FOR 30 years, the Fairley Leadership Program has invested in local people – building the skills, confidence and connections they need to make a difference in their communities.
Goulburn Murray Community Leadership’s (GMCL) year-long Fairley Leadership Program is place-based, cohort-based and multi-sectoral, built around three pillars: Regional Awareness, Community Leadership and Mobilisation.
Three decades on, a recently published Alumni Impact Report demonstrates the ripple effect of that investment.
GMCL now has 788 alumni, with 99 per cent taking at least one new leadership action in their community since participating in the program.
Listed inside this special anniversary feature, you will likely recognise many names identifying local leaders, changemakers and everyday people making a difference in their communities.
Collectively, their actions are estimated to have positively impacted 82,017 people and generated $35.4M in social value across 11 Victorian local-government areas.
That impact stretches across eight sectors, including community and culture, education and youth, health and wellbeing, environment and sustainability, equity and inclusion, economic development and employment, First Nations self-determination, and disaster resilience.
Education and youth initiatives have achieved the greatest reach, benefiting an estimated 15,471 people and generating $2.3M in social value.
But the program’s impact goes beyond numbers.
Participants reported growth across all nine leadership capabilities measured, including self-awareness, initiative and systems thinking, while 80 per cent reported improved wellbeing.
Importantly, the program also creates connections between people from different industries, professions and communities, building networks that remain long after participants graduate.
At a time when communities are asking more of fewer people, developing local leadership capability is increasingly important.
The Fairley Leadership Program’s 30-year legacy can be seen in the boards its alumni have joined, the organisations they have strengthened, the initiatives they have led and the communities they continue to serve.
One leader at a time, that investment has grown into something much bigger.
Find out more at the GMCL website: www.goulburnmurraycommunityleadership.com.au
