AWE Newsletter - April 2023

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

Welcome to the April 2023 edition of the AWE Newsletter

AWE News

AWE celebrates five years!

The Australasian Women in Emergencies Network is five years old! From its small beginnings AWE now boasts more than 1700 AWEsome members and provides them with an increasingly wide range of activities and opportunities.

AWE has been privileged to help promote, support and recognise the extraordinary contributions of women to the emergency management and disaster resilience sector, and we can’t wait to continue to work with and for our members over the coming five years and beyond.

To help us understand more about our members and what we can do to support them, AWE will conduct another member survey soon. Keep an eye on your inbox for details.

Want to be an ally of AWE and women in emergencies and disaster resilience?

Not sure if, as a man or someone who doesn’t identify as a woman, you’re eligible to join or participate in AWE?

Check out the AWE Q&A below which explains some of how and why we invite and encourage men and others to be allies of AWE and women in emergencies and disaster resilience. We’ll also be exploring this topic in more depth at our Allies of AWE Q&A to be held at 4pm on Tuesday 18 April. Book now or check out details in the AWE Events section below.

These Q&As mark the start of a conversation in AWE about inclusivity,
diversity and creating safe spaces for everyone.

Lessons Management Forum free tickets close soon

AWE, proudly sponsored by C3 Resilience, is providing members the opportunity to win one of four in-person attendance registrations to the 2023 AIDR Lessons Management Forum in June in Canberra. To enter, simply tell us, in 25-50 words, why you’d like to attend the Lessons Management Forum and what you hope to take away from it. Entries close 5pm AEST Monday 10 April.

Apply now

Missed the AWE Open Discussion on Lessons Management? Check out the recording here.

International Women’s Day 2023

In March AWE and its members celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) with a range of in-person and online events, including including the AWE Innovation Cafe and online beach party and the Emergency Services Foundtion’s IWD Forum.

AWE Committee member Lisa Jackson, above far right, facilitated a panel discussion of women in emergency services at Cracking the Code: Diversity in Leadership through Crisis, an event hosted by Maribyrnong City Council and Victoria Police. Lisa said, “I was in awe of the honesty, vulnerability and experiences shared in the conversation. I am so grateful, particularly on days like today, to have been supported and surrounded by inspiring women and allies of women my entire life and if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be where I am today – full of determination, passion and courage”. What an AWEsome reflection for International Women’s Day!

How can AWE can help make IWD meaningful and ignite change?

Let us know your thoughts to help AWE plan for IWD next year!

AWE and Girls on Fire

In March Girls on Fire and AWE representatives joined a group of young women aged 14-16 at a camp on Djaara Country in Creswick, Victoria to learn what emergency services do and the importance of diversity in the sector. Participants made new connections and tried new things like working in a team, using a fire extinguisher, practice dry fire fighting, learn CPR, build cultural knowledge, using car crash extraction tools, and competing in drills. One participant said, “Before Girls On Fire, I did not know all the different firefighting jobs, but now I have more of a wide range of jobs I might consider. I am so grateful that Girls On Fire exists because I am able to see all the women that work in emergency services and I can ask the questions that I have”.

Pictures courtesy Amanda Lamont

Girls on Fire also launched its one-day New Zealand pilot program in Rotorua at the Fire and Emergency New Zealand National Training Centre in March. If you’d like to know more or get involved in the next program head to www.girlsonfire.com.au

AWE Hike

In March, a group of intrepid AWE members ventured into Victoria’s only alpine ecosystem untouched by bushfire in the last 100 years, Baw Baw National Park on the lands of the Gunaikurnai and Wurundjeri Peoples. On a mission to reconnect with nature, and meet new friends, we made easy work of the short 1.2km hike into our tent city which our host had kindly trekked in the day before to set up. We enjoyed a very tranquil evening of conversation and star gazing, and rock climbing for some. The next day we were shrouded in an atmospheric mist which made the hike up to Mt Erica at 1500m wonderfully mystical and moody. The best endorsement for the trek came from Lisa who said, “Next time, we should go for two nights!” You can check out a short video capturing highlights of the trek here.

Amanda is now busily planning the next trek in Victoria and already putting feelers out for treks in other locations around Australia.

If you’d like to register your interest for the next trek, and send in some suggestions or requests for locations, get in touch with Amanda.

Philippa Woolf Scholarships

The 2023 Philippa Woolf Scholarships are now open!

Two full scholarships are available to AWE members to study the
Diploma of Public Safety (Emergency Management) at ACIM Solutions.

For details, including how to apply, please click here.

Find out more at our Scholarship Q&A with Philippa Woolf on 26 April.

Applications close on 2 May

Successful applicants will be announced in late May.

AWE Events

Allies of AWE Q&A

AWE aims to promote and amplify the voices and experiences of women working, volunteering, studying or experiencing disasters and emergencies, and we need all the support we can get.

Can men and people not identifying as a woman join and participate in the AWE network? How can they become better allies for women’s advocacy in emergency management and disaster resilience?

AWE invites members and allies, and especially encourage men and people who don’t identify as a woman, to join our online Allies of AWE Q&A. Hosted by AWE Vice-President Amanda Lamont, we’ll discuss these and other questions about how you can join and be an ally of AWE and women in emergencies

Tuesday 18 April 4pm AEST

Book now

This event marks the start of a conversation in AWE about inclusivity,
diversity and creating safe spaces for everyone.

Philippa Woolf Scholarship Q&A

Join our online Q&A with Philippa Woolf from ACIM to find out more about applying for the Philippa Woolf Scholarship, the Diploma of Public Safety
and studying at ACIM.

Friday 26 April 2.30 – 3.30pm AEST

Book now

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

AWE Women in Emergencies for Climate Action

Our next meeting of the Women in Emergencies for Climate Action chapter is on
Wednesday 19 April at 11am AEST. Join here
Meeting ID: 868 7093 6151
Passcode: 568423

Membership of the AWE Women in Emergencies for Climate Action chapter is free and open to any member of AWE. Subscribe to get information about meetings, news, events, and resources.

For more information about the Women in Emergencies for Climate Action chapter, including how to subscribe, please our new webpage.

AWE Member Profile

Jennifer Rizzi, CEM

Team Leader, Business and Development, and Group Welfare Manager, Wellington Region Emergency Management Office. Proud AWE Committee Member

Meet Jennifer Rizzi, CEM. Originally from California, New Zealand has been Jennifer’s home for nearly 20 years. She’s a dedicated emergency management professional with a heart for animals and the community. With 14 years’ experience leading community engagement and working with young people at Wellington’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Jennifer’s journey to emergency management began with a leader’s encouragement to join the Animal Rescue Unit. She learned technical animal rescue skills and found herself drawn to emergency management after several deployments supporting Civil Defence Emergency Management responses and incident-level rescues.

A standout rescue involved hiking into the bush and abseiling down a cliff to rescue a pair of grateful pig dogs trapped at the bottom of an inaccessible ravine. With a commitment to the community, Jennifer became Group Welfare Manager at the Wellington Region Emergency Management Office. She worked to strengthen welfare relationships, plan welfare service provision, and deliver training across councils and community groups.

Jennifer has responded to disasters in both leadership and support roles and currently serves as the Team Leader for Business and Development at Wellington Region Emergency Management Office. In this role, she works to ensure the Wellington Region remains ready and capable of responding to the next emergency while helping her team develop along the way. Jennifer’s a champion of empowerment and passionate about helping others achieve the best possible outcomes for communities.

Jennifer recently joined the AWE Committee and is looking forward to bringing the voices of New Zealand women to the table and learning from all the amazing women working across emergency management.

You can contact Jennifer at [email protected]

AWE Member Profiles showcase the skills and experience of our AWEsome members. They also highlight the diversity of roles, both paid and volunteer, that make up the emergency and disaster resilience sector. You can nominate yourself or another AWE member to be profiled in the AWE Newsletter. Please email us for more information.

AWE Q&A

Q. Can men and people not identifying as a woman join and participate in the AWE network? How can they become better allies for women’s advocacy in emergencies and disaster resilience?

A. Membership of AWE is open to everybody who plays a role in emergencies and disaster resilience. This includes women (inclusive of cis, trans and non-binary) of all backgrounds and abilities, and importantly, men as allies of women.

Men still dominate and hold a majority of leadership positions across the sectors working in disasters. By joining the AWE network and participating in our activities, men can help listen, support and amplify women’s voices, and can be better allies for women working, learning and volunteering in emergencies and disaster resilience. Men can also help support the values and aims of AWE, including promoting collaboration and intersectional gender equity in emergency management and disaster resilience.

It’s important for men to reflect on their own power and privilege as a man – being an effective ally starts with self-awareness. By supporting women’s organisations like AWE and other women’s organisations that fight for women’s rights, men can actively listen to women’s perspectives and take on the role of educating other men in a way that inspires trust and respect.

AWE aims to promote and amplify the voices and experiences of women in their intersectional experiences, working, volunteering, studying or experiencing disasters, and we need all the support we can get. We very much welcome the support of men as allies – as members and as participants in all our activities.

We’ll be exploring this topic in depth at our Allies of AWE Q&A on 18 April

Book now

These Q&As mark the start of a conversation in AWE about inclusivity,
diversity and creating safe spaces for everyone.

The AWE Q&A provides answers your questions by calling on the experience and expertise of our AWEsome membership. Email us your questions today.

News, events and resources

Champions of Change Progress Report: The recently released Champions of Change Fire and Emergency 2022 Progress Report, provides an overview of the actions taken and outcomes achieved by its member organisations to accelerate gender equality. The report finds that while there has been significant increases in women’s representation across the sector and in leadership roles, there has been a decrease in frontline service delivery roles.

AWE has reached out to the authors of the report and invited them to update and answer questions form AWE members.

International news on gender and disaster: To acknowledge IWD 2023, UNDRR has released a range of news and articles on gender, disaster and climate change, including:

Status of women 2023: The Status of Women Report Card provides a picture of what life looks like for women in Australia in 2023. It shows the challenges women and girls in Australia face through youth and young adulthood, in careers and working life, through parenthood and families, and in later life. The Government will release a Status of Women Report Card every International Women’s Day to highlight where progress is slow and more effort is needed.

Support women’s climate action: By contributing to the Women’s Environmental Leadership Australia’s (WELA) Giving Circle you can help support women’s environmental and climate action, and support WELA’s ground-breaking leadership programs. You also get to have a say and get to vote on where the money is going and the kind of impact WELA wants to create. Find out more here.

Disaster recovery and women’s empowerment: a new digital booklet, Shaping Futures with Local Women – Disaster Recovery and Women’s Empowerment 2011-2020, summarizes 10 years of women’s empowerment activities in post earthquake and tsunami Tohoku, Japan since 2011.

Have your say on publishing research: The AJEM editorial team within the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience is currently running a survey to hear from research authors about their preferences for publishing research papers. If you are a researcher, make sure you have your say.

Women in rescue: Women in Rescue is an SES Victoria training event that is designed to provide women with the opportunity to get hands-on with equipment, build on rescue skills, and have fun in a safe and supportive environment. This video is a wrap-up of the first state-wide Women in Rescue event, hosted in 2022.

Maori cultural knowledge and responses to disasters: This article outlines how Matauranga Maori — ‘Maori knowledge’ — is becoming part of New Zealand’s emergency management and will not only mobilise some of the NZ$70 billion worth of iwi assets for disaster relief, but add to the body of research around mitigation and resilience.

Free resilience training for community organisations: A new, free online course Disaster Resilience in Community Service Organisations, is now available now through CSU and OpenLearning. This short course offers practical strategies to improve disaster preparedness, equipping you and your organisation with skills to manage service disruption in the face of disaster events.

EMPA Award nominations now open: The Annual EMPA Awards for Excellence in Emergency Communication recognise those who have made a significant contribution to emergency communications in Australia, and will be presented at the conference dinner on Wednesday 7 June. Find out more, including how to apply, here.

Resilient Australia Awards now open: The Resilient Australia Awards celebrate and promote initiatives that build whole of community resilience to disasters and emergencies around Australia, as well as images capturing resilience in action. Submissions are now open.

Natural Hazards Research Forum: Register now for Natural Hazards Research Australia annual forum featuring keynote speakers Brendan Moon and Professor Daniel Aldrich as well as a wide range of presentations, posters, plenaries and panels covering fire, flood, resilience, regional, remote and urban systems, Indigneous land management and more. Register now.

Global Animal Disaster Management Conference: Call for abstracts for this free, online conference to be held in July, is now open. If you’ve been working in any aspect of animal emergency management – community engagement, holding facilities, animal evacuation, response, retrieval, rescue, treatment, recovery – with animals, animal owners or managers or guardians – the conference organisers are keen to hear from you.

Job Opportunities

ACT
Risk & Safety Manager – Westfield Woden
Senior Public Information Officer – ACT Government

NSW
Interested in joining SES NSW? Check out this video about their recruitment process.
Deputy Commissioner Operations and Capability – Marine Rescue NSW

QLD
Communications Co-Ordinator – Firesticks Alliance (note remote/flexible location)
Brigade Training and Support Officer, RFS – Queensland Fire and Emergency Services

SA
Director Information Security – South Australia Police
Supervisor Security Services – University of Adelaide

TAS
Hydrologist – State Emergency Service

VIC
Municipal Emergency Resource Project Officer – Wyndham City Council
Safer Together Project Officer – Mitchell Shire Council

WA
Business Resilience Manager – Curtin University
Temporary Employment Register – Department of Fire and Emergency Services

NZ
Community Resilience Coordinator – Christchurch City Council
Emergency Management Advisor – Dunedin City

Key sector events

If you are attending any of the events below in 2023 and would like to meet up with other AWE members, please email us at [email protected] and we’ll help you to connect.

1-3 May Natural Hazards Research Forum 2023

23-26 May 2023 Floodplain Management Conference

27-29 June 2023 Lessons Management Forum

4-5 July Emergency Management Conference 2023 Melbourne

11-12 July Disaster and Emergency Management Conference

21-25 August National Custodians of Country Gathering 2023

22-25 August AFAC23 & Australian Disaster Resilience Conference 2023 & WAFA23

10 October Australasian Women in Emergencies Day

Newsletter contributions

The AWE Newsletter is published monthly and is distributed to more than 1700 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]

To become an AWE member, please click here.

You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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