ACT STEERING COMMITTEE
Committee Members – Expressions of Interest
We are seeking up to five (5) community members to undertake paid advisory roles on how the Day is celebrated and how we engage with the community into the future.
The work is part of a project on the Community Control of I-Day which has been progressing with the support of the ACT Government and an interim steering committee which is now close to finalisation.
People with lived experience of disability are encouraged to apply. Application or participation in the EOI does not guarantee that an appointment will be made. We expect to announce the appointments on 3 December 2024 with the majority of our work getting underway in early 2025.
About the International Day Project
International Day of People with Disability is a United Nations-sanctioned day that is observed internationally on 3 December each year.
Earlier this year, Advocacy for Inclusion was contracted by the ACT Government to consult with the community and propose a multiyear marketing and event program for a community-controlled International Day of People with Disability (I-Day) here in the ACT. This included an Appreciative Inquiry with people with disability selected from an Expression of Interest process and a Strategic Conversation with a number of organisations involved in past I-Day events to form a proposal to Government.
In October this year, the ACT Government agreed to adopt this proposal and transition I-Day celebrations in the ACT from government to community control. We are now moving to host the Day with support and oversight from a community steering committee and a rotating co-chair.
A key component of the new approach with community control of I-Day in the ACT will be a strong Governance framework and oversight by a Steering Committee.
Steering Committee
The I-Day Steering Committee will be supported by a Secretariat hosted by AFI and whose role will include, but not be limited to:
- Setting and oversighting an annual project budget
- Setting and monitoring delegation of operational responsibilities to the DPO Host Organisation
- Agreeing markers of success
- Identifying opportunities for raising funds, engaging sponsors, increasing profile, and facilitating shared work and collaboration across disability, corporate, government, philanthropic and community sectors
- Agree the annual I-Day workplan, theme and broad direction
Broadly, the Steering Committee will be made up of:
- Five members nominated by the community (paid) for a fixed term of 2 years with a possibility of extension (with members to not serve more than 5 years at a stretch)
- A representative nominated by each of the following – AFI, WWDACT, ACTDSID and MHCCACT
- A non-voting institutional partner representative
- At least two members at any one time with intersectional experiences of disability including people who identify as LGBTQIA+, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander People
- At least 50% of members with a disability with an aspiration to ensure diverse disability experiences including people with sensory, intellectual and/or cognitive disabilities, psychosocial disability and/or people who are Neurodivergent
- Co-opted members as needed for specific skill gaps
The Steering Committee will complete its work through
- Formal written process for agenda setting, decision-making and the presentation of business based on a Governing Board model
- Members can nominate from community – members chosen via an expression of interest and then selected by a panel which includes the host DPO, members of the appreciative inquiry group and the OFD
- Members are not representatives of organisations (probity measure)
- More than 50% people with disability at any one time
- Sitting fees per meeting $40 per hour
- There will be up to 8 meetings a year for a duration no longer than 2 hours – frequency will generally be bimonthly with option of more frequent meetings in the second part of the year (cost of around $2,500 p.a.).
Timeline
- 25 October 2024 Expressions of Interest Open
- 22 November 2024 EOI closes
- 18 – 22 November 2024 Applications assessed
- 27 November 2024 Applicants advised
- 3 December 2024 Launch event and anticipated announcement of appointments
- 11 December 2024 Induction and welcoming meeting
- 26 February 2025 First meeting for 2025 (work-planning)
More details are outlined in the complete Terms of Reference at Attachment A. We are now calling for community members. If you are interested in being a community member and would like to indicate your interest in applying to be part of the ACT I-Day Steering Committee, please complete the Expression of Interest form