We face the future with confidence
THE KEY TO OUR SUCCESS IS OUR STRONG SENSE OF OPTIMISM AND INVESTMENT IN GOOD PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY YOUNG PEOPLE
IN 2021, the Committee for Geelong celebrates 20 years of providing strategic, apolitical leadership for Geelong.
In 2001, a group of Geelong leaders saw an opportunity to collaborate and build a not-for-profit membership based on an organisational model inspired by the Committee for Melbourne. This group included Geelong business luminaries such as Committee for Geelong’s inaugural Chair Dr Jim Cousins AO, Frank Costa AO, Greg Giles, Geoff Whitbread, Helene Bender, Gary Plumridge, Nic Carr, Ed Coppe,
Ian Audsley and Bernadette Uzelac, who all eventually became interim board members along with Michael Peck, Stephen Vaughan and inaugural CEO Peter Dorling.
Cousins was the architect of the ambitious yet failed bid in 2000 to house a Guggenheim modern art museum in Geelong. He understood the transformational possibilities of art and what such an aspirational and iconic building could do to rebrand Geelong’s identity. Cousins’ disappointment with the failed bid provided the spark that ignited the formation of the Committee for Geelong, and along with his colleague Frank Costa’s ability to bring people together, they assembled the founding members. At the time, Geelong was still suffering the long-term impact of the $2bn collapse of the Pyramid Building Society in 1990, a local youth unemployment rate around a staggering 40 per cent, and a steady stream of young people consistently leaving Geelong to look for work.
This convinced them all that something finally needed to be done to tackle “Sleepy Hollow’s” issues and advocate for major change.
The key to the Committee for Geelong’s success, according to Costa, is a strong sense of optimism and investment in people.
“If you think you can … you can. If you think you can’t … you can’t. It’s as simple as that and the other critical factor is that we will only get there through good people.
“The most important asset any organisation has, whether it’s a school, a hospital, a football club, or a business, is the people. We have to invest in our young people.”
The Committee for Geelong achieves results for Geelong by actively looking at ways to solve problems and confront challenges.
In this Future Geelong publication, we hope to tell some stories of our impact but also of our hopes for the future.
The Committee for Geelong’s success allows us to influence policy and our opinions and research are consistently sought by key decision makers.
Regular briefings and events are held to help inform our members about issues in Geelong and to provide opportunities for our members to connect.
THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSET ANY ORGANISATION HAS, WHETHER IT’S A SCHOOL, A HOSPITAL, A FOOTBALL CLUB, OR A BUSINESS, IS THE PEOPLE
STRATEGIC and community leadership is an important element of any successful region, and strong communities need to consistently cultivate the next generation of leaders.
In response to the need to develop leadership capacity, influence and capability, the Committee for Geelong instigated a portfolio of leadership programs whose alumni exceeds 500 graduates.
The Leaders for Geelong program commenced in 2006, and the original vision, outlined by Dr Jim Cousins, remains strong today.
“… (the) program will deliver Geelong a strong and committed alumni of emerging leaders that will go a long way to ensuring our future is strong and vibrant.”
Increasing an individual’s knowledge about a region’s issues, while gaining an insight into diverse sectors and enterprises is key to leveraging the economic potential of the region.
Some emerging leaders may take on crucial leadership roles in a community either through not-forprofit work or via their promotion to more senior roles in the business sector.
The new 12-month Leaders for Geelong program commencing in 2022 builds community leadership capacity through a carefully crafted program of experiential learning for emerging leaders in the region. Designed to enhance participants’ knowledge of the Geelong region’s needs and highlight opportunities for future leadership, the program blends cutting-edge learning seminars, professional networking and community project contribution in a unique, blended learning experience.
Participants learn to grow their confidence, impact and influence and refine their personal vision for leadership in Geelong in this vibrant program aligned with Regional Leadership Victoria’s competency framework for community leadership.