AWE Newsletter - May 2022

Promoting, supporting and recognising the contributions of women in emergency management and disaster resilience across Australasia.

Welcome to the May 2022 edition of the AWE Newsletter.

AWE acknowledges the role that many of its members have played in the response and relief to the devastating NSW and Queensland floods of March and April. We also recognise the role of all women who have been on the frontline, behind the scenes, or who have supported their families and communities in a variety of ways throughout this time.

Communities, agencies and others have commenced the long and complex process of recovery, and we know that women will continue to play important roles throughout the months and years ahead. If you’d like to know more about disaster recovery, come along to the forthcoming AWE-AIES event, Sharing insights to recovery from the 2019-20 bushfires. See details in our Events section below.

Additional insights, information and advice can be found in Australian Red Cross’ disaster recovery webinars, AIDR’s upcoming webinar exploring community led recovery, and the ABC’s podcast series After the Disaster with Dr Kate Brady.

Red Cross also offers a Disaster Recovery Advisors and Mentors Australia program that links trained, volunteer mentors with previous personal experience in disaster recovery with community leaders currently working in recovery. Contact [email protected] for more information.

You can also take a look at the award-winning Recovery Capitals, or ReCap, which provides a range of evidence-based recovery resources that are designed to support strengths-based, holistic and inclusive recovery approaches.

AWE News

Philippa Woolf Scholarship
Applications for the Philippa Woolf Scholarship have now closed. We received more than 40 applications from a range of AWE members working and volunteering in emergencies across Australia. AWE and ACIM are evaluating applications, and successful Scholarship recipients will be announced in late May. Many thanks to all those who applied – and good luck!

AWE volunteering opportunities
Many thanks to AWE member Anna Kennedy-Borrisow who has volunteered to provide us with events management expertise and support for Australasian Women in Emergencies Day in October! We’d love more help with events and/or awards management – to find out please email us.

Training and education
AWE will be profiling some of the training, education and professional development opportunities available to disaster and emergency practitioners. If you have a course or program that you think members would like to know about, please contact NSW Chapter Lead Kylie at [email protected] for inclusion in future newsletters.

AWE Open Discussion April 2022
Very little seems certain these days – except, perhaps, the use of the word ‘unprecedented’ whenever another crisis impacts our communities. At the April AWE Open DIscussion, ten AWEsome women gathered to discuss what adaptive leadership might look like, or need to be, in these uncertain times. Over the course of a very short hour, we talked about leadership and the emergency sector. How leaders can frame stories to re-frame conversations; about how leadership is impacted by organisational culture; and about the double-edged sword of community-led initiatives – where communities can be given the power to direct their own disaster recovery, but often without the necessary resources. A key (and challenging) question that arose from the discussion: Vulnerability is not an inherent characteristic of any population – it is produced. What is your leadership doing to reduce that vulnerability? Our May Open Discussion will focus on volunteers and volunteering – see the Events section below.

Tell us what you think of the AWE Newsletter
Many thanks to those AWE members who completed the newsletter survey. We’ve extended the deadline to ensure more members can have their say. If you would like to let us know what you’d like to see in the AWE Newsletter, please complete this short survey.

AWE Events

AWE events are a great way to learn about and get to know other women in the emergency management and disaster resilience sectors. Keep an eye on our calendar of events, and check out the AWE chapter section below for a list of events in your local area. If you’ve got a great idea for an event, know someone who would be a great speaker, or just want to get involved, email us!

AWE Open Discussion – Volunteers and volunteering

The AWE Open Discussions provide a forum for members to explore insights, experiences and ideas on a range of topics. No speakers, no presentations, just AWEsome women getting together to learn, share and network.

Join AWE Secretary and Australian Red Cross volunteer Kath Cooney in this month’s discussion about volunteers and volunteering.

The emergency management sector would fall apart without volunteers. If you’re reading this, there’s a very good chance that you either work with volunteers, or are a volunteer, or both. Come and share thoughts, opinions, experiences and let us know what questions you have.

12pm AEDT Wednesday 18 May

Book now.

Sharing insights into recovery from the 2019-20 bushfires

Hosted by AWE and the Australasian Institute of Emergency Services (AIES), this event provides an opportunity for AWE and AIES members to meet and mingle.

There will be a couple of short presentations about recovery from the 2019-20 bushfires, and then opportunities for discussion with attendees across both organisations.

Some preparation for the event (not mandatory!): podcasts ‘Survivors of Australia’s bushfires still waiting for homes’, Indigenous Australians harder hit by Black Summer fires, and Big Ideas: Resilience and Recovery

7:30pm (AEDT) Thursday 26 May

Book now

Missed an AWE event? Many of our past events are available for viewing on our YouTube page.

AWE Mentoring

The AWE Mentoring Program assists members to establish effective and positive mentoring relationships. Through these relationships we strengthen our network of members; share our collective knowledge; enhance our problem solving and goal setting skills; broaden our horizons and increase our connections across the sector.

We have many AWEsome mentors available to all AWE Network members should you wish to establish a mentoring relationship. Please reach out to Lisa Marie Jackson – Mentoring Coordinator at [email protected] should you wish to chat about the mentoring program in more detail.

AWE Chapter Updates

AWE NSW
Greetings from NSW where we are experiencing some beautiful autumn days at the moment.

Do you have an event to be promoted? Please let me know at [email protected] and I’ll arrange for it to go into the newsletter. Some opportunities coming up in NSW:

Employment opportunity – Habitat for Humanity – Head of Programs
FRNSW will be opening applications for permanent firefighter roles at the beginning of June
Australian Community Engagement and Fire Awareness (ACEFA) Conference is coming up at the end of May in Newcastle
National Parks and Wildlife Service Volunteer week at Newcastle Museum Friday 20 May at 1.30pm

Kylie – AWE NSW Chapter Lead

AWE QLD
Townsville Networking Drinks
Join us for an afternoon sundowner and informal networking opportunity in Townsville.
4.30 pm onward Monday 30 May
Anelay The Strand, Rooftop Bar
RSVP: Alicia Palmer, [email protected]
More information can be found here

Alicia – AWE QLD Chapter Lead

AWE VIC
AWE Vic Chapter drinks
5pm Tuesday 17 May
Upstairs at Loof Roof & Loop Top
23 Meyers Place, Melbourne
RSVP Amanda Lamont for more information, or simply see you there!!!
More information can be found here

The Yarra Ranges Chapter of AWE continues to meet in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne once a month on the Second Wednesday of the month. We meet in Lilydale at 8am. Contact Amanda Lamont for further details 0407 696 300 or [email protected].

AWE Women in Emergencies for Climate Action

The AWE Women in Emergencies for Climate Action group meets online at lunchtime on the third Tuesday of each month.

At our April meeting, AWE members from diverse backgrounds, including research, emergency services, volunteers and community groups, met to discuss how they can benefit from the group and support action against climate change from our sector and roles. For some whose organisations are new to considering climate change, being able to draw on the experience and knowledge of others in the group will give them a head start as they engage others in their organisations on this topic. This is a great example of AWE providing professional development and support to women in the sector through access to experts, information and networks.

Women in Emergencies for Climate Action will continue to explore opportunities to build relationships and partnerships with other organisations to strengthen the voice for climate action. We will also look to take on an advocacy role as we develop our mission and mandate which will be approved by the AWE Committee.

Women in the emergency sector bring a unique voice, passion and point of view to this conversation. AWE is pleased to contribute and show leadership in this important debate and such a critical time for humanity and our environment.

The next meeting of the Women in Emergencies for Climate Action group will take place online from 12.30-1pm on Tuesday 17 May. We have arranged a guest speaker for the first part of this meeting. Contact Amanda Lamont for details or visit the AWE events page for further information.

News, resources and opportunities

Women’s DRR Leadership Awards are now open. The Women’s International Network for Disaster Risk Reduction (WIN DRR) 2022 Leadership Awards are now open. This year, nominations are being accepted from a wide range of countries across the Asia Pacific region, including Australia and New Zealand. Read about last year’s winners here.

Resilience and sustainable development education: The United Nations has partnered with the University of Newcastle to develop the Master of Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development which helps develop an understanding of resilience and sustainable development principles and apply them to avoid disasters, operate through extreme events and emerge better placed to face the future.

Sociology and disasters call for sessions: The XX ISA World Congress of Sociology will be held in Melbourne in July 2023, providing a forum for academics and practitioners to share information about all aspects of disasters. Call for sessions is now open. Please contact Val Ingham for more information.

Disaster recovery resources: Last year VCOSS published a series of disaster recovery bulletins to support recovery from the 2019-20 bushfires. Many of the resources featured are relevant to recovery from other disasters. Topics included:

Women in Ukraine: This Women’s Agenda article outlines how internally displaced people including marginalised groups such as women-run households, Roma people, LGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities are facing a disproportionate degree of hardship as the war enters its eleventh week.

Job Opportunities

ACT
Manager Risk and Resilience, Icon Water
Drought resilience, CSIRO

NSW
Associate Director Marketing and Communications, Ambulance Service of NSW
Corporate Resilience Officer, Bega Valley Shire Council

QLD
Recovery Support Officer, National Recovery and Resilience Agency
Operational Capability Officer (SES Townsville), Queensland Fire and Emergency Services

SA
Bushfire Management Policy Officer, SA Fire and Emergency Services Commission
National People & Culture Manager. Disaster Relief Australia

TAS
Board Member (Appointed Director). Surf Life Saving Tasmania Inc.
Administrative Officer, Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management

VIC
Chief Risk Officer, Country Fire Authority
City Resilience Project Officer, City of Melbourne

WA
Emergency Management Planning Officer, Department of Transport
Community Safety Officer, City of Wanneroo

NZ
Senior Advisor Education and Training, Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Airport Operations/Rescue Fire and Safety, Hamilton Airport

Other Events

If you are attending any of the events below and would like to meet up with other AWE members, please email us at [email protected] and we will see if we can connect you.

23-28 May Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction – UNDRR
AWE co-founder, Amanda Lamont will be attending the UNDRR Global Platform in May. If you are attending this event, please get in touch with Amanda at [email protected] to see about networking opportunities.

6-10 June Fire & Climate 2022 Conference – IAWF

5-6 July Emergency Management Conference 2022 – ESF

25-26 July Disaster & Emergency Management Conference – ANZDMC

23-26 August AFAC22 – AFAC/Deutsche Messe/IFE/AIDR

10 October Australasian Women in Emergencies Day

Newsletter contributions

The AWE Newsletter is published monthly and is distributed to almost 1600 AWE members across Australasia. For contributions, queries or to let us know what you would like to see in the newsletter, please email us at [email protected].

About AWE

The Australasian Women in Emergencies Network (AWE) promotes, supports and recognises the contributions of women in emergency management and disaster resilience across Australasia.

www.awenetwork.org.au
[email protected]

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AWE badges are available from our shop.

AWE acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work, and pays our respect to Elders, past, present and emerging.