Each January, Shooting Stars staff from across all sites come together for a week of training to prepare for the year ahead. The week is as much about connecting with one another and 'filling our cup', as it is about up-skilling and building our knowledge, tools and strategies to support Shooting Stars participants at our school sites.
With two new sites opening in the past year a new outreach program in the Southwest, and of course, a new Executive Officer commencing this month, there were plenty of new faces and first-timers to this annual Shooting Stars event.
Thanks to conference calls and virtual meetings on Teams, most faces were very familiar. But nothing beats having everyone together in the one place. Usually, the team is separated by as much as 2,300km between our most northern and southern sites, and there is a similar distance between our furthest sites to the east and west.
Shooting Stars is a place-based program, so while none of our site programs are exactly the same, last week was an invaluable opportunity to share experiences and learn from each other.
The week commenced with Welcome to Country, followed by a smoking ceremony with Rod Garlett. Taking place at St Catherine's College again this year, the training week schedule was packed with sessions that focused on cultural connection, operations processes, planning, sensory tools and strategies, and guest facilitators from the Australian Childhood Foundation ran sessions on trauma-informed practice.
'The Fran Haintz Cup' is a new annual tradition, which took place for the first time last Tuesday evening. Named after our inaugural Executive Officer, this netball competition will take place each year during January Training Week. In addition to a few rounds of netball (including walking netball), dinner and the announcement of 'MVP's of the day, the 'Fran Haintz Award' is to be presented to a staff member for their continued embodiment of the Shooting Stars Way. This year's award was presented to none other than Latoya Bolton-Black, for stepping into the Acting Executive Officer role and guiding the organisation for the past six months as she navigated challenges with strong leadership and grace. Latoya humbly dedicated her award to the entire team, stating that they had all gone above and beyond in the past number of months.
Another new addition to the schedule this year was the partners panel, in which representatives from Horizon Power, Pilbara Minerals, Centurion, Mineral Resources and Compass Group Australia took part, answering questions and providing insights and advice. And of course, a huge stand out for the week was the Art with the Stars Walyalup Exhibition Launch, an event in which partners, supporters and friends of Shooting Stars were able to attend and engage with the full Shooting Stars team, and admire the stunning Art with the Stars exhibition, which is being held at the WA Shipwrecks Museum until the 28th of April.
