Meet the changemakers reimagining how we work and connect

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The challenges of 2020 have caused many people to re-examine their lifestyles, community connections and how they want to work.
If you’ve asked yourself questions like: “How can I build in more flexibility?” or “Could I be doing something else to have more impact?” you’re not alone.
The Changemaker Career and Craft Hub will host weekly pop-up events in Dickson to provide a space to ask some of these questions and share thoughts.
On each of the four days, there will be thought-provoking workshops, covering a range of topics, and craft activities for all ages. Local changemakers, business owners and community advocates will be on-hand to share their stories, offer ideas, resources and inspiration.
Uncover your superpower
Karina Dugard became a career strategy coach when she found herself looking for a job that combined her interpersonal skills and a desire to help others.
She now works with a range of new and aspiring leaders to understand and highlight strengths that they may not be able to recognise in themselves.
“When someone is really good at something they don’t realise that it’s a skill or a talent that they have,” she says.
“It’s usually something that’s easy for you, so you don’t realise that it’s not easy for everybody… you tend to undervalue what you can do.”
By helping people to understand and appreciate their strengths, Karina enables them to be more confident when they think about their future.
At the first of the Changemaker Career and Craft Hub events, Karina will be workshopping ways that people can align their careers with their values and use this awareness to make decisions.
Her key piece of advice is: “Understand what your strengths, superpowers and individual contributions are so when opportunities do come along, or when you seek out an opportunity, you know what it is you’re looking for and you can do that in a really strategic and proactive way.”

The Changemaker Career and Craft Hub events in Dickson will feature a range of inspirational Canberrans and family-friendly activities.
Connect with community
Tim Mahlberg is a changemaker who says his biggest strength is being a ‘connector’; someone who can meet people, and bring them together in ways that will uncover the best in everyone.
This desire to be a connector led to the creation of Australia’s first corporate coworking community, The Village, in Melbourne, where Tim was able to facilitate connections between individuals, small businesses and different organisations in an innovative and diverse workspace.
“We grew it [The Village] into a connected, loving community where you could come in—no matter what walk of life you were from—and feel like you belonged. You’d walk away feeling inspired; learning something, meeting someone knew, full of ideas and different opportunities,” says Tim.
Tim has transferred that power of connection to a number of different communities and continues to develop new ways to enable people to work with purpose. During the Changemaker Career and Craft Hub he will be co-leading a walk around Dickson Village with another local changemaker: architect and urbanist Bronwen Jones, who works for the City Renewal Authority.
She also co-authored the Great Place Guide, to help those involved in Canberra’s renewal take a best practice approach to making great places. Tim and Bronwen will be exploring ideas of how shared spaces can inspire and shape communities.
“At the heart of placemaking is people, particularly partnerships between people,” says Bronwen.
“It is especially powerful when we build relationships and networks with our community and bring together ideas, skills and expertise, and of course everyone’s passion. This is exactly how we make great places people love and feel connected to.”
Get involved
The Changemaker Career and Craft Hub, organised by Claire Harris from Innovate Communicate, is offering four workshops with the themes: Reimagining how we work; Be the change; Sustainability, food, life; and, Changing: business, culture, us.
A range of inspiring people will be involved and leading the workshops: from award-winning entrepreneurs, local business owners with amazing stories, to incredible career coaches.
Alongside the workshops, the Craft and Catch-up zone will be open from 10 am to 12.30 pm each day. This will offer a space for children and adults. They can chat and connect while being creative, contributing to a craft-for-purpose project to provide Brave Bots to Calvary hospital.
These free events are an opportunity for people in the Dickson community and beyond to come together, learn, make new connections, share ideas and get inspired to make a difference—big or small—in their corner of the world.
More info about the event and links to tickets: bit.ly/ChangemakerHubDickson
Registrations required for workshops.
Further Resources About the Future of Work
- 2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/human-capital/topics/future-of-work.html
- cdaa.org.au
- theconversation.com/remote-working-is-here-to-stay-but-that-doesnt-mean-the-end-of-offices-or-city-centres-145414
Feature image: L-R: Tim Mahlberg, Bronwen Jones, Karina Dugard will be hosting a walk and talk through the Dickson courtyards and a career-focused workshop as part of the Changemaker Career and Craft Hub activities.
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