Is it the leader? Not when he’s all by himself it’s not.

Is it the first crazy dancer to join the leader? That makes two crazy dancers.

The second crazy dancer is the point of ignition in the movement above.

How do you reach your second crazy dancer? What are the tools you need to spark a movement for change?
As well as giving you the tools you need to start a movement, this wonderful workshop will identify your movement’s key messages and brainstorm how you might put them to work for you.

Play to change the game!

Australians live in a parliamentary democracy – what this means is that anyone can throw their hat into the ring to represent their community in our various tiers of government.

This workshop is designed for people who are considering a political career.

What do you stand for?

What do you hope to achieve?

Do you want to join a political party or stand as an independent?

Who’s your key constituency and how do you reach them?

What are your natural strengths, personally and professionally?

Where would you like your seat – local council? State government? The House of Reps? The Senate?

These questions are just the tip of the iceberg.

If you and/or others you know are considering a political future, this individualised or group training is essential to prepare you for the triumphs and complexities of life in the public spotlight.

Are you maximising your public profile potential?

Do you have an effective media communications strategy?

Are you and/or your business enjoying the reputation you deserve?

Positive, proactive media communications strategies are essential for 21st century businesses and organisations.

This news media communications intensive will help you advance your business’s strategic goals.

Most people don’t realise that just about every single person they hear, see or read about on news and online media has been strategically managed to get there.

This workshop will help you level up the media playing field – without spending a fortune on media management.

Learn how to:

• clarify your vision

• identify your target audience

• create key messages

• write media releases that get results

• engage news media

• attract widespread newspaper, radio and television coverage.

Profile Power! will empower you to approach your media communications with confidence, inspiration and insight.

Remember: media coverage is free! And it is still the most powerful promotional force on Earth!

If you have self-published your book and you intend to sell it, training in self-promotion is essential to your success!

This workshop explores the myriad options that are available for self-promotion, teaches you how to identify story angles and use news media and social media to promote your work and your vision free of charge.

There is no cost for news or social media coverage – but in both cases it’s important to learn innovative ways for playing by the rules of the game!

There’s no doubt about it, social media is an exciting and vast universe that puts us in touch with fascinating worlds of people, knowledge and ideas.

Social media enables us to connect with myriad resources that can explode our creative and business potential.

Writing for social media is an art – and it can be learned in a few simple steps.

Social media is fast-paced, it’s distracting, it can make or break a career.

There’s an art to connecting with your potential audience – and it’s in the ability to tell a captivating story in very few words.

This training will teach you to master the art of the one-liner – and connect!

Blogging is an awesome tool for anyone wanting to share their world with friends and family or … the world!

But how do you set up a free blog?

And how do you get your pictures up there?

How do you connect your blog with social media?

This workshop is fun and practical – by the end of the session you’ll have all you need to write your first post.

Whether you’re going for a job interview or you want a publishing deal, anyone who must present themselves or their work to land a deal is ‘pitching’.

In short, this workshop gives you everything you need to approach powerbrokers with confidence and courage.

It puts you in touch with your strengths and identifies the key messages you want to convey to industry figures.

During this workshop, you will develop the ‘pitch materials’ necessary to launch your pitch.

It takes courage to stand and speak to a gathering of people, whether they are friends, family or strangers.

By standing to speak from a prepared speech, however, you will share with the world the best of those you seek to honour.

And you will change lives.

Whether it’s your brother’s wedding, your mother’s 80^th, your colleague’s retirement, a friend’s book launch or the launch of your political career, a prepared speech will enable you to:

• speak more highly of those you seek to honour

• speak competently and lovingly

• plant seeds that change the world

• develop greater confidence in yourself

• deliver your heart’s deepest message with eloquence and poise.

This workshop will teach you to stand and deliver!

This is leadership in action.