FWPA’s For Our Future leadership program for 2019 is now underway with the program oversubscribed in Tasmania and Gippsland.
Following last year’s successful pilot, FWPA is again running the For Our Future — Regional & Collaborative Leadership Program, an intensive, experiential program, which aims to develop tomorrow’s leaders in the forestry and wood industries.
The training is being delivered in partnership with the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and Polykala, an organisation that focuses on developing leaders in sectors facing complex challenges or change.
For Our Future has an innovative, concentric program structure. Participants start with an individual focus, then move on to regional issues and finally take a national approach, to provide them with a thorough understanding of the challenges facing their industry.
The first cohort has just completed its Session One program in Tasmania, with Victorian and Queensland (and Northern NSW) sessions to follow in March. Session One activities take place during a four-day long residential program focused on regional issues and developing a deeper understanding of self and others, to lay the foundation for ethical leadership.
Session Two will take place in June and bring together all the regional groups in Canberra. This session will run over five days, culminating in a graduation and gala dinner. The focus in this session moves towards working across organisations and then to working at the national level for the greater good of the industry.
Previous graduates have universally provided positive feedback on the program’s value and impact, not only in terms of their skills development but also the opportunity to meet their industry peers. One past participant commented that while the content was excellent and personally challenging, there was even more value in getting to know and learn with a committed group of future forestry leaders.
Anyone interested in registering for future sessions should contact Jen Wressell by email (JenW@rural-leaders.org.au) or phone (0417 440072).
