Eden Alternative Associate
Training Down Under!

 
In May 2002 Australia hosted the second ever Eden Alternative Associate training for Australians. This training helped to launch "Eden In OZ" foundation which is the first ever Eden Alternative International Affiliate. At the end of the associate training a board of Edenizing Aussies were selected to help take "Eden In OZ" forward in Australia.

Australia has had two lots of Associate Training in November 2000 and May 2002 and now with its own board and foundation, the Eden Alternative is ready to grow through "Eden In OZ". The soil is warm in Australia, we have the vision, we have education and many organisations have already embarked on implementing Eden. The recent Associate training in May used the assistance of two Australians to support Dr. Bill Thomas, Megan Hannan and Nancy Fox from the USA. Julie Spicer from NSW and Sarah MacKenzie from Melbourne assisted in facilitating their own group, while the 3 USA trainers combined to rotate between groups, teaching the principles of the Eden Alternative.

Sarah MacKenzie’s Experience as a part of the Eden Team:

This was a terrific opportunity for me to work with the Eden Alternative trainers. After becoming an Associate in 2000, I was highly motivated and inspired by my trainers LaVrene Norton and Megan Hannan, that I travelled to the USA to work with Action Pact team in 2001. I spent 3 months working with Edenizing organisations learning new and proactive ways for operating long-term care facilities. My particular focus was the Culture Change model, re-designing large facilities into small intimate communities. After working closely with self-directed teams in Culture Change Models, I returned to Australia to begin to implement this social model of care to my home company, Aged Care Service Group.

This experience has proved invaluable after being selected by Dr. Bill Thomas to assist in the Australian Associate Training. In the Associate training, I was able to assist with the training of other Australians, sharing my journey and experience of Edenizing and Culture Change in both Australia and the USA. It was an amazing experience to work with Bill, listening to him spread the Eden word through fables and theatrics. As always I loved working with Megan, her expert knowledge in learning circles and dementia care is outstanding, she was able to share great successes from other homes in America, helping Australian Associates to see the vision and believe that "It Can Be Different". It was my first experience of working with Nancy Fox and boy do I love that smile and humour. In Australia we still talk fondly of Nancy, however she is better known as "Texas". By the end of the training Aussies were taking off Nancy’s Texan Accent saying things slowly like "Bless her heart!"

The combination of Aussie and USA trainers worked well, a terrific cross cultural balance of humour, fun and Aged Care experiences. Incorporating Aussies into the Associate training gave great recognition to Australia’s ability to produce people who are willing to create a revolution in Australia’s long-term care through using the Eden Alternative. The training also gave public credibility to Australians making a difference in Aged Care by launching the "Eden In OZ" foundation. It was a proud moment for Australian Aged Care Industry to become the first Eden Alternative Affiliate, allowing Australia to manage their journey into Edenizing.