For Community and Youth
COMMUNITY
For the past fifteen years I have been actively working in the field of Community Development and Youth Engagement, both within Australia and Internationally. See a collection of my past projects here.
Program Development
Facilitation
Event Management
Resource Creation
Expertise
My expertise lies in the area of Program Development & Facilitation, Event Management and Resource Creation.
As an experienced facilitator, I work with organisations to support the development of their community and youth programs as well as offering training for staff teams. Each workshop is tailored to meet the identified needs and desired outcomes of your group.
My current area of interest is working with young women in understanding how their body communicates with them, developing their confidence in their intuition to safely navigate challenging situations.
Projects
I have had amazing opportunities to work with communities in Vanuatu, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Guyana, Philippines and Nepal.
For these projects, I integrated community development principles and action research applying a participatory approach co-designing with communities to identify need areas; recruited, trained and lead volunteer teams; and worked collaboratively to achieve goals.
Returning to my home town of Melbourne, I have worked with different community services and Not For Profit organisations. I have held Program Coordinator, Team Leader and Group Facilitator roles where I have been responsible for all aspects of program delivery for a wide variety of community and youth programs, events and experiences. The majority of these programs involved working with at-risk young people and marginalised groups, including migrant and refugee individuals and families.
PAST FACILITATION
EARLY CHILDHOOD
Fun and expressive CREATIVE MOVEMENT CLASSES for children:
Early childhood, Kinder and Primary age.
A range of movement games and activities are explored enhancing participants' body awareness, imagination, creative confidence and social skills.
Theme examples: Animals, Seasons, Superheroes, Shapes, Feelings and Emotions.
SELF ESTEEN
RESILIENCE
BUILDING
SELF-ESTEEM AND RESILIENCE BUILDING EXPRESSIVE THERAPY:
Activities can include creative movement, mindfulness, Gratitude practice, understanding emotions, motivational affirmations and vision board creating.
*Great for Adolescent female groups
Testimonials
"Dandenong West Primary School has had the privilege of Cathy’s specifically designed Dance and Movement programs throughout 2016. Cathy has run several groups that target different ages, creating a fun, energetic and therapeutic space where creativity and ‘giving it a go’ is Cathy’s main focus. As the facilitator, she provides clear guidance and direction, whilst also providing a safe space for the children to self-express though their own movements.
Throughout the year the staff have seen social and emotional changes in many of the students as a result of her programs. These programs have proven to be effective with different children for different reasons, as each individual is able to explore their creative side, emotional side and physical sensations, through movement."
- Donna Lai, Social Worker
"Thank you seems so inadequate when I reflect on the generous investment of time, love and open authentic sharing of you at our Girls Retreat. There is absolutely no doubt the impact you have had on our vulnerable teenage girls. You brought such a special and unique set of skills and qualities and I truly valued your contribution Cathy.
I truly appreciated the time and thought you put into planning the two workshops. It proved to be quite an intense and very reflective day for some of the girls – shifting emotions and beliefs perhaps not truly serving them very well. After you left, most of the girls went off in small groups for walks and intimate conversation. I felt that was very much a response to the impact you had. Thank you. How fortunate these girls are to have so many women invested in their wellbeing and journey into adulthood".
- Jeanette Horsley, YMCA Southern Peninsula Youth Services Director
DRUMMING - DRUMBEAT PROGRAM
10 Week Drumming Program focused on Social and Emotional learning.
This is the Holyoake Drumbeat program, which implements music therapy through Group Drumming activities to initiate discussion and learning on Identity, Team Work, Community, Communication.
*Involves 10 x 1hour sessions and is completed with a Group performance or creation of short video below.
TEAM BUILDING
TEAM BUILDING WORKSHOPS:
Meaningful group activities that encourage social connection and interpersonal skills, team- work, problem solving and healthy communication in a fun inclusive environment.
*Also great for work-place staff building and energising groups
WELLBEING
WELLBEING WORKSHOPS:
Creative self-reflective processes held in a supportive playful environment – time for self-love and care.
Theme examples: Celebrating self; Getting into the body; Connecting with Nature; Embracing change; Trusting intuition.
MOVEMENT
IMPROVISATION
PERFORMANCE
MOVEMENT IMPROVISATION AND PERFORMANCE:
Sessions encourage intuitive movement, drama activities and creative dance to build towards solo, duet and group performances. The focus is raw real opportunities for participants to feel witnessed and supported in their expression.
