Amended vision, Updated values, New logo

We are proud to exclusively share with you the launch of our new logo, vision, mission and values, showcased on a fresh new web interface. We aim to provide you with easy to access information about our programs, events, volunteering opportunities, stories from the field and how you can get more involved.

  

Lizzie Brown, EWB CEO says, ‘As EWB approaches its tenth year of existence, we felt it was time to refresh.  We are still the same EWB you know and love but with an exciting new direction and we hope this will cement your belief in our work, our impact, and our philosophy of humanitarian engineering.’

Vision

Our vision is a world where everyone has access to the engineering knowledge and resources required to lead a life of opportunity, free from poverty.

Mission

Our mission is to connect, educate and empower people through humanitarian engineering.

Values

We act with integrity, upholding our values of community, sustainability, respect, learning and quality in all we do.

Our work is now divided into three pillars:

EWB Development Partnerships - Here you will find information on EWB’s national and international community partnerships, and how we are working to facilitate meaningful and lasting change. You will be able to read about the impact we have made so far, our vision for the future and how you can support our work.

EWB Institute - Here engineering students, professionals and EWB's members can access high quality education and training resources. You can also read about how you can contribute to technical and educational support programs.

EWB Tribe - Here you will be able to connect with a community of other like-minded individuals, with shared values and a passion for humanitarian engineering. The Tribe is a channel to a broad range of opportunities for both EWB members and supporters.

EWB are very excited about entering this new phase of EWB’s journey.  Brown concludes, ‘We began as a small community of people passionate about improving quality of life through people centred engineering. Now, we are a movement of people changing the engineering sector from within and forming partnerships for improved community health and well-being. Thank-you for sharing this journey with us.’

Website - http://www.ewb.org.au/ 

Video - http://www.youtube.com/user/EWBAUS

This Month

Another great month at EWB! In this month's blog, we are covering:

• Local Project volunteering @ Spokes in the Wheel
• Upcoming Event @ Designing Our Future humanitarian forum
• Reflection @ Member Induction Night
• Fundraising Event @ Run Melbourne
• Focus Group @ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

Local Project – Spokes in the Wheel

This month, EWB is commencing our first bike skills program for the year. This program will give Sudanese children enrolled in the SAIL program the chance to learn and develop their bike riding skills. 

The program runs every Saturday for a month, with sessions held on the following days:

• Saturday 14th April
• Saturday 21th April
• Saturday 28th April
• Saturday 5th   May

Teaching sessions run from 12.30pm to 1.30pm each week. Click here to find out more. 

Event – Designing Our Future, Saturday 12th May @ Melbourne Uni

EWB invites you to participate in “Designing Our Future”, a one day event which will showcase the outcomes of EWB’s research students and other humanitarian engineering projects for discussion and debate.

Discussion will include:

• Innovative approaches to Water and Sanitation in remote communities in Timor Leste;
• Renewable energy technology improving lives in Nepal;
• How low-cost filters are making water and cooking safer for families in Cambodia;
• The impact of humanitarian engineering research and its contribution to international development.

Click here for more details.

Testing out the upgraded well, with EWB's community partner NEWAH  (Nepal  Water for Health)

Reflection – Member Induction Night

EWB Victoria hosted our first Member Induction Night on the 22nd March; it was to be held at the National Office but due to an overwhelming response we had to move to a bigger location down the road.

There were over 45 people in attendance, a mix between professionals and students. Lizzie Brown, our CEO, gave a fantastic background of EWB’s values, beliefs and activities. Other speakers highlighted overseas and local volunteer opportunities, introducing the many ways new members can get involved in EWB.

Following the success of this evening, there will be more induction and explanation events throughout the year. 

What a turn out!

Event – Run Melbourne, Sunday 15th July

EWB is participating in Run Melbourne this July to provide toilets, water and energy for developing communities. Did you know that 40% of the world’s population do not have adequate access to sanitation and 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water?

When – Sunday 15^th July

Where – Starting and finishing at Federation Square

What – 5km, 10km or half marathon walk / run

Click here for more details.

“Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I can run like the wind blows”

EWBers outside the Hepburn Wind community-owned windfarm, in central Victoria. 

Focus Group - Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

The Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Focus Group has kicked off 2012 in style, putting together a treasure trove of learnings for us to reminisce on and for others
to join in on our learning journey. 

In March, we wandered through Fitzroy on a self guided tour, learning snippets about the importance of this suburb in the modern Melbourne Aboriginal culture and followed by dinner at the Napier Hotel and a bit of reflection on what we'd seen and learned. We started our treasure trove with scribbles on coasters which have been safely tucked away...  

In April we watched the first episode of The First Australians, a documentary produced by SBS covering the interactions between European and Aboriginal Australians. We did this over dinner and have now put together a series of notes on some of the characters in that film to bolster the treasure trove.

If you're interested in joining in on our learning journey, click here to find out more! 

The treasure trove - a work in progress

This Month

Welcome to EWB Victoria’s February Blog, here's a snapshot of what we’re covering in this update:

• President’s Spiel – James Fitzgerald
• Reflection – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Focus Group
• Upcoming Event – Year 9 Humanitarian Engineering Conference
• Intern Position at EWB – Corporate Relations and Communications
• Join EWB in 2012 – Becoming a Member

President's Spiel

EWB is wholeheartedly aware that many sectors play an important role in community development. It is with this concept in mind, that we have increased our focus on cross sector collaboration, and have surrounded ourselves with a diversity of people in EWB. For example, we have numerous members and active volunteers with backgrounds in finance, media, education, politics, development, law and health.

During the month of February, several exciting opportunities have emerged and we need all hands on deck. Our team is in the final stages of finalising partnership agreements with North Melbourne Language and Learning (NMLL), Menzies and Sages Cottage Farm, and the Moreland Energy Foundation Limited (MEFL). Once these partnerships are in place, projects will start to flow from these relationships. Also, we are revamping the way we operate our partnership with Sudanese Australia Integrated Learning (SAIL) in Footscray and Dandenong, and the Sustainability Assessments Program (SAP). This is an exciting time to get involved with our local partnerships, so if you are interested in volunteering directly with communities, learning about community development, or running a project team please send us an email at vic.chapter@ewb.org.au.

James Fitzgerald

President of EWB Victorian Region

Reflection – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Focus Group

Big things are happening in 2012 for the Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Focus Group!  At the end of February, we spent a hot weekend in Warburton developing a plan for the year, swimming in the river and meeting some Wurundjeri Elders. This is a theme that is going to continue over the year, with a focus on direct engagement with communities, educational and cultural activities and a bit of fun along the way. 


Interested in getting involved? Click here for more information on this Fous Group  for or contact Dan A'Vard  davard.ewb@gmail.com.

EWB and the Yorta Yorta community during 2011's NAIDOC Week
(National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee)

Event – Year 9 Humanitarian Engineering Conference

The first Year 9 Humanitarian Engineering Conferences for 2012 will be held on the 13th March, 9:15 am - 2:45 pm, at Strathmore Secondary (400 Pascoe Vale Rd, Strathmore).

This is a fantastic opportunity for Year 9 students to learn more about engineering as a profession and to work in teams to problem solve within a humanitarian context, based on a case study from EWB's presence in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap region.

We are searching for volunteers (approximately 6-10 but there is no limit), employed professionally or studying, to help facilitate and mentor a group of students throughout the day.

Contact Andrew Weekes (aweekes.ewb@gmail.com) or Joli Price (jprice.ewb@gmail.com) for further information and to get involved.

EWB's High School workshops in 2011

Intern Position – Corporate Relations and Communications Internship

EWB Australia is seeking a talented media, development or communications student for a 1-2 days a week internship in Corporate Relations and Communications, over the course of 12 months. This role is assisting to coordinate EWB's Corporate Partnership program.

You will have the opportunity to learn first-hand about partnership management and corporate social responsibility, as well as work in a fun and dynamic not-for-profit organisation with an incredibly positive social outcome.

Click here for the position description.

Joining EWB

EWB was formed based on the very simple idea that engineers in Australia need the opportunity to volunteer their skills to facilitate meaningful and lasting change in developing communities. Join EWB today and support humanitarian engineering by becoming a part of our community as a 'Member' or as a 'Friend' of EWB.

Click here for more details.

EWB Volunteer Kirrily at Monash University’s Open Day 

President's Spiel

Engineers Australia have themed 2012 the Year of Regional Engineering. This is a fantastic opportunity for the EWB community to collaborate with a range of community partners in rural Victoria. According to Engineers Australia, two of their strategies for the year are: to increase awareness of engineering opportunities in regional areas; and to generate an understanding of the value of the regional engineering team. EWB inherently has similar goals to this.

As a community development organisation, EWB is well placed to connect, empower and educate communities to humanitarian engineering opportunities and increase awareness of issues in appropriate technology, poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Our School Outreach Program is well established across metropolitan Melbourne. We have an ongoing partnership with Akorn Education to deliver daily workshops to secondary school students with case studies in humanitarian engineering and in a wide diversity of places such as: Yorta Yorta country in northern Victoria; Tonle Sap lake in Cambodia; and Habitat for Humanity in Vietnam. One of our goals in 2012 is to extend this program to schools in Ballarat, Mildura and Wangaratta.

Furthermore, our Knowledge Hubs and Local Partnership teams are ramping up again and are starting to lock in dates for initiatives for the year. At our team retreat down in Angelsea in mid January, we developed some initiatives around appropriate technology workshops, local projects, and member engagement. We also had so much fun as well and the beach was blue bliss.

Our focus throughout the year will be to induct as many of you as possible into EWB. We want to ensure that the majority of our community are aware of the things that EWB is, and is not, engaged with. Keep an eye out for our Speed Date Nights and EWB Induction Sessions.

Check us out on Facebook, Twitter (@ewbvic), send us an email (vic.chapter@ewb.org.au) or just keep an eye on us via our website throughout the year. We are pumped about 2012 and we would love it if you could join us on the journey and dedicate some of your time to volunteer in humanitarian engineering.

Local Projects - Sages Cottage

Throughout Engineers Australia’s 2011 Year of Humanitarian Engineering, Engineers Without Borders collaborated with Engineers Australia to consolidate programs and initiatives in their work across engineering education, community development and sustainability. We are proud supporters of our community partnerships with SAIL (Sudanese Australia Integrated Learning) and Menzies Inc. 


Our Menzies partnership is focused on improving the sustainability of Sages Cottage, a therapeutic retreat for children who have been exposed to family violence, abuse or neglect. EWB was approached by Menzies Inc. to  help them maintain the beautiful grounds at Sages; in particular to save water. The environment at Sages is not only important as it offers a peaceful place for the children, it is also a showcase of sustainable engineering practices for the local community. EWB is working with Sages to continue these practices.

We are always looking for volunteers to help with design work and to also get involved on our working bee days, contact us if you would like to help out.

To find out more about Sages, please visit their website:  http://www.menzies.org.au/sagesdisplay.php?p=sagescottagefarm 

Sages Cottage and surrounding grounds

Local Projects - Spokes in the Wheel

Another community partnership that EWB is looking forward to working with again in 2012 is Spoke in the Wheel. This project is run in conjunction with Sudanese Australia Integrated Learning (SAIL). The SAIL (Sudanese Australian Integrated Learning) Program is a volunteer-run, non-for-profit organisation which provides free English support and community services to the Sudanese Australian community, and Spokes is run as an activity with the kids after tutoring. EWB collects old bikes and holds working bees where volunteers come and fix up the bikes. These bikes are then taken to SAIL where volunteers teach the children how to use the bikes, road safety issues and general maintenance of the bikes. After the activity the children are given able to take the bikes home.


There are several opportunities here for EWB volunteers, including volunteering on the day, helping to find bikes to be donated and also helping with general administration.

Contact EWB to find out more, and to find out more about SAIL - view their website: http://www.sailprogram.org.au/site/

The SAIL organisation

EWB's Spokes in the Wheel

President's Spiel

I was always quite sceptical about getting so heavily involved at an Executive level within an EWB chapter.  The time commitment scared me.  However, with my minor involvement with EWB at the University of Melbourne and at WorleyParsons, I could see the passion, innovation and drive of many people across the organisation.  People at EWB are leaders and change-makers in their field of work.

It was not until after our series of workshops in mid-to-late 2010 – to restructure the Victoria Region Chapter – that I decided to take on the role of President.  Our organisation needed the Region Model to work and we accepted the challenge.  The opportunity to learn about community development, capacity building, and managing effective relationships from leaders in the not-for-profit sector was too good to let it slip.

Since that time, we have consolidated five local projects and two local partnerships, two focus groups (Local Projects and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island engagement) and had heaps of fun along the way.  We managed to do all of this through eight key areas (each with dedicated Champions and Coordinators) which are summarised on the following pages.

To do all of this during Engineers Australia’s Year of Humanitarian Engineering is a testament to the quality and passion of the Team Members.  I would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved with EWB in Victoria throughout 2011 (including all the champies at National Office).  I hope you have benefited from the experience and relationships at EWB as much as I have.

James Fitzgerald

President

EWB Victoria Region Team

Wine, Diaries and Calendars - oh my!

EWB Victoria has a couple of fabulous fundraising options coming up to Christmas to help you with present ideas and with celebration that summer has finally arrived!  

EWB Wine

Coming back for 2011-12 is the fantastic EWB wine available for sale through our distributing partner 6Js Wines Merchants.  We have a range of tasty white, red and sparkling wines available for sale which would make a great gift for friends, family, clients (or  yourself!).  To order some wine, simply download the order form here: http://www.ewb.org.au/resources/41/2287 and forward the completed form to ewbvic.fundraising@gmail.com.

Diaries and Calendars

EWB Australia is a proud partner of the People & Planet Diary & Calendar project, which is published by a partnership of 49 Australian social justice and environment organisations. This is our first year as a People & Planet Partner and we're excited about this fundraiser for supporting our work in the Victoria Region. 

The 2012 Diary & Calendar feature extraordinary images of people and places from around the globe, selected from over 4,000 entries to the People & Planet International Photography Competition from 84 different countries. Each beautiful image is accompanied by a unique story highlighting one of the planet's social or environmental challenges.

Perfect for daily use, both the diary and calendar also make great gifts for Christmas! Both the diary and calendar are available from the EWB Shop: http://www.ewb.org.au/shop/

 Makar Sankranti – Sagar Island, India, Abhijit Dey

 Mother and Child - Angola, Eric Lafforgue

Weather Warning – Bangladesh, Abir Abdullah

Humanitarian Engineering

A fantastic video on Humanitarian Engineering in Australia, compiled by EWB and Engineers Australia.

Imagineering – The Humanitarians Engineering Conference 2011

Imagineering – the Humanitarian Engineering Conference 2011, was successfully held at the end of November. The conference was a joint initiative of Engineers Australia and Engineers Without Borders that had been established in celebration of the 2011 Year of Humanitarian Engineering – a year that recognises the role of engineering in improving quality of life and disaster recovery. The three day Melbourne conference included technical workshops, interactive sessions and networking opportunities.

Right now 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation; one quarter of the world’s population don’t have access to electricity; and 1.1 billion people have inadequate access to water. Engineering expertise plays a significant role in working towards sustainable solutions for communities, improving quality of life and assisting with disaster recovery. The conference brought together some of engineering brightest minds who have a passion for humanitarian engineering

The conference was open to anyone with an interest in Humanitarian Engineering and it attracted over 400 engineers, technologists, NGOs and students.

The key note speakers and discussions included:

• Todd Sampson, creator of Earth Hour, on “being brave for 5 minutes longer” to create lasting change
• Sourabh Phadke, on “There is no such thing as junk, junk is an urban legend”
• Jennifer De Boer, on “teaching yourself how to learn” and “minimally intrusive” education
• Andrew Lamb, CEO of EWB UK, on “be an engineer, think big, think small, and repeat”
• Jason Clarke, from Leadership and Change, on “every psychological disorder is its own job description”
• Invigorating panel discussion
• Reconciliation Action Plans – representatives from businesses, government, indigenous groups and Reconciliation Australia
• Examples of fantastic humanitarian programs
• Jos from India’s Pitchandikulam Forest – “bringing back the future garden”
• Australian Defence Force’s Dechlan Ellis – “military engineers facilitating recovery”
• Sri Lankan School of Prosthetics and Orthotics course development
• Nepal's NEWAH and health projects
• Australian Bana Yarralji Bubu’s office and ablutions block project
• RedR deployments
• Engineers Australia Biomedical College
• Corporate Social Responsibility

Todd Sampson, CEO of Leo Burnett, delivers his keynote speech

EWBers Julia O'Shea and Katie Blundy getting their conference on

Kaj Lofgren, Imagineering Conference 2011

It was a great success, and EWB looks forward to Engineers Australia's 2012 Year of Regional Engineering.