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Feb 2018  e-Newsletter
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May  2018 e-Newsletter

Message from NRWC President Alwyn Friedersdorff  
 
Each member of our Board invested personally to gain the opportunity of attending knowing that through CSW, UN Women, the Australian Government, our agencies and organisations, and individually, we can influence global policy and shape the future of the world for all girls and women.
Our strong presence in New York is past us, but I can assure you that we have returned with a fire in each of us to continue our work of amplifying the voices of rural women and strengthening your participation and leadership, because it really is what we do at home that counts. But the following comments may help your understanding of the nature of CSW62.
 
Over two weeks there were more than 4300 civil society representatives from nearly 600 organisations and 170 countries, attending with 400 parallel events on offer to speak up, raise awareness, build consensus and ensure that no woman or girl is left behind. The Agreed Conclusions were adopted after more than 100 hours of intense negotiations involving UN Women, member states and NGO delegations. We rostered ourselves on to couch duty outside the UN Consultation room to add support to our Government Delegation members, Dr Pat Hamilton and Jo Stewart-Rattray and to learn as much as we could from the experience.
Progressive ground was held on sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights and family-related issues. Key aspects of the gender equality compact from previous years built on the recognition of climate change and natural disasters and role of women in peace building and the importance of the role that rural women play in civil society organisations, trade unions, enterprises and cooperatives.
I have had many requests for what my message was at the Australian Government Side Event, so because it is quite long, you can find it below.               
 
Our next event, to be held in Tasmania, is a Roundtable that will focus on the growing challenges for Rural Women and Homelessness. Watch out soon for details on this event scheduled for early July.
Meanwhile our last e-Leader women group are producing some amazing projects right across Australia assisted by their weekly webinar sessions.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Solutions for Safer Digital Inclusion

Introduction


Thank you for your warm introduction Minister and for the opportunity to speak on behalf of rural Australian women on this very important topic.
 
Technology is an effective tool to empower rural Australian women as leaders within their communities – I have lived and thrived in rural Tasmania and rural Victoria, for much of my life so I can speak from lived experience of the value that technology brings to women working, socialising, growing and inspiring the next generation.
 
 
Social inclusion
Distance is no longer a barrier!  As long as you have a good quality Internet connection, a good headset and a desire to grow your personal and professional skills”.
As the Minister mentioned, I am the proud President of the National Rural Women’s Coalition and today I wanted to talk to you about a real, tangible, successful solution to the empowerment of rural women in Australia. We developed our e-Leader program over seven years ago – and have successfully run it ever since. Over those seven years, we have delivered leadership training to more than 300 remote, regional and rural women across Australia. It is the only fully online course of its kind in our country, aimed specifically at developing rural women’s leadership through interactive learning and online networking. For rural women, who are most often busy mothers, farm management operators, active farmers, community connectors and household managers, the NRWC e-Leader programs and the shorter version, “A Cuppa With”, have proven to be the best and most unique way to learn key leadership strategies. An online platform such as this is the most affordable and convenient way to interact with the time poor remote, regional and rural women of Australia in their own homes.
 
Here’s how it works: twenty rural women from around Australia are selected at any one time to participate in the leadership program that is delivered via a series of webinars over a period of 6 -8 weeks.  We use readily available technology – a laptop, webcam and internet connection - to deliver the program, so it is really accessible. Participants are initially selected by a panel that champions innovative projects, ensuring there is fair and equal representation geographically across Australia and women with unique lived-experiences reflecting Australia’s diverse and inclusive multicultural society. The women selected must work on an identified project relating to their farm business, community or rural sector during the course of the program. This is what enables the transfer of knowledge to the community and beyond – it is about women teaching women, turning their remoteness and at times isolation into a strength. Now that’s empowerment right there!
 
But don’t get me wrong – intermittent internet connections and the differing time zones across Australia – we can have up to four different time zones – are all challenges we need to overcome in the delivery of our program. But of course, we’re strong rural women and we live for overcoming challenges.
 
The NRWC e-Leader program covers topics that rural women have told us are important to them – and as such we ensure the program includes modules on Leadership, Social Media, Sustainability and Advocacy.
 
Our the past seven years, we have refined and tweaked our e-Leaders program to ensure it continues to meet the diverse and emerging needs of rural women.
 
I think the success of the program stems from its adaptability and versatility. For example, one of our participants – Sandra from Booligal which is on the Lachlan River about 80 kilometres north of the small Riverina town of Hay, told me that all she had to do was swap her Akubra hat for her computer headset. She doesn’t need to travel 100’s of kilometres or juggle her farm and family commitments, yet she is still able to make wonderful social and professional networks. She told me the program also helped her to increase her confidence in interacting and learning online, rather than simply using the computer solely for a business purpose.
 
Another participant told me how invaluable the program was as a professional development option for rural women who are usually restricted from attending training given the geographic limitations. This woman – Pip from remote Mullewa (450kms north of Perth WA) – told me that she appreciated not having to organise an au-pair – acknowledging that finding a babysitter is a logistical undertaking that many of our regional or city sisters don’t have to contend with - nor did she need to arrange a back up cook and cleaner for the farm workers, or have to prepare for the backlog of work commitments – just being able to participate without all the added rigmarole of life as a rural women was empowering.
 
An effective empowerment tool   
As you can see, the National Rural Women’s Coalition e-Leaders program offers an affordable, convenient, interactive way of connecting likeminded rural Australian women. E-learning options offer life-changing improvement through skill development, empowerment through leadership and providing a greater reach to a broader range of women. This allows skills to be transferred practically to work opportunities, improved economic security and increased social capital within the communities in which rural women live.
 
Quantitative evidence shows that capacity building, particularly for women, has a flow on effect that encompasses whole communities. Our evaluations demonstrate that when you invest in leadership training for women, they will take these new skills and knowledge back to their business or industry, and certainly also to their broader community. Women who become local leaders have the opportunity to serve on a variety of committees and community groups. We estimate that our e-Leaders Program will, on average, influence or inform up to ten other community groups per participant. The impact does not stop there, with up to 100 additional people positively impacted as a direct result of investing in that one leader.
 
Indeed, last year’s prestigious Australian AgriFutures Awards, which showcases the achievements of rural Australian women, saw three finalists who had been NRWC e-Leader participants. The impact of our courses on each life brings added benefits of improved life opportunities and outcomes that result in achieving gender equality.
I think of Sandra, an e-Leader program participant, who went on to become a judge of leadership in our Australia Day Awards. She was also an Australia Day Ambassador who spoke at her region’s celebration about citizenship and leadership.
 
I think of Emma in very remote far north Queensland, whose nominated project continues to gather women of remote communities together for support, growth and as strong community voices.
 
I think of Tiani who lives 730 kilometres from her nearest town – for those in the audience not familiar with Australia’s topography, this means that Tiani needs to drive for about 8 hours from her house just to get to the nearest town – not a city, not a regional centre, but 8 hours to drive just to a tiny little town. Tiani is really impressive – she didn’t let geography be a barrier when she organised a gruelling 1000 km horse ride in support of the Isolated Children’s Parents Association. And she’s embracing technology to continue her online studies for a Diploma of Agribusiness Management.
 
There are hundreds, thousands of Sandra’s, Emma’s and Tiani’s right across the world who do amazing things every day – I like to think that in Australia, by embracing technology and thinking a bit more innovatively about how we can include and empower rural women, we are equipping women to be the practical, smart leaders we know they can be.
 
Complementary role of the NWA
I have proudly spoken about the work and successes of the National Rural Women’s Coalition, but I must also point out that we are complemented by five other Alliances which make up the Australia’s National Women’s Alliance Network. Together we share and draw upon each other’s expertise to enhance our individual roles. The Alliances represent over 180 women’s organisations and we bring together individuals from across Australia to share information, identify issues that affect them to develop solutions and foster a more informed and representative dialogue between Australian women and government. The National Rural Women’s Coalition is proud to represent the Alliances here at CSW62, and to use this platform to champion our unique focus of the empowerment of rural women and girls.         
        
As you can imagine, the representative organisations that comprise the National Women’s Alliance are also geographically dispersed. Together we seek to empower all Australian women through safe and positive digital inclusion by helping them to be active creators and disseminators of knowledge on topics important and relevant to them. This leads to improved life opportunities and outcomes, which result in achieving gender equality.
 
I really look forward to the National Rural Women’s Coalition embracing the emergence of new technologies and continuing to be leader in supporting rural women to grow, develop and inspire the next generation.
 
 
WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING AT NRWC
 
CSW62 New York

        
CSW62 New York - United Nations




Keli McDonald


     
The NRWC team  hard at work meeting in New York
CSW62 Debrief in Sydney

        
President Alwyn Friedersdorff    
chairing the Report Back session in Sydney.



Australian Delegation members, Jo Stewart-Rattray and Dr Pat Hamilton on either side of Rachael Farrell, Office for Women.
     
 
Rural Women and Mental Health
Middle Left: Maddi McBarron, Sarah McCarthy, Martin Laverty, Keli McDonald.

Middle Right: Dorothy Coombe and Bonnie Millen.
Bottom Left: Keli McDonald, Dorothy Coombe, Sarah Natty, Leonie Noble.
Bottom Right: Sarah Parker talking about Mental Health issues in the Dairy Industry.

 

NRWC Member Organisation: Country Women's Association of Australia

 

 

 


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0455 844 101

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National Rural Women's Coalition · GPO Box 437 · Canberra, ACT 2601 · Australia