Fifty New Faces at Lighthouse

Greater Shepparton Lighthouse is welcoming fifty new faces to its ranks.

They comprise the 47 members of the organisation’s new collaborative leadership tables plus the three co-ordinators charged with supporting their work.

Lighthouse is a community-lead movement that has created a movement to improve childhood wellbeing and educational outcomes in Greater Shepparton.

Lighthouse Executive Officer, Lisa McKenzie, said the organisation is using data, collaboration, innovation and system thinking to support children before they fall into crisis and at every step of their trajectory.

“We start by listening deeply, carefully unpacking the issues impacting on young people and their families and co-designing unique local solutions.’’

To date Lighthouse has 350 volunteers from 20 partner organisations working in 19 settings including pre-schools, primary and secondary schools and its youth Haven.

Mrs McKenzie said Lighthouse taps into resources within our community and beyond to address issues such as social isolation, disadvantage and poor school engagement.

She said the next step was to bring dozens more community leaders with diverse skill sets and backgrounds to look carefully at data, research, best practice and to listen to experts and the community at large and design a whole system framework to support children from conception to career.

“At the moment far too many kids are falling through the cracks, and too many services are set up to deal with crisis. We want to keep every child happy and healthy and on the right track and step in before they fail,’’ Mrs McKenzie said.

All 50 Lighthouse leaders will gather with the Lighthouse staff and Board on Monday at La Trobe University to start building their action plans.

Mrs McKenzie said Lighthouse was a small organisation with big plans.

“We are asking people from across the community and beyond with high skill sets, resources and social capital to lean into the work. The business community has emerged as key supporters.

We are convinced the solutions exist within our community and see kindness and deep social connection as the foundations of our work,’’ she said.

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