Thursday 12 September 2019 is RUOK? Day in Australia, which is a national day of action focusing on mental health. It inspires all people to ask family, friends and colleagues ‘Are you OK?’. By connecting with the people around us and engaging them in regular and meaningful conversations, we can show our care to those we know and love and support them to gain confidence and happiness.
All CKC team members celebrated this day by taking time to have breakfast and coffee together and think of each other at work. By simply asking ‘Are you OK?’, we can listen to stresses, challenges and concerns that each of us deal with at home and at work in a caring environment.
By being ‘Just a good friend and a great listener’, we can start a conversation that could change a life.
Article & Photo: CKC
CKC encourages the professional development of its staff and supports lifelong learning. We therefore conduct fortnightly training sessions for staff which allow each of us to share with other staff experiences and skills which will support our development. Subjects we have covered include the following:
- Office skills – setting expectations and a common approach to the basics like work planning, file management, time keeping, agendas and minutes.
- CPD Plan – how to develop a personal plan for your Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
- Staff Introductions – short profile from all staff about their expertise, interests, ambitions, and what they bring to CKC.
Future sessions will look at book publishing and editing, project management, a CKC style for reports and design, getting the most from our IT etc..
Article & Photo: CKC
On 22-23 May 2019, CKC organised the 1st training on “Preparing a Business Plan and Writing a Successful Proposal” for nearly 25 participants at iLead AMA Hue English Language Center, Hue City. They represented a range of organisations from Hue including NGO’s (CKC, CODES, Hearts for Hue, I Love Hue, Climate Change Research Centre), Thua Thien Hue Child Protection Association, HUEFO, HUSTA, and a young professionals start-up group. The training was presented by Mr. Philip Thomas – CKC’s Business Development Advisor.
On the first day of training, Philip explained that NGO’s, local authorities, government departments, teams and businesses can all benefit from preparing a business plan which involves a written statement, a vision for the future, and specific steps or actions to achieve that vision. Business plans are particularly helpful for start-up organisations (like CKC) and for organisations facing change due to reduced budgets or restructuring.
On the second day of training, all participants were introduced about the rules would also assist applications for jobs and scholarships, and then described eight steps to prepare a successful funding proposal including Be selective, Know your deadline, Plan ahead, Make it a team approach, Get feedback – and use it, Know your audience, Be positive and upbeat, and Keep it short.
Colleagues then participated in a practical session where they worked individually and then in pairs to write an opening paragraph for a proposal. They focused on using confident and positive language, clearly and concisely defining the problem and then their response to the problem, in order to quickly get the attention of the reader – which is vital when there maybe dozens if not hundreds of applications. They then presented their work to the group who asked questions and provided feedback.
Participants were offered a free 1-hour consultation with CKC to discuss their funding proposals or for general advice after the training.
