Emerging Systems Leaders Course

Context

Australia's rich history of sporting success is a source of national pride. We have more pools per capita than anywhere in the world. Our natural environment, too, is a testament to our good fortune. But beneath this facade of prosperity lies a concerning truth: inequalities and health inequities are on the rise in our country. This is not a fate we must accept; it's a challenge we can and must overcome. Shockingly, almost half of all Australians are grappling with lifestyle-related chronic diseases.

Even more alarming is the fact that nearly one in four Australians suffers from two or more of these debilitating conditions. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this health crisis is its disproportionate impact on disadvantaged groups within our society.

Consider this: each day, our health system expends a staggering $467 million, equivalent to $19 per person. And while we allocate over $10 billion annually to mental health, it's evident that our approach is not delivering the desired outcomes.

In this era of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), unpredictability has become the new norm. Disruption, rapid change, and hyper competition are more prevalent than ever before, leaving us with the undeniable truth that the only certainty we have is uncertainty.

But amidst this uncertainty, a glimmer of hope shines through. There's a growing shift from leisure towards well-being, a movement that has gained substantial momentum. In July 2023, the Australian Government unveiled "Measuring What Matters" - Australia's First Well-being Framework. It rests on three pillars: inclusion, equity, and fairness.

Let's be candid: our current system is failing us. We can't persist with the same strategies that have proven ineffective in the face of these challenges. What we need is a fresh approach, a catalyst for the transformation we so urgently require. Enter the Collective Leadership Program.

This program is our response to help you navigate the complex and ever-changing landscape of leadership. It equips you with the tools necessary to support your communities in a meaningful and impactful way. It's time to collectively rise to the occasion and steer our nation towards a brighter, healthier, and more equitable future. The journey starts here, with you, as leaders committed to driving positive change. Together, we can collaboratively turn the tide and build a healthier, fairer Australia for all.

Outcomes

• Appreciation of the Inner Development Goals
• Understanding our worldviews and ideologies
• Understanding place-based working
• Systems thinking and system leadership
• Understand whole of systems approaches
• Appreciation of health inequalities
• Join a Collective Leadership community with a bi-monthly 90 minute professional development session

Who should attend?

Representatives from local government, leisure, sport, academia, education, public health, recreation, local health districts, peak bodies, not-for profits, private enterprise, disability and the social economy.

Facilitated by David Burns

David has 23 years of experience in the sports, leisure, and physical activity sectors in both England and Australia. His diverse roles have spanned Local Government, peak bodies, the private sector, and the social economy.

Currently, he operates as the CEO and Founder of Collective Leisure and serves as Director of DB Consulting. David is recognised as a systems leader with a track record of uniting diverse groups and executing projects that benefit underserved communities.

Collective Leisure is a certified social enterprise that adopts a systems-aware, complexity-informed approach, with a mission to reduce health inequity, encapsulated by their purpose "enabling well-being without boundaries."

Notably, Collective Leisure leads WSYD Moving – a whole of system initiative aimed at reducing inactivity and inequalities in Western Sydney, enabling active lives. 

To support the system change required, Collective Leisure co-creates initiatives for hardly reached and underserved communities.

It operates as a Work Integration Social Enterprise, providing meaningful employment opportunities for individuals from refugee backgrounds in the sports and leisure industry.

DB Consulting specialises in capacity building, leadership, policy, planning, and strategic support for government and peak bodies.