We’re feeling energised as we zoom through the first month of the new year. That’s because we can see what’s ahead, and we’re excited about the possibilities. Are you ready to set sail with us? We’re celebrating what’s been achieved in partnership with people just like you so far, while setting our sights on facilitating more important conversations in more places and having even more positive impact on more communities. We’re ready to embrace where engagement and deliberation are going, are you?
A message of thanks to you - our clients, participants, partners and friends - and hope for what’s ahead. As we head towards the end of a big year of big conversations, our team shares what they’re grateful for, their biggest highlight of 2023 and what’s really lighting them up when they think forward to the new year ahead.
Meet the newest additions to the MosaicLab team: Belinda Lowing and Fox Gillen. Both Belinda and Fox have long career histories that span across interesting and complex roles that have included facilitation and engagement in many forms. Learn more about these two and gain some insights into who they REALLY are through their answers to our fast five questions!
Ever wondered what makes our facilitators tick? Meet the newest additions to the MosaicLab team: Jody Kingston and Aaron Bosch. Both Aaron and Jody have fascinating, diverse backgrounds and have come to MosaicLab and facilitation via interesting pathways. Find out what they love about their work, what impact they hope to have and how they answered a list of fun and probing questions that we like to call The Telling Top 10...
Four language interpreters. Child-minding. Recruitment challenges. Birthday cake and a lot of laughs. These are just some of the unique highlights of our work with Quit Victoria and VicHealth in 2022 on a project to reduce tobacco-related harm in public housing. This case study takes a detailed look at how MosaicLab supported this process with a residents’ panel and sense-making workshops. All to drive improved, long-term outcomes for community and public health.
Thanks to the pandemic, MosaicLab facilitators have had over 12 months of running online meetings and workshops, clocking over 300 online sessions! As a result, we now know what works well in this medium and what it takes for people to have meaningful conversations and contributions online. We shares our knowledge of the online meeting world with you through our Virtual Facilitation training course.
Find out more here.
MosaicLab is excited to be offering two new training courses - Virtual Facilitation and Technical Skills (for anyone that is currently hosting, or learning to host, online meetings and workshops) and Deliberative Engagement for Victorian Councils (for council staff, executives and councillors who have a role in relation to the deliberative engagement requirements of the new Local Government Act).
Find out more here.
Join us in for a day of FREE training, learning, networking and sharing in Melbourne on 12 December.
We’re hosting a jam-packed two-part event: Deliberation 101 Training for Government , followed by an Engaging Evening of conversation with with Dr. Brett Hennig (the Sortition Foundation UK) and Louisa Curry (Local Government Victoria).
The event will explore an engagement dilemma facing the public sector - how to engage effectively against a backdrop of new expectations and requirements, including legislative reform. It’s an opportunity to learn from international and Australian experiences, and consider how your organisation could engage better in a changing world.
Registrations are now open and places are very limited, so be sure to secure your spot ASAP.
The United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) has appointed the newDemocracy Foundation to undertake a pioneer project centred around doing democracy differently. It’s an announcement that has us excited. Today we’re shining a spotlight on this project, which has potential to inspire democratic change and the adaption of deliberative engagement principles across the globe.
newDemocracy’s Executive Director Iain Walker provided us with some insights into what we can expect from what is shaping up to be an innovative and impactful project.
A new Local Government Act is on the way in Victoria, with submissions on the the Exposure Draft of the Local Government Bill to close this Friday. The draft signals some changes to expectations around community engagement - a shift that is set to impact how councils engage in a number of ways.
In this post, we're summarising the key changes proposed in relation to engagement and highlighting what this might mean for councils and how they engage in the future.
Considering or about to embark on a deliberative engagement process? It's time to get ready.
MosaicLab's new training experience for managers, leaders and decision makers has been designed to help you, your organisation and your community/stakeholders to get the most out of your upcoming journey into the world of deliberation.
Learn how to overcome the challenges, avoid the pitfalls and embrace the opportunities of a deliberative processes at this exclusive, one day event to be held in the Melbourne CBD on the 28th June.
Advisory committees – we love them and we hate them – and we can’t stop setting them up. They're possibly the number one method of engagement in Australia.
When used effectively, these groups (also called stakeholder/community reference groups and a whole host of other titles) can provide an opportunity to gather local knowledge and input, test ideas and proposals and improve communication and relationships. However, when used improperly, run poorly, or put in place as a substitute for a comprehensive engagement process, they can create more risk than reward.
This post will help you to overcome some of the biggest challenges associated with advisory committees, and ensure that both organisation and group benefits from the experience.
