The program is diverse and jam packed. There are 550 delgates from 32 countries represented - which is a fabulous mix.
Today was the first full day - and being here has brought back to me what a great movement the breast cancer survivor groups are. We have collectively managed to make so many contacts globally - and certainly Dragons Abreast has been a wonderful vehicle for this within Australia.
I would like to urge all of you who are interested in the bigger picture - beyond the paddling - to consider attending conferences. The next international one - Reach for Recovery - is being held in Australia - in Brisbane next May. There is a link on our home page http://www.dragonsabreast.com.au/ - so go visit and think about registering!
Another aspect of conferences is the fun of meeting up with some of the old faces - and the women that I have been priveledged to share a dragon boat with over the years. Many of us wear many hats - and have our beginning and roots as breast cancer advocates.
My presentation was today and the attendees were diverse - some who were paddlers and many who were not. There were people there from Kenya and First Nation (Canadians) who wanted to learn more about the model, about how we, as Dragons Abreast in Australia, have achieved what we have over the last 10 years. Not because they want to paddle in dragon boats but because our model has worked. Dragons Abreast Australia members can all be mightily proud of themselves - as it has been a collective effort.
I had good discussions with a surgeon from Uganda as well as a doctor from Cuba and listened to a wonderful speaker - Annie Sasco from France who discussed her goals for establishing Centres for Environmental Onclogy - fascinating stuff and so interesting to learn more of what is happening in the world.
It was a real priviledge to be able to meet and share with all these wonderful people.
The common thread throughout this is the fact that it is indeed a small world, and we are all united in the fight against breast cancer. The epidemic is global and the solutions must be worked on globally.
It's also very exhausting (but exhilerating!) having the brain switched on all day long :)
Michelle
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Saturday, May 31, 2008
WORLD CONFERENCE ON BREAST CANCER
I am currently on my way to attend the World Conference on Breast Cancer in Winnipeg and presenting a workshop titled "A Journey with the Dragon Spirit - so much to share" - I will be using the model of Dragons Abreast Australia in the presentation.
My airfares have been most generously provided by QANTAS and GOWAY TRAVEL as far as Los Angeles - thanks guys!
The NT Government - thanks to a grant from our Chief Minister Paul Henderson for me to attend - covers the cost of travel from Los Angeles to Wiinipeg and most of my accommodation cost.
I feel very lucky to be able to represent Dragons Abreast in this way and am most grateful for the financial support received to attend the event - as there is no way we could afford it otherwise!
Michelle Hanton
National Coordinator
My airfares have been most generously provided by QANTAS and GOWAY TRAVEL as far as Los Angeles - thanks guys!
The NT Government - thanks to a grant from our Chief Minister Paul Henderson for me to attend - covers the cost of travel from Los Angeles to Wiinipeg and most of my accommodation cost.
I feel very lucky to be able to represent Dragons Abreast in this way and am most grateful for the financial support received to attend the event - as there is no way we could afford it otherwise!
Michelle Hanton
National Coordinator
ITALIAN VISIT
I had a very successful visit and fact finding trip to Italy and returned on 26th May. The Italians were very hospitable and keen to learn more about the wider picture of dragon boating for breast cancer survivors.
Italy is a beautiful place and the food is wonderful!
I know many members are keen to hear the outcomes of this trip as far as whether the next international participatory festival (like Vancouver and Caloundra) as the rumour mill is apparently running hot!
The answer to the burning question is that there are absolutely no decisions made as yet on where the next international participatory festival will be held. This is a bid process and the final outcomes will not be known until September 08.
Michelle Hanton
Italy is a beautiful place and the food is wonderful!
I know many members are keen to hear the outcomes of this trip as far as whether the next international participatory festival (like Vancouver and Caloundra) as the rumour mill is apparently running hot!
The answer to the burning question is that there are absolutely no decisions made as yet on where the next international participatory festival will be held. This is a bid process and the final outcomes will not be known until September 08.
Michelle Hanton
WELCOME BRIBIE ISLAND AND CAMDEN HAVEN
We are thrilled that Bribie Island, Qld and Camden Haven, NSW are joining the Dragons Abreast Australia family. Both groups have been allocated mentors and are currently in the set up process. This takes our numbers to 37 member groups. We also have further group applications in the pipeline - which is really exciting!
Webpages for both groups will be added to our site by mid June.
Welcome Aboard!!
Webpages for both groups will be added to our site by mid June.
Welcome Aboard!!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Connecting Up 2008 (conference, Brisbane 19-20 May)
The CU8 conference, organised by Community Information Strategies Australia (CISA) and supported by the Commonwealth Dept Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Queensland Government was held over two very full days, plus the conference dinner where the Community ICT awards were presented for online innovative ideas benefitting the non-profit community sector.
Wow! Are there some great projects out there! And so many people who care about the future of communities and have the knowhow and determination to improve lives using online tools.
Web 2.0 (the 'Social Web') has endless possibilities for non-profit and charity organisations, and online fundraising is only the beginning. I learned about twittering, blogging, tagging, wikis, widgets, avatars, and millennials (those who've only ever known the digital age); and came away exhausted, ready for three days in a rainforest without a single man-made object in sight!
Richard Neville, whom many of us remember as a revolutionary from the 60s and 70s, gave a wonderful presentation on the past, present and future, which is all really the same thing!
Karma Currency is something you will hear a lot about in the near future - Ashley Rosshandler, the driving force behind the idea, won an award for his foundation, which is Australia's first online charity gift voucher system. The idea is that instead of giving gifts for birthdays, Christmas, Mothers Day or anniversaries, you give a charity gift voucher, and the recipient can then choose her own cause from the many on offer on the site. Everyday Hero, another online fundraising organisation, says you can raise $100,000 online in 30 days! Possibilities for Dragons Abreast, which I will investigate.
There were so many interesting workshops to attend that I wish I could have gone to them all: Bridging the Digital Divide (not just about the lack of broadband in regional Australia, but also about seniors, the disabled and others who are being left behind in this digital revolution), award winning project Wangka Maya, a grassroots organisation which aims to preserve Aboriginal languages, approaching the challenge by using their true resources - the speakers of the languages - and not the usual approach, which is via anthropologists, linguists and academics; the Young People Connected project, which gives young, mainly homeless, people mobile phones to keep them connected with services and with each other. And so many more!
The not-for-profit sector generates 5% of Australia's GDP, so we are a force to be reckoned with, but need to work collaboratively to achieve our aims. "Aggregate" are they say, which is why 35 DAA groups across Australia as one related organisation is worth more than 35 individual groups all struggling towards the same goal : bringing the magic of dragonboating to breast cancer survivors, and raising awareness of breast cancer in the community in general.
If you are interested in the content and outcomes of the conference, go to http://www.connectingup.org/ - full report later! I have to go to my real work now (is that my real work, or is it just what helps me pay for my paddling gear???)
Jan
Wow! Are there some great projects out there! And so many people who care about the future of communities and have the knowhow and determination to improve lives using online tools.
Web 2.0 (the 'Social Web') has endless possibilities for non-profit and charity organisations, and online fundraising is only the beginning. I learned about twittering, blogging, tagging, wikis, widgets, avatars, and millennials (those who've only ever known the digital age); and came away exhausted, ready for three days in a rainforest without a single man-made object in sight!
Richard Neville, whom many of us remember as a revolutionary from the 60s and 70s, gave a wonderful presentation on the past, present and future, which is all really the same thing!
Karma Currency is something you will hear a lot about in the near future - Ashley Rosshandler, the driving force behind the idea, won an award for his foundation, which is Australia's first online charity gift voucher system. The idea is that instead of giving gifts for birthdays, Christmas, Mothers Day or anniversaries, you give a charity gift voucher, and the recipient can then choose her own cause from the many on offer on the site. Everyday Hero, another online fundraising organisation, says you can raise $100,000 online in 30 days! Possibilities for Dragons Abreast, which I will investigate.
There were so many interesting workshops to attend that I wish I could have gone to them all: Bridging the Digital Divide (not just about the lack of broadband in regional Australia, but also about seniors, the disabled and others who are being left behind in this digital revolution), award winning project Wangka Maya, a grassroots organisation which aims to preserve Aboriginal languages, approaching the challenge by using their true resources - the speakers of the languages - and not the usual approach, which is via anthropologists, linguists and academics; the Young People Connected project, which gives young, mainly homeless, people mobile phones to keep them connected with services and with each other. And so many more!
The not-for-profit sector generates 5% of Australia's GDP, so we are a force to be reckoned with, but need to work collaboratively to achieve our aims. "Aggregate" are they say, which is why 35 DAA groups across Australia as one related organisation is worth more than 35 individual groups all struggling towards the same goal : bringing the magic of dragonboating to breast cancer survivors, and raising awareness of breast cancer in the community in general.
If you are interested in the content and outcomes of the conference, go to http://www.connectingup.org/ - full report later! I have to go to my real work now (is that my real work, or is it just what helps me pay for my paddling gear???)
Jan
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
TASSIE MEETING
We had a great meeting in Campbell Town, Tasmania last Sunday - all our member groups were able to get together and learn more about Dragons Abreast. It was great to see so many attendees.
Lauren Vallance from Victoria was also able to join us - which was great!
Thanks to Peter and Moira from Hobart for being our taxi and accommodation! The trip up to Mount Wellington was great and there was even snow on the top! It was cold for this little tropical flower!
Michelle
Lauren Vallance from Victoria was also able to join us - which was great!
Thanks to Peter and Moira from Hobart for being our taxi and accommodation! The trip up to Mount Wellington was great and there was even snow on the top! It was cold for this little tropical flower!
Michelle
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Media tarts again!
The Dragons Abreast ACT team will feature in the ABC tv program "The Insiders" on Sunday 6th April at 9.00 am, so make your cup of tea and settle down to watch! Please keep us informed of other media opportunities so we can let all our members know.
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