GEM Conference 2023 – Empowerment, Motivation, and Togetherness

On 26th and 27th June 2023, we held our first-ever Growing Early Minds (GEM) annual internal conference. The two-day event was focused on team building, professional development, and planning for the year ahead!

The conference kicked off with a heartfelt Welcome to Country, including a smoking ceremony performed by respected Elder Uncle Colin Locke. This was followed by a Child Safe Standards training session led by Jennifer Peterson from the Office of the Children’s Guardian. The day was interspersed with fun team-building activities with informative talks on clinical boundaries and multi-disciplines.

Day Two continued the momentum with an interactive team activity and a session by our very own Senior Operations Manager, Cindy Price on effective report writing and the latest updates on the NDIS.

Following a morning tea, our in-house psychologist, Rayanne, highlighted the importance of emotional regulation for therapists. Shayne Welch, Marketing Manager at Growing Potential, then explored the evolving landscape of social media, which dovetailed into a session about creating video content led by Jamie Miles, Client Experience Officer at Growing Early Minds.

Cindy then facilitated a discussion on recruitment strategies and school holiday programs and opened a forum for therapists to brainstorm and share their ideas. The day concluded with guest speaker Lazarus Okello, who shared his inspiring lunch box initiative for the local Sudanese community in Blacktown.

Reflecting on the conference, Senior Operations Manager Cindy Price expressed pride in the team’s commitment to continuous learning and improvement, as well as their dedication to fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation. With new insights gained from the conference, the team is excited to bring their knowledge and skills to life in the coming year.

Overall, the GEM Conference 2023 has been a huge success, strengthening bonds and setting the stage for future success. We can’t wait to see what is in store for next year!