Board of Governance
The Board of Governance is the ultimate authority
for the successful operation of YACVic. The Board for 2007/2008
is comprised of four officers and six executive members. The
four officers are
the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson, Treasurer and the Young Media
Spokesperson. In addition, YACVic's constitution includes a mandate
for the Board to include up to five young people as
well as a representative from rural/regional Australia.
Members of the Board are elected by the YACVic membership
at the Annual General meeting (AGM). At the first Board meeting
following the AGM the new Board decides on the officers for the
coming year, with the exception of the Young Media Spokesperson
who is directly elected at the AGM.
The Board operates under a governance framework which
means that they are concerned with the overall strategy and direction
of the organisation. The management of day-to-day decisions are
left up to the Chief Executive Officer who is accountable to the
Board
in respect to these operational matters.
The Board takes advice from both the Policy Advisory
Group as well as the Youth Reference Group, but ultimately decisions
regarding the governance of YACVic are made by the Board.
YACVic Board 2007/2008
(Acting) Chairperson
Richard Hill
Young Media Spokesperson
Cassandra Devine*
Treasurer and Designated
Regional/Rural Representative
Toni Hancock
Executive
Members
Tim Corney
Damon Hauenstein*
Emma Crichton
Kimberly Flanagan
Chris Varney*
Mike Pountney*
(* denotes young person)
Board Profiles
Richard Hill ((Acting) Chairperson)
Richard Hill has worked as youth worker, youth service manager,
trainer and researcher in various guises for the last 40 years. He
has worked mainly in local government (including a stint in East
London), spent three years teaching on the Youth Work course at the
former Phillip Institute (now part of RMIT), and has recently
completed a variety of consultancy projects in the youth sector.
He spends part of his time now doing freelance
work as a facilitator, while working at QICSA as a Senior
Operations
Manager,
coordinating
training in
quality and conducting quality reviews with community organisations.
He has had some involvement with YACVic at various stages of its
history and was president of the Victorian Youth Workers Association
in the late 70s. He still has a strong interest in youth
affairs and is delighted to be part of YACVic’s current resurgence
and strong focus on youth participation.
Toni Hancock (Treasurer
and Regional/Rural Representative)
Toni is the Executive Officer of the South West Local Learning
and Employment Network. Although she was born and bred in regional
Victoria, as a young person her one aim in life was to leave the
country for the 'bright lights' of the city. She therefore lived
and worked in Melbourne for many years as well as working for a
time overseas. She has worked in all sectors of the work force:
private, government and community.
A converted returnee she is now passionate about living
and working in rural Victoria. The YACVic role, in many ways is
an extension of that passion, as the regional Victoria rep Toni
believes that she can bring to the table an important perspective
that will add value to and strengthen YACVic's Board of Governance.
Cassandra Devine (Young Media Spokesperson)
Cassandra is a Public Policy/Media and Communications
graduate, and is currently pursuing her Masters degree
in Social Policy. She has been an active member of the
Youth Reference Group since 2004. She was a regional
editor of the Office for Youth’s youthcentral website
and has also conducted media skills training in
Timor-Leste. This year she brings her communication
skills to the role of Young Media Spokesperson for the
Youth Affairs Council Victoria.
Cassandra is a recipient of the Duke of Edinburgh Gold
Award and Rotary Youth Leadership Award. She also has
a longstanding interest in health and wellbeing,
sitting on the Community Advisory Board for Body Image
and teaching yoga in her spare time.
Kimberley Flanagan
Kimberley Flanagan is the Director of Outer South at Connections,
an agency of UnitingCare (Connections). She manages a
budget of nearly $8 million per annum and over 75 staff. The services
include
a range of youth specific programs such as Clean Slate, Reconnect,
Finding Solutions, Adolescent Community Placement Program and Same
Sex Attracted Young People Project.
Kimberley was employed with the Centre for Excellence in Child
and Family Welfare (the Centre) as Manager of Membership and Strategic
Projects, providing strategic advocacy ,sector representation,
and services to members. Prior to this position Kimberley was the
Manager of Access and Participation in the Early Years Branch of
the Department of Human Services (DHS)
Kimberley started her career in a youth outreach program in the
1980s and has also worked in Child Protection as team leader
in the Adolescent Team. Kimberley was also the team leader with
Kildonan Child and Family Services for the implementation of a
new family support service.
Her work history demonstrates strong, collaborative and dynamic
leadership. Her direct style is balanced with encouraging and
honouring diversity within the workforce, valuing different skills,
encouraging and modelling professional responsibility and accountability,
fostering a culture of learning and honouring personal integrity
and honesty.
Emma Crichton
Emma Crichton is the Manager of St Kilda Youth Services
(SKYS). SKYS is a generalist youth service in the City of Port
Phillip for young people in the municipality and young people that
transition to, visit and access services in the City of Port Phillip.
SKYS generally specialises in homelessness case management services
and education programs for young people who have negative experiences
of mainstream education. Emma has particular interest in the development
and the implementation of innovative and flexible program delivery
that caters to the needs of a diverse client base. Prior to SKYS,
Emma has experience in the youth sector across a range of programs
in rural and urban Victoria.
In the last five years, in particular, Emma has seen the need
to embrace a new method of delivering service to young people.
Arts and skilled based programs that engage and empower young people
and involve participation from the community have been a passion.
Emma considers her position on the YACVic board to be a further
extension of her work in youth service delivery as well as a platform
to involve young people who don’t regularly have the opportunity
to have a voice at such a level to be represented.
Chris Varney
Bio to come...
Damon Hauenstein
Bio to come...
Tim Corney
Bio to come...
Mike Pountney
Bio to come...
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