With a shimmy, and flowing hand movements STEPS in Townsville has danced its way into a “beautiful” new office, five-star performance and innovative new program.
In September, the two STEPS offices of Aitkenvale and Townsville both moved to a combined location on Ross River Road in Aitkenvale. The office is located on a major road, and conveniently located near Centrelink and the major bus route.
STEPS Training and Community Services also have their own space within the office, located on what locals refer to as “the golden mile” where businesses enjoy high visibility from passing traffic.
The office move corresponded with both offices receiving a five-star rating from the Australian Government, indicating the highest level of performance and service. Branch Manager, Joanne Wittmaack decided to celebrate with a little multiculturalism.
“We celebrated by having a team building experience, with an Indian dancing instructor coming to our office to teach us the “Bollywood” style of dancing and to assist us to embrace multiculturalism,” said Joanne.
“We learned that we aren’t as flexible as we thought. But the team embraced the fun side of the activity. Taking your job seriously is not about taking yourself seriously – it’s important to laugh and enjoy yourself along the way.”
Considering and embracing multiculturalism is an important factor in building community, and in September Joanne spoke on the subject at the International Diversity and Unity Conference in Townsville.
“This gave STEPS the opportunity to speak in a public forum regarding our inclusive practices,” said Joanne, who took quite a few questions from the audience after her address.
“This needed a collaborative approach and many thanks to all staff, particularly to Heather who worked tirelessly to bring this all together. It should bring about successful and valuable training for our job seekers,” said Joanne who quoted Aristotle to support the philosophy of the new program:
“Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand.”
