Rahul Seth was the winner of the MIFWA Staff category in the 2022 Glenn Pickett Sunflower Award. He recently wrote about how he used part of his prize money to attend the 2023 Volunteering WA State Conference and how he has benefited from attending the event.
The conference was an interesting experience. The two main takeaways I got from the conference were:
- The importance of telling stories around volunteering, as well as in general.
- The fact that you matter when you volunteer. This was part of the closing keynote to the conference, which was quite a powerful way to end the event.
With the work I do at Activate Mental Health when I’m not working at MIFWA, I feel I need to implement both into my work, especially with the latter point where I need to help improve the volunteer experience for those who participate in our group as volunteers.
Some of the other experiences I got through the conference were:
- Seeing how volunteers were recruited and managed at the recent FIFA World Cup
- Learning about logic models
- Learning to feel comfortable in front of a camera/phone for video content
- Getting youths involved with volunteering
- Learning tips on volunteer recruiting from Ronald McDonald House Charities
Another major highlight of the conference was that I got to present on the lessons learned in leading a volunteer-based community from scratch.
The presentation was well received, and some said it was their favourite breakout session that they attended. I felt I did exceptionally well. Below are some images from my presentation.
I wish to express my gratitude for the Glenn Pickett Sunflower Award allowing me to use the prize to attend the conference so I could build my knowledge for the work that I do in the community.
Well done, Rahul. And MIFWA is excited to see the benefits and impact of the Glenn Pickett Sunflower Award.
About the Glenn Pickett Sunflower Award
The Glenn Pickett Sunflower Award is an annual celebration of individuals who have demonstrated ‘gentle leadership’ qualities. It’s awarded in the honour of Glenn Pickett, a Lorikeet member and Mental Illness Fellowship of WA (MIFWA) Board member who passed away in September 2019.
The Glenn Pickett Sunflower Award recognises and rewards the achievements of Lorikeet members and MIFWA employees as they embody MIFWA’s values, including accountability, integrity, inclusion and acceptance, collaboration, and empowerment.
Nominees must be a Lorikeet member or a MIFWA employee (who both may also nominate themselves).
Nominations are open from August to October.
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