Mission weekends are new to Accord. The main goal is to offer staff an opportunity to take a break from their normal work life and re-discover their passion as disability support professionals. Often we can forget who we are and why we are so passionate about many things in our lives. THe weekend location, which is currently at a beach retreat in Airies Inlet offers the perfect surrounds to step out of our normal work mode and enter a simple state of mind, far from the daily hustle and bustle of family and worklife issues.

Mission weekends provide people with an opportunity to meet other members within the organisation, so as to break down the barriers between service streams. Often we become so involved in our own work are that we forget that we are part of a larger organisation. Meeting up with staff in a completely informal manner allows us to see people for who they really are, not just a name on a group phone list or organisational chart. Dealing with people comes natural to our teams, so to encourage open communication and greater familiarity amongst peers and service streams, the weekends offer an intimate and relaxed atmosphere where people can share backgrounds, stories, laughter, experiences and more.

So far we have held 4 weekends. Though staff interested are few and far between at the moment, we will continue to pursue this strategy to encourage a more open and transparanet culture. Staff are extremely valuable to our organisation. Without their commitment we would be unable to be sincere to our values and pursue other values that so far have already boosted positive senitment within and towards Accordfrom those who have so far given up their time to attend.

The retreats are completely voluntary. We are aiming to provide staff with not only an opportunity to share themselves and their stories with others at Accord, but to also begin to self-reflect and take a step back from their lives for a moment, to reassess themselves. The journey is, fragile, unsuspecting and daunting to many. Those who do attend have already become story-tellers to their peers about their experiences over the weekend. More and more are talking up the idea to attend and a sense of positivity is in the air when we discuss or raise the issues about Mission retreats.

So far the retreats have taught us a lot about the importance behind, trust, compliment, the importance of families, honour, opportunities, growth and pride. These values are just as vital to the success of any change process we are experiencing at Accord. Our strategies are falling into alignment with our values driving each decision we make and take. Our core values and the values highlighted by staff are quite in sync and the cycle of growth and development is moving us towards a very positive and effective style of service and delivery. In line our potential to become an Employer of Choice, Mission retreats offer first hand proof of how the organisation is progressing and even moreso, how the individual staff member is coping with change and the future that is envisaged for Accord.