COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS PODCAST
Latest Episode
In this week’s episode, we are joined by Professor Lydia Woodyatt from the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. Lydia is one of the developers of the Flinders Certificates in Mental Health and Wellbeing for Workplaces and Communities, where she also teaches. As a social psychologist, she is a multi-award-winning teacher and public speaker, and co-created the highly successful online course “The Psychology of Surviving and Thriving,” which focuses on developing wellbeing and self-management skills.
Professor Woodyatt discusses the growing mental health challenges facing community centers, highlighting societal issues like cost of living pressures, loneliness, and discrimination as key contributing factors. She emphasizes the need for triage systems and support programs as community centers continue to address these challenges. Lydia introduces a program she co-designed with industry partners that equips frontline workers with essential mental health skills, covering topics such as personal wellbeing, supporting others, and leading organizational wellbeing. She stresses the importance of understanding professional boundaries, maintaining psychosocial safety, and addressing basic psychological needs to improve community mental health.
Where to Listen
Be sure to listen via Spotify, Apple Podcasts or the web player, weekly and follow our socials to stay notified as each episode is released.
About the Podcast
The Community Conversations Podcast will feature stories and information on community development efforts, the programs being run by our members and general community interest topics. Across the State of South Australia there are volunteers and staff helping our community members to find connections, access to food, housing and education in an environment that welcomes everyone to their doors. Community Centres are open for anyone and provide place based activities to enrich the lives of our community. We will be interviewing Community Centre members, community connection partners and community stakeholders who will share their experiences, activities and upcoming events.
The Podcast is aimed at highlighting the good work being done to make a difference at the grassroots level to address issues such as loneliness, homelessness, social injustice and how to improve wellbeing of our communities. Be sure to listen every week as we release each episode. The podcast will be easily accessible on our website and can be downloaded on your preferred podcast platforms.
Meet the Host
Kerrie Akkermans
Kerrie Akkermans, CEO of CCSA, is an avid supporter of the community sector. With years of experience as a broadcaster on FIVEaa, Kerrie has a natural ability to connect with guests and delve into their lived experiences and stories. Kerrie’s passion for supporting communities and sharing stories makes for an engaging and insightful listening experience.
Episodes
In this week’s episode, we are joined by Professor Lydia Woodyatt from the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work at Flinders University. Lydia is one of the developers of the Flinders Certificates in Mental Health and Wellbeing for Workplaces and Communities, where she also teaches. As a social psychologist, she is a multi-award-winning teacher and public speaker, and co-created the highly successful online course “The Psychology of Surviving and Thriving,” which focuses on developing wellbeing and self-management skills.
Professor Woodyatt discusses the growing mental health challenges facing community centers, highlighting societal issues like cost of living pressures, loneliness, and discrimination as key contributing factors. She emphasizes the need for triage systems and support programs as community centers continue to address these challenges. Lydia introduces a program she co-designed with industry partners that equips frontline workers with essential mental health skills, covering topics such as personal wellbeing, supporting others, and leading organizational wellbeing. She stresses the importance of understanding professional boundaries, maintaining psychosocial safety, and addressing basic psychological needs to improve community mental health.
This week we are joined by Stephen Sverchek, Executive Manager of Innovation and Impact at Youth Opportunities. Stephen’s career has spanned four continents where he has contributed to education, community development, and youth empowerment initiatives. With over a decade of experience, Stephen leads strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing youth agency, building personal leadership skills, and strengthening communities nationwide. His approach is grounded in collective impact, co-design with young people, and cross-sector collaboration to ensure sustainable change.
Stephen discusses the youth participation framework developed to engage young people in community centers. This framework formalizes youth engagement, involving young people in both service design and delivery. He highlights the need for open spaces and partnerships to attract youth to community centers, while also noting the success of digital tools and the importance of face-to-face interactions. Stephen also discusses Youth Opportunities programs that focus on social-emotional learning, enterprise skills, and mental health—all leading to increased confidence and better school engagement.
This week we are joined by Nicholas Michalakis, the Owner and Operator of Tweak IT. Tweak IT is a locally owned tech support service focused on delivering smart, accessible, and reliable IT solutions for homes, individuals, and small office environments. With over 20 years of industry experience, they combine deep technical knowledge with a modern customer-first approach that emphasizes personalized solutions tailored to each client’s specific needs.
Nicholas discusses essential cybersecurity tips for community centers, emphasizing the importance of high-level security measures like endpoint security hardware and multi-factor authentication. He details how these measures can prevent unauthorized access and protect sensitive community data. He highlights the need for regular software and firmware updates to patch security vulnerabilities, and implementing comprehensive network policies to block malicious activities before they can compromise systems. Nicholas strongly advises against relying solely on generic antivirus software, explaining why these solutions often fail to protect against sophisticated modern threats. Additionally, he stresses the importance of continually educating staff and volunteers about safe online practices, recognizing sophisticated phishing scams, creating strong passwords, and maintaining general cybersecurity knowledge as the first line of defense to protect centers and their staff from increasingly common cyber attacks.
This week, we’re joined by Claire Johnson, Founder and Managing Director of Advocate 360. Claire shares her extensive experience in government relations and strategic communications, where she has advised industry associations, corporations, and startups navigating complex policy environments. She is also the former CEO of the Australian Hydrogen Council, and previously led government relations for Toyota Australia playing a key role in shaping national policy on emerging transport technologies.
Claire discusses the key challenges community centers and industry bodies face, particularly resource constraints, and the need for creative solutions. She recommends focusing on two to three priority issues and aligning with government priorities while emphasizing the importance of clear documentation. Advocate360 specializes in helping businesses and member organizations improve their policy engagement and stakeholder strategy, offering customized support including grant application assistance.
This week, we are joined by Naomi Lacey from Community Gardens Australia. Naomi is a permaculturalist who is passionate about promoting healthy food systems, sustainable lifestyles, and cultivating community. Naomi believes that community gardens play a pivotal role in ensuring better health outcomes for Australians, building community, addressing the climate crisis, reducing waste, and educating people.
Naomi discusses the benefits and growth of community gardening, highlighting a rise in community gardens and a 44% increase in the United States from 2012 to 2019, with similar trends here in Australia. Community gardens address social isolation, with doctors in the United Kingdom now prescribing them for mental health. Naomi emphasizes the importance of community involvement and local council support for land and funding. She touches on the role Community Gardens Australia plays in providing resources, education, and advocacy while also discussing sustainable planting practices and the potential for rooftop and verge gardens. Through these initiatives, Naomi and Community Gardens Australia are helping create greener, more connected communities across the country.
This week, we’re joined by Dr. Nadia Corsini, a behavioral scientist and senior research fellow at the University of South Australia. Dr. Corsini is passionate about translating evidence to solve pressing social and health challenges for industry, government, and most importantly, the public.
The Loneliness Project is a partnership between UniSA, The Hut Community Centre, and other academic, policy, and community organizations working together to address loneliness in communities. Dr. Corsini discusses the Spark: Igniting Human Connection project—a community co-design model to combat loneliness. Funded by the Women’s Health Research Translation and Impact Network (WHRTN), the research revealed that loneliness peaks around midlife and affects all genders equally. The Spark Project has developed several initiatives including a community café model, nature-based activities, and co-working spaces to foster meaningful social connections. These initiatives, led by trained volunteers, create sustainable community-driven solutions to loneliness while emphasizing the importance of face-to-face interactions over digital ones.
Contact Us
Send us your feedback, ideas for future episodes or contact our team if you would like to be a guest on the podcast.
info@communitycentressa.asn.au