Community Conversations

In today's episode, we are joined by Brad Grieve and Linda Doolan from Mable. Mable operates a Community Partnerships program, a social enterprise model that connects aged care providers, community organizations, and local support workers through an online platform. The program initially began in rural and remote areas of Australia before expanding to regional metro regions. Services offered include personal care, daily living support, transport, meal preparation, and social support. Community centers play a crucial role in the program by coordinating services between clients and providers. With over 100 community centers already involved nationally, the program aims to support community sustainability.

Both Brad and Linda are dedicated to helping older residents live at home while transforming what home care looks like in rural Australia. They work to make care accessible and create fulfilling work opportunities for locals. Having grown up in a small country town, Linda understands the challenges of accessing services and the power of locally led solutions. She is passionate about building capacity in remote areas. Brad, meanwhile, understands people's strong desire to remain in their local communities for as long as possible.

This week we are joined by Vanita Schwarz from Volunteering South Australia and the Northern Territory. Vanita's career in volunteer management spans 20 years, beginning when she was just 16 years old. She has worked across local government and both small and large not-for-profit organizations before joining the state's peak body for volunteering. With a passion for volunteer management, Vanita has witnessed how volunteering enhances community connections, facilitates learning, enriches student experiences, and can lead to future employment opportunities while building more resilient and happier communities.

Vanita discusses COVID's significant impact on volunteering, highlighting how shutdowns led to community loneliness and social disconnection among volunteer-run programs. She explains the challenges of rebuilding volunteer programs post-pandemic, citing changes in people's circumstances—such as returning to work and childcare issues—alongside increased compliance requirements as major barriers. Vanita explores effective recruitment strategies including social media, word of mouth, and networking. She also emphasizes the importance of adapting volunteer roles to current community needs and suggests the concept of the term "volunteer" being redefined.

In this week's episode, we are joined by Professor Lydia Woodyatt from the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. Lydia is one of the developers of the Flinders Certificates in Mental Health and Wellbeing for Workplaces and Communities, where she also teaches. As a social psychologist, she is a multi-award-winning teacher and public speaker, and co-created the highly successful online course "The Psychology of Surviving and Thriving," which focuses on developing wellbeing and self-management skills.

Professor Woodyatt discusses the growing mental health challenges facing community centers, highlighting societal issues like cost of living pressures, loneliness, and discrimination as key contributing factors. She emphasizes the need for triage systems and support programs as community centers continue to address these challenges. Lydia introduces a program she co-designed with industry partners that equips frontline workers with essential mental health skills, covering topics such as personal wellbeing, supporting others, and leading organizational wellbeing. She stresses the importance of understanding professional boundaries, maintaining psychosocial safety, and addressing basic psychological needs to improve community mental health.

This week we are joined by Stephen Sverchek, Executive Manager of Innovation and Impact at Youth Opportunities. Stephen's career has spanned four continents where he has contributed to education, community development, and youth empowerment initiatives. With over a decade of experience, Stephen leads strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing youth agency, building personal leadership skills, and strengthening communities nationwide. His approach is grounded in collective impact, co-design with young people, and cross-sector collaboration to ensure sustainable change.

Stephen discusses the youth participation framework developed to engage young people in community centers. This framework formalizes youth engagement, involving young people in both service design and delivery. He highlights the need for open spaces and partnerships to attract youth to community centers, while also noting the success of digital tools and the importance of face-to-face interactions. Stephen also discusses Youth Opportunities programs that focus on social-emotional learning, enterp

This week we are joined by Nicholas Michalakis, the Owner and Operator of Tweak IT. Tweak IT is a locally owned tech support service focused on delivering smart, accessible, and reliable IT solutions for homes, individuals, and small office environments. With over 20 years of industry experience, they combine deep technical knowledge with a modern customer-first approach that emphasizes personalized solutions tailored to each client's specific needs.

Nicholas discusses essential cybersecurity tips for community centers, emphasizing the importance of high-level security measures like endpoint security hardware and multi-factor authentication. He details how these measures can prevent unauthorized access and protect sensitive community data. He highlights the need for regular software and firmware updates to patch security vulnerabilities, and implementing comprehensive network policies to block malicious activities before they can compromise systems. Nicholas strongly advises against relying solely on generic antivirus software, explaining why these solutions often fail to protect against sophisticated modern threats. Additionally, he stresses the importance of continually educating staff and volunteers about safe online practices, recognizing sophisticated phishing scams, creating strong passwords, and maintaining general cybersecurity knowledge as the first line of defense to protect centers and their staff from increasingly common cyber attacks.

This week, we're joined by Claire Johnson, Founder and Managing Director of Advocate 360. Claire shares her extensive experience in government relations and strategic communications, where she has advised industry associations, corporations, and startups navigating complex policy environments. She is also the former CEO of the Australian Hydrogen Council, and previously led government relations for Toyota Australia playing a key role in shaping national policy on emerging transport technologies.

Claire discusses the key challenges community centers and industry bodies face, particularly resource constraints, and the need for creative solutions. She recommends focusing on two to three priority issues and aligning with government priorities while emphasizing the importance of clear documentation. Advocate360 specializes in helping businesses and member organizations improve their policy engagement and stakeholder strategy, offering customized support including grant application assistance.

This week, we are joined by Naomi Lacey from Community Gardens Australia. Naomi is a permaculturalist who is passionate about promoting healthy food systems, sustainable lifestyles, and cultivating community. Naomi believes that community gardens play a pivotal role in ensuring better health outcomes for Australians, building community, addressing the climate crisis, reducing waste, and educating people.

Naomi discusses the benefits and growth of community gardening, highlighting a rise in community gardens and a 44% increase in the United States from 2012 to 2019, with similar trends here in Australia. Community gardens address social isolation, with doctors in the United Kingdom now prescribing them for mental health. Naomi emphasizes the importance of community involvement and local council support for land and funding. She touches on the role Community Gardens Australia plays in providing resources, education, and advocacy while also discussing sustainable planting practices and the potential for rooftop and verge gardens. Through these initiatives, Naomi and Community Gardens Australia are helping create greener, more connected communities across the country.

This week, we're joined by Dr. Nadia Corsini, a behavioral scientist and senior research fellow at the University of South Australia. Dr. Corsini is passionate about translating evidence to solve pressing social and health challenges for industry, government, and most importantly, the public.

The Loneliness Project is a partnership between UniSA, The Hut Community Centre, and other academic, policy, and community organizations working together to address loneliness in communities. Dr. Corsini discusses the Spark: Igniting Human Connection project—a community co-design model to combat loneliness. Funded by the Women's Health Research Translation and Impact Network (WHRTN), the research revealed that loneliness peaks around midlife and affects all genders equally. The Spark Project has developed several initiatives including a community café model, nature-based activities, and co-working spaces to foster meaningful social connections. These initiatives, led by trained volunteers, create sustainable community-driven solutions to loneliness while emphasizing the importance of face-to-face interactions over digital ones.

In this episode, we are joined by Jenni-Lee Keez, a survivor of anorexia nervosa and various associated mental health challenges, who has transformed her experiences into a mission of empowerment and healing. As a reality therapy certified counsellor, speaker, and teacher, Jenni-Lee shares powerful insights in her memoir, Anorexia Unlocked: Understanding Your Story Through Mine. Her journey began with traumatic experiences at age two, eventually leading to an eating disorder at 15. Despite achieving academic and athletic success, her struggles intensified, resulting in an anorexia diagnosis at 24, followed by OCD, chronic fatigue, and anxiety.

Through intensive therapy, Jenni-Lee began uncovering and healing from her past trauma. Today, she advocates for the vital role of lived experience in mental health treatment, offering various books, programs, and speaking engagements to support others on their recovery journeys. Her work particularly focuses on early intervention, trauma-informed care, and building supportive communities for those affected by eating disorders and mental health challenges.