As the year 2018 draws to a close I am sharing two very memorable events. The first occurred in June 2018, when a Churchill Fellowship vision came to fruition.

I met User Voice in London on the fifth day of my seven week Churchill Fellowship in 2015. Inspired beyond my wildest dream by the work of User Voice and founder and CEO, Mark Johnson, I have been advocating Australia adopt their model and start the peer led revolution ever since.

Mark Johnson’s visit to Australia was made possible through philanthropic grants funding the Deakin University peer mentoring project I am coordinating and based on my Churchill Fellowship. Mark was accompanied on his whirlwind two weeks of activity by his co-founder Daniel Hutt, now living in Australia.

It was fabulous joining Mark and Dan with Marisa on 3CR’s Doin Time show on 18^th June. You can listen to the: Podcast here 

We then shared time in Hobart, Tasmania for the Reintegration Puzzle Conference. Mark was a keynote speaker and I co presented on the Deakin University peer mentoring project with Marngoneet Correctional Centre General Manager, Wayne Harper.

Mark Johnson’s final two days were in Geelong. Mark spoke to and with many interested, engaged and inspired prisoners and staff in Marngoneet Correctional Centre and then to over a hundred people in a packed lecture theatre at Deakin University’s Geelong Waterfront campus. Even more memorable were the stimulating and inspiring chats Mark, Dan and I had during the trip.

It has given me further vision, resolve and drive to realise the peer led revolution in Australia.