During WorkSafe week 2005, Ballarat City Council hosted a Mindshop Excellence Program, involving six year ten students from Ballarat Grammar. Mindshop is a five day work experience program for small groups of year ten to 12 students. The program aims to immerse students in a real problem selected by the host organisation.
The Ballarat Grammar students were placed in Council’s OH&S Unit and were given the problem, ‘how to promote health, wellbeing and injury prevention’. Through working together to come up with solutions to the problem, the students learnt basic Mindshop business improvement tools and processes. These includied team work, strategic thinking, goal setting, mind mapping, brainstorming, flow charting, cause and effect analysis, public speaking, motivation and self esteem. They also completed surveys, interviewed staff and audited injury and illness trends within Council prior to trying to find a solution.
Council’s Risk Advisor, Cameron Montgomery, said the group developed a great outcome – a Health and Wellbeing Expo for Council staff and their families.
“The program would usually end here,” he said. “But the ideas the students generated were so good that Council decided to go further and actually run the expo.
“Students had already begun approaching local businesses to promote their goods and services for free, in return for providing demonstrations and information at the expo. This meant the cost of running the event could be kept quite low.”
In January 2006, the six Mindshop Excellence students were invited to co-host and launch the event with Ballarat City Council’s CEO, Richard Hancock. They assisted with registration, exhibitors and compering.
Cameron Montgomery said more than 300 Council staff and their immediate families attended the expo and participated in interactive displays and assessments, identifying opportunities to improve their personal health and general wellbeing.
“Businesses including the local YMCA, WorkSafe Victoria, and Health Services participated in the expo,” he said. “Health Services performed free blood tests, testing for iron and glucose levels. Other businesses used interactive displays and assessments to provide attendees with hands on knowledge and information to prevent injuries in the workplace.”
Cameron Montgomery said the students felt the expo should target staff and their families, as support is a fundamental feature in staying healthy.
Council is now planning another expo for mid 2007.
For further information contact Cameron Montgomery on (03) 5320 5503.
