Our Community is a world-leading social enterprise that provides 15 Knowledge Centres – spanning all aspects of running a community group and comprising a range of resources, training, advice and tools – for Australia’s 700,000 community groups and schools, as well as practical linkages between the community sector and the general public, business and government. Click here to read about us.
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	Community Idol - last chance to nominate! Nominations for the Westpac Australian Community Idol 2008 competition close at 5pm on Friday, May 9. This is your chance to show Australia just how great your community group really is! Read about past winners and find out how to nominate at www.ourcommunity.com.au/idol. Communities in Control Booking Fast: The countdown has begun to Australia's best communities conference, Communities in Control 2008, which will be held in Melbourne on June 16 & 17. There's a packed program in store - make sure you don't miss it! Find out more and book your spot at www.ourcommunity.com.au/cic2008. Join In, Join Up! We need your help get Australian people connected with great community groups in their geographic or interest area. Join In, Join Up! webpages will soon by added to the Our Community website, providing a range of resources to help people find a group to join. And nine specific groups with particular needs will have access to additional resources, including a listing of useful organisations. These lists are now being compiled - to provide your input download the PDFs by clicking on one of the following links: People with a longer-term illness; People with a disability; Carers; New parents; People with a mental health issue; Older people; People from a non-English-speaking background; People who are lonely; People experiencing grief. Our Community Hero: wildlife rehabilitator Helen Burrell, who has been selected as this month's Community Hero. Helen runs the Leopold Wildlife Shelter and Rescue, which has a special area of expertise in hand-raising joeys and other orphaned baby animals. If you would like to read more about Helen and other past Community Heroes, or find out how to nominate a Community Hero, visit www.ourcommunity.com.au/heroes. Showcasing the Community Sector: The Victorian Council of Social Services (VCOSS) will be hosting a 'Care to Make a Difference' exhibition in Melbourne from May 2 to 22 to help raise the profile of the community sector to potential employees. The exhibition will include a series of Community Service Worker pin-up posters featuring pictures of 'real life' community workers explaining what they do and why they love their jobs. To find out more, go to www.vcoss.org.au/what-we-do/community-sector/showcasing.htm. Get Ready for Giving Season! The Australian Giving Centre is on track for a record-breaking year as the end of the financial year approaches and Giving Season gears up. Already, more than $844,400 has been donated through the Giving Centre this financial year. Currently, there are almost 1150 separate active appeals listed on the site, giving donors more choice than ever before about which good causes should receive their funds. To donate go to www.ourcommunity.com.au/giving, or to sign your group up for donations, go to www.ourcommunity.com.au/receivedonations. Give Shares: A new section has recently been added to the Australian Giving Centre to help people find out how to convert small and otherwise unmarketable shareholdings into donations for a good cause. To find out more, go to www.ourcommunity.com.au/giveshares. Get the Secret: Our Community's latest book contains another 400 tips on how to run a successful community group. The book - volume two of the popular Simple Secrets of Successful Community Groups - packages the practical knowledge of Our Community CEO Rhonda Galbally into bite-sized chunks. Find out more at www.ourcommunity.com.au/books. Partnerships Survey: Community groups are being asked to take part in a survey designed to help improve the relationships between the not-for-profit and corporate sectors. Survey organisers hope to learn more about how community groups and businesses can work together successfully, and what challenges they face. Click here to go to the survey page. Training Opportunities: A new training calendar listing all scheduled training programs to be run by Our Community around the country during 2008 is now available at www.ourcommunity.com.au/training. Training opportunities include the four-day Certificate IV in Business (Governance), and the half-day Intensive Winning Grants, Community Fundraising, Making Meetings Work and Conflict Resolution workshops. Tailored programs can also be designed and delivered to meet the particular needs of a local community. More News & Resources: Get Our Community's free monthly community sector update newsletter, Our Community Matters, delivered to your inbox by becoming a member of Our Community. Click Here to download latest edition of Our Community Matters, or Here to sign up to become a member.