News

Inaugural appointment to Helen Macpherson Smith Chair of Leadership for Social Impact at MBS [10.12.2009]

Following a lengthy selection process, Professor Ian Williamson has been selected from an international field of candidates to hold the inaugural Helen Macpherson Smith Chair of Leadership for Social Impact.

In this role he will head the Asia-Pacific School of Leadership for Social Impact at Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne. This is the first position of its kind at the University of Melbourne and one of a few only in the world. Professor Williamson will start in the role in January next year.

The Trust is thrilled at the appointment. Trustee Frances Awcock AM, says, "The nature of Ian Williamson's work and his achievements so far shows he has all the professional and personal characteristics required to break the barriers between the more rigid elements of academia and the less structured form of philanthropy and the community sector."

In April 2008, the Trust made its largest ever grant of $1.5m to the Melbourne Business School to establish this significant position.

Big Screen Marysville [08.09.2009]

In June 2009, the Trustees made a grant of $25,000 from the HMS Bushfires Grants Fund to Regional Arts Victoria to help relocate the old Federation Square Big Screen to Marysville. Undertaken in conjunction with Centacare and Federation Square, the aim of the project is to provide a community focus point for various events, direct feeds from cultural performances, live events and other programs in efforts to help rebuild community spirit.

On Monday 31 August, staff from the various organisations involved in the project farewelled the Big Screen as it left Federation Square bound for Marysville, where it was rebuilt in time for the weekend. Video: Watch the screen leave Fed Square and arrive in Marysville

Youth Mentoring - Regional Coordination [30.06.2009]

Mowalu Zarwue, mentee, and Monique Chappel, mentor, celebrating Youth Mentoring Week 2008

The Trust and the State Government, through the Office for Youth, Department of Planning and Community Development, have agreed to continue support for the development of Youth Mentoring across the state for 2010 and 2011.

The Trust approved funding of $300,000 over the next two years for three of the six regions involved. Each region is represented through a lead agency and these were awarded $100,000 each, namely Brophy Family and Youth Services (Barwon South West region), North East Support and Action for Youth (Hume region) and St Luke’s Anglicare (Loddon Mallee region). Under the collaborative project, the State Government funds the other three regions of the State.

Each agency provides the coordination of youth mentoring projects in their region, the identification and documentation of best practice mentoring models, capacity building support for organisations to improve the quality of youth mentoring, and the development of cross-sectoral approaches to youth mentoring.

This builds on the success of the first two years of the program, as demonstrated by the independent formal review undertaken by Victoria University, and will ensure the retention of key staff and the further development of youth mentoring.