Try a fresh approach to networking

Looks like we got some new buzz words folks, as Pecha kucha arrives on the scene. A network meeting with a fresh approach is happening on Tuesday 27th September, between the hours of 10am -12pm, at Columbus Cafe, Smales Farm, 74 Taharoto Road Takapuna, under the guise of “The Really Big Kinda Massive Meet Up”  

“To keep this as a high energy event we are running it Pecha kucha style, which means each presenter is required to deliver 20 slides of a PowerPoint presentation in 7 minutes (that's 20 seconds per slide), “ said Cam Calkoen Yes Disability Resource Centre’s  Ambassador.

There is certainly an impressive line up of presenters including Vivian Naylor from CCS Disability Action, Mark Jago / Paul Little from Toyota, Sum & Annette from Vodafone Foundation, Caroline Campbell from Drake employment and Hadleigh Person from Paralympics NZ, presenting topics such as accessible communities, transport innovation, funding for the youth sector, employment for people with disabilities and the goals of Paralympics New Zealand. In addition Alex Erasmus will be speaking about social / online media and how we could be utilizing this more fully and Cam Calkoen will talk about his inspirational Carabiner Mentoring programme.

“The Really Big Kinda Massive Meet Up concept was conceived by Jade Farrar and Cam who both acknowledged the importance of networking but found the majority of network meetings in their sector did not excite them or other young people.

'The Really Big Kinda Massive Meet Up' will not be a network meeting where we sit in circles, but one where we've selected a series of presenters to celebrate what they do and capture the minds of 60 - 80 people who have disabilities, or who work with people with disabilities. We ultimately want this event to reduce barriers, promote excellence and work towards collaboration through meaningful networks.

We live in 2011, it's time to jazz up the way we interact and connect and form those bridges that allow us to expand our horizons. Facebook and other online media are great but we need to step back to face-to-face communication sometime,” said Cam.

To RSVP contact Cam Calkoen on 09 414-5360 or cam@yesdisability.org.nz

Ross Flood