Rising Leadership Program | July 2024 Cohort Project Presentations and Graduation

We warmly welcome the 2024 July Rising cohort into our Leadership WA Alumni Community! The 6-month Rising journey for these 29 exceptional leaders culminated in an inspiring final Experience Day and wonderful Graduation Ceremony on 12 December 2024, kindly hosted by the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA.

During the Day, the cohort focused on celebration in leadership to foster a culture of appreciation. Rebecca Tomkinson (Signature 2012) CEO, Chamber of Minerals & Energy WA shared her leadership insights, reflecting on the importance of showing up, knowing yourself in order to lead well and staying connected with other leaders.

The cohort also delivered their impressive Community Impact Project presentations, each aligned to one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

• Zero Hunger | partnered with a local service to create a set of fact sheets for City of Mandurah schools to better support residents in accessing vital food support services.
• No Poverty | developed a podcast "Voices of Resilience: Changing Faces of Poverty" to foster open communication around poverty, breaking down stigma and providing valuable resources. Listen to the podcast here.
• Reduced Inequalities | produced 'Seen and Heard: A Child Advocate's Story', a stop-motion film highlighting the critical role child advocates play in supporting children who have experienced family domestic violence. View the film on our Leadership WA YouTube channel.

If you are interested in receiving a copy of any the Project reports, please be in touch with us. These Projects can be developed and adopted by any organisation and it would be wondeful to have them carried forward.

We are grateful to our Project Mentors who have provided guidance to our Community Project teams over the last 6 months; Kathryn Laferla, Director People & Culture, Anglicare WA, Tom Tolchard, Founder, Tolchard, and Stephanie Godrich, Senior Lecturer Public Health (Nutrition), Edith Cowan University,

The Graduation Ceremony celebrated the unique achievements of this cohort. Geoffrey Batt (Minerals Research Institute of WA) was recognised as the cohort Valedictorian and, in his valedictorian speech, shared the reflection that leaders must always be learners and acknowledged the power of cohort learning. Cherie Brown (Department of Communities) was awarded the Centre for Stories Award for her story-telling in Journey of a Lifetime.

Many congratulations to all our new Rising graduates and welcome to our Alumni community.