2007 RETREAT REPORT

"Positioning our Profession"

The 2007 Australasian Retreat for Advanced Volunteer Management was held between September 25 and 27, 2007 at the Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel in Hobart, Tasmania. This third retreat featured the theme 'Positioning our Profession'.

The event was attended by 50 attendees from every state and territory of Australia (with the exception of NT), New Zealand and the United States of America. The faculty featured leading international volunteerism expert Susan J Ellis from Philadelphia, as well as retreat founders and Australian based leaders in the field Martin J Cowling and Andy Fryar. Participants came from a wide range or organisations and included representation from AAVA and Volunteer Centres in Qld, WA, SA,the ACT and Cantebury in NZ. Those who attended gave the retreat experience an average score of 9.1 out of ten.

Participants were led through a wide range of topics and given time to reflect upon how the profession of volunteer management has evolved. Amongst the many topics raised and sessions offered were:

Returnee delegates were given the opportunity to reflect on their progress over the last year(s)
Understanding the values of our profession
What's the position of volunteers in our profession?
The need to start with the end in mind
Australasia's contribution to international volunteering
Diagnosing obstacles and prescribing cures
Possible futures for our profession
The ways we sabotage our own profession
Reflections on the things that have already changed and which are successful in volunteering
A role play in which delegates argued both for and against the profession of volunteer management

In addition, those present in Tasmania had the opportunity to connect with one another over a welcome dinner on night one and a fun ghost walk and pub dinner on the second night we were together. One on one consultations with faculty members and returnees as well as support circle groups allowed a varied experience which clearly had great benefits to all those present.

At our final session, delegates set three individual goals for themselves to go away and achieve in the first 50 days following the retreat. The group as a whole also adopted a further three community goals, these being:

That each person present would join AAVA, their professional Association (Australasian Association of Volunteer Administrators)
That each person present commits to doing something with profile to celebrate International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day on November 1 and to post the details onto the IVMA Day website
To find ways to nurture personal leadership and growth

The group also adopted a statement created by delegate Warwick Caldwell, (which was dubbed the 'Hobart Statement') which stated;

"My challenge to you all is to go forward and create a formal profession of Volunteer Program Management which features generic transferable acceptance(*).

My recommendation is for us all to join AAVA and to support AAVA in being our voice to the appropriate authorities" (Adopted 27.9.2007)

(*) Generic transferable acceptance = skills that are transferable across agencies and sectors of volunteerism

2007 Retreat Photos (clockwise from top left)

Support circles form an important element of the retreat program

Sector lunches proved an important addition for the 2007 retreat

Faculty member Susan J Ellis hard at work

Mara Basanovic, Sue Dean and Bernadett Reading taking time to relax

Faculty members Andy Fryar (L) and Martin J Cowling with US participant Fritz Friedl (centre)

2007 Faculty (l-r) Martin J Cowling, Susan J Ellis and Andy Fryar

Enjoying the ghost tour

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