Gwen Taylor

Senior Community Development Officer

What inspired you to work with Community First Development?

Community First Development gave me the ability to engage in two activities which I enjoy, working with my mob and assisting them to develop their community attuning to the needs and on the communities terms.

What is a recent project you’ve been involved in?

I am currently working with Taribelang mob in Bundaberg as a volunteer, rather than a CDO and assisting the community to develop, design, correlate a cultural competency training program. One which the community can utilise to in several capacities, such as delivering to public services, businesses, tourism industry and schools. This will also give them a source of income.

What is most rewarding about your work as a Community Development Officer?

Seeing the confidence that community gain from engaging in a project, working with a volunteer, acquiring new skills and the joy when community completes the project. It is just wonderful to see community bloom when they gain confidence and feel pride in the fact that they achieved their goal without interference.

What have you learnt from working with First Nations communities?

Working with my mob is always rewarding. I am aware of the participation barriers which community face and watching them overcome these barriers and implement a project that they identified as being required is always special. Communities need to attain self-determination and even just the littlest project can make a great difference to the whole community, especially when they have been in control and are responsible for its success. My mob need a hand up not a hand out.