History of Speakers Bank
Speakers Bank was established in Victoria in 2006 as a partnership project between Disability Connections Victoria (DCV) and the MetroAccess Program of Maribyrnong Council, in conjunction with Carers Victoria and Toastmasters.
Expressions of interest were open to people with disabilities, their carers, and families, who were interested in participating in a public speaking course and were members of DCV.
Eleven people successfully completed the course and became ongoing Speakers Bank members, supported in developing presentations and attending public speaking engagements for local organisations.
Additional support
In 2011, supported by a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Speakers Bank appointed a Program Coordinator and recruited an additional 24 speakers, including people with disability living in regional Victoria.
They were provided with training in public speaking and supported to speak to organisations such as universities, training institutes, secondary schools and service clubs. Our speakers aimed to share their lived experience and discuss attitudes towards people with disability, encouraging acceptance and creating a more inclusive society.
An Annecto enterprise
With the closure of DCV in 2014, Speakers Bank became part of Annecto and continued to be funded through the DHHS Home and Community Care (HACC) / Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP) until 2020, when changes to their funding eligibility criteria made the program ineligible for continued support.
Speakers Bank has since been supported by Annecto and a series of small grants from Wyndham City Council, Hobsons Bay Council, Brimbank Council and Victorian Government Volunteer Grants. In 2016, Speakers Bank participated in the Two Feet social enterprise incubator program facilitated by The Difference Incubator and was represented at the 2017 Social Enterprise world Forum in New Zealand.
As an Annecto enterprise, alongside Coolamon Aboriginal Arts Hub, Front Door Recycling and You Want You Should, Speakers Bank is supported to expand its reach and influence, recruiting speakers and delivering speaking engagements across Australia.
Community connections
Speakers Bank has partnered with Victoria University, Federation University, Job Training Institute and Wear For Success. In 2016, a Wyndham Community Strengthening Grant supported Speakers Bank to deliver seniors storytelling workshops for the Wyndham Seniors Festival.
Community Access Grants from Hobsons Bay allowed us to deliver public speaking workshops for community.
Our speakers have presented for organisations including Red Cross, Monash University, RMIT University, Deakin University, Warner Institute, Griffith Business School, TAFE and Casey FM radio. They have spoken at events including the VALID ‘Having a Say’ Conferences, the 2016 Long Term Unemployment Conference in Brisbane and the 2018 Murray City Country Coast GP training.
