Committee for Ballarat | Future Shapers
Are you ready to elevate your leadership and amplify your impact?
Focused on building regional leadership capacity and capability, the Future Shapers program is a transformative journey of self-awareness, building confidence, and fostering meaningful connections while making an impact in your community.
Join a group of individuals who are dedicated to personal growth and making a difference.
For us leadership is more than just mastering the tools and techniques for managing and motivating people. It’s about self-discovery, understanding your strengths and beliefs, and defining the impact you want to create in your community.
This program is for you if you are keen to explore:
CURIOSITY
Adopt the identity of a curious explorer, unafraid to delve deep into self-reflection, community issues, and your potential for making a positive difference.
CONFIDENCE
Ready to accept new experiences and opportunities, even if they take you out of your comfort zone, because they are the building blocks of leadership experience and confidence.
CONNECTION
Build an exceptional network of community leaders, and change-makers, who can evolve into your professional collaborators and personal connections.
Listen to our Future Shapers share their program experiences:
Program Overview
This 10 month transformative program draws together a cohort of emerging leaders from all sectors across Ballarat and the region, to think, question, build connections, broaden your understanding of community leadership and effect positive change.
As a Future Shaper you will:
- Design, develop and deliver program content aligned with your personal interests in collaboration with a small group of fellow participants and our experienced facilitators
- Explore personal transformation through accredited insight tools, one-to-one coaching and individual learning plans
- Delve into community challenges, opportunities and initiatives through onsite visits, speaker presentations, workshops and study tours
- Experience structured mentoring through personal partnership with an experienced community leader
- Design and deliver a community-based leadership project working alongside local organisations and strategic partners
- Share your personal leadership opportunities, challenges and achievements with your peers
- Build networks and friendships.
FAQ
Is the Future Shapers Program like a traditional leadership course?
Future Shapers is best described as an experiential learning program for people who want to better understand their individual strengths and their regional community. It’s about self-discovery, understanding your strengths and beliefs, and defining the impact you want to create in your community.
We encourage participants to step outside of their workplace and/or industry sector and join a cohort of fellow community leaders to explore the issues and opportunities within our regional community.
While the program provides opportunities for skill development in areas such as: negotiation, collaboration, listening and considering others’ perspectives; it is more than just mastering leadership tools and techniques
Our program is largely designed around Community and Collective Leadership principles. Our aim is to develop an infrastructure of place-based leaders prepared to contribute in a meaningful and purposeful way to their workplace and community.
Who can participate in the program?
Anyone over the age of 18 can apply. Before applying, we suggest you consider if you can:
- commit the time and energy needed to get the most out of the program?
- find ways to integrate what you learn back into your workplace?
Does my application guarantee me a place in the program?
To ensure we provide the most impact and connection our yearly intake is capped at 20 people. We usually receive more applications than we have places available.
Our recruitment process considers your readiness and suitability for the program, as well as a range of geographical and diversity measures. If you miss out on a place, please consider applying again in the future.
How much does the program cost?
The 2024 Future Shapers Program course fee is $8,600 plus GST.
Financial support is most often provided by organisations or workplaces wanting to support the professional and personal development of employees. We encourage potential applicants to discuss their applications with their organisations or employer prior to submitting an application.
To ensure we provide an opportunity for individuals who are unable to obtain financial support from their employer we have a limited number of scholarships available.
For 2024 the details of these scholarships are being confirmed. Please contact us at leadership@committeeforballarat.com for updated details.
What’s the time commitment?
- 20 contact days of leadership learning from March to November (mostly in the first half of the year), with additional time for preparation.
- 25 -30 hours of community project work (mostly in the second half of the year).
- Continuous engagement with your learning partner (typically a 1-hour monthly catchup) and employer champion.
Will it matter if I can’t always attend?
To get the most out of the Future Shapers Program we encourage strong commitment over its duration. However, we understand that even with the best of intentions, sometimes work and life can get in the way. We encourage you to sit down with your manager to discuss how you could potentially manage your workload over the year, to give you the best chance of attending.
Scholarships
We thank our Scholarship partners for their support of Future Shapers and community leadership in our region.
All scholarships cover the full cost of participation in Future Shapers.
Peter Davies Scholarship:
Peter Davies was a visionary business and community leader who made an extraordinary contribution to Ballarat. He passionately believed in the capacity of the Ballarat community. Are you inspired to follow the example set by Peter Davies who left a wonderful legacy in our community?
In honour of Peter, this scholarship is open to applications from small business owners or entrepreneurs.
Application Process & Timeline
Applications open Mon 16 Oct 2023
Applications close Mon 27 Nov 2023
Shortlisted applicants interviewed – 5 Dec to 12 Dec 2023
Future Shapers 2024 places offered – 15 Dec 2023
Future Shapers 2024 Program: March – November 2024
Time Commitment – Scheduling
20 contact days of leadership learning from March to November, with additional time for preparation
25 -30 hours of community project work
Continuous engagement with your mentor and employer champion
Program Fees
Total fees for 2024 are $8600 ex GST.
If you have any further queries, please get in touch with us at leadership@committeeforballarat.com
We gratefully acknowledge the City of Ballarat for its support of our Future Shapers program.