7 minute read
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Cummins Powers Women
This year has been big for Cummins Powers Women and community partners across the region.
With in-person engagement fully returning, the impact in our communities has been exponential.
NASCA – Lego legends
Engagement with the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy (NASCA) started at a CareerFit conference in Sydney, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from across NSW visited to learn more about opportunities after high school, both in the working world and tertiary education. Several industry-led workshops were held during the conference and Cummins got to debut the Lego engine build challenge for the first time the Asia Pacific region. In a two-hour workshop, students and Cummins volunteers were tasked with building a two-cylinder, moving Lego model of a Cummins engine. The workshop provided opportunities to discuss engineering and STEM career pathways, work in teams and learn more about working with one’s hands. Students present were also treated to an introduction from Ryan McNaight, judge of Channel Nine’s Lego Masters. The following day, Cummins backed up the engagement with a career expo for students at CareerFit. The team raised awareness of Cummins as a company and the opportunities available not just at Cummins but within industry.
Meet Courtney Richards
As part of a Cummins Powers Women grant, Courtney Richards is a Pathways Lead. She supports young Indigenous girls across five high schools in western New South Wales to actively plan their post-school pathway and gives them direct mentoring and support. NASCA in Dubbo is launching a new NASCA program to support Indigenous girls in regional schools to identify and achieve their post-schooling goals. We hope that by capturing the already impressive impact Courtney is having on school attendance and graduation rates, that schools, governments and corporate founders will increase funding to support positions like Courtney’s Australia-wide.
Introduction and launch: Global Rights for Women
Welcome to Global Rights for Women (GRW) as a new partner to the Cummins Powers Women (CPW) program in Asia Pacific. GRW in the Philippines is an extension of the great work GRW has already started globally. CPW first partnered with GRW and Baker Mackenzie to develop specialist tools to analyse country-based systems for supporting women and children escaping domestic and sexual violence. Following the success of the collaboration, both groups continued their partnership to specifically work on a project in the Philippines. Kate Teixeira, CPW Leadership Sponsor, led the official launch of the partnership in October. CPW hosted GRW at the Cummins Sales and Service Philippines Inc branch where they learnt about Cummins and team members who will help with the project, specifically Jennifer Boloso and Toni de Guzman, by contacting local governments, survivors and not for profits that can assist them.
Cheryl Thomas, founding Director of GRW, presented to all branch staff about what GRW does worldwide. Cheryl is recognised globally for her work in domestic and sexual violence and making systems better across the globe for women.
The visit coincided with the IDOTG celebrations being held throughout Cummins and drove home the action needed to make a change for the better for survivors and improve the future for girls in the Philippines and worldwide An immediate action by Kate and Jennifer was accompanying GRW’s meeting with the Mayor of Quezon City (one of the largest municipalities in the greater Luzon area) to discuss the blight of domestic and sexual violence on women in Quezon City’s jurisdiction.
Cummins hosts Global Rights for Women in the Philippines.
The Philippines has strong laws about domestic violence and sexual violence. However, a low number of offenders is prosecuted and there is a culture of silence from victims and survivors, meaning the laws are often ineffective in deterring offenders or offering support to victims. GRW will return to the Philippines early 2023 to conduct focus group discussions with survivors, supporting organisations on the ground, government, and the perpetrators of violence to get a better understanding of where gaps exist.
On 29 September, employees from Cummins Philippines Sales and Service team volunteered with the Chosen Children Village Foundation to participate in a fun and colourful children’s art workshop.
The foundation aims to provide home lives across the Philippines for abandoned children who are physically and mentally challenged. During the workshop, artist Sherlyn Love Galvan provided the excited class with a detailed tutorial to help inspire creativity and shape their designs. They were then tasked with creating artwork that expressed the Cummins values – integrity, diversity and inclusion, caring, excellence and teamwork. Assisted by Cummins employees, the children could let their creativity flow using paints, pens and other materials. The activity was made possible through the support of Genevieve Ruiz and Chosen Children Village Foundation committee members Khate Bernal, Grace Dimaano, Eldrid Labrador, Melinda Pallarca and Nikka Jeal Suasba. Selected works will be displayed at the CSSPI office.
Cummins volunteers help out with an art workshop at the Chosen Children Village Foundation.
NASCA promotes immersion experience
In August, the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy (NASCA) extended an opportunity to Kristina Lambkin, Corporate Responsibility and TEC Program Leader, to accompany the organisation on a one-week community immersion program in Ali Curung, in the Northern Territory.
At Ali Curung, three hours north of Alice Springs, volunteers engaged in work within the community and the school. The program’s objective was to help increase children’s school attendance. To achieve that, the team provided in-class support to students from kindergarten to Year 9. Before and after school activities were organised to enable the volunteers to interact with children who may not be attending school, their siblings and their parents. As the visit coincided with National Science Week, the volunteers were tasked with hosting science experiences for the students, which included mini volcanos and planting workshops. Kristina praised the experience as truly representing the word ‘immersion’, and a fantastic opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, the Dreamtime, family structures and the challenges children in remote communities experience. “Life-changing is an understatement and these kids will forever have a place in my heart. I hope to return in 2023 and do it again and hopefully see the kids I’ve worked with already flourish and grow. A special thanks to NASCA and Cummins for offering me the opportunity,” she said.
Cummins Philippines marine technicians successfully complete SOLAS training
From 21 September to 1 October, Cummins Philippines marine field service technicians Angel Sun, Cristian Verdejo and Allan Oruga successfully completed their Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) training course.
Facilitated by Far East Maritime Training, a Maritime Industry Authority-approved training organisation, the 10-day course covered competency in personal survival techniques, fire prevention, firefighting, elementary first aid, personal safety and social responsibility. SOLAS training is essential for the Philippines marine technicians’ role to ensure they are adequately equipped with the knowledge and skill to mitigate hazards and eliminate injury while performing vessel maintenance activities offshore. Congratulations Angel, Cristian and Allan for successfully completing the course.
Cristian Verdejo Allan Oruga Angel Sun
