Kicking it off at the Department of Sport and Recreation

Two weeks ago, I started my internship at the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR). Before I started, I was feeling kind of anxious as I had no idea what to expect. But my anxieties were laid to rest on my first day, as everyone I met in the Department were so friendly and welcoming. The communications team (where I will be placed with over the coming weeks) is quite small, but they are all especially friendly, close and funny.

The past few weeks have been crazy, and I am learning so much. Amazingly, half of the stuff I have learnt is about filming and photography, which perfectly complements PR. This is due to the fact that my table is right next to the filming crew, so they sometimes take me to different events that they are filming at, such as the NAIDOC Netball Carnival, and I get to see what goes on behind-the-scenes in making a video. 

I have participated in the following PR-related tasks so far: media monitoring, writing a media release, proof-reading the reports about their different programs (which gave me a good insight into what the DSR does), and attending their event planning meetings, one of their media events and one of their media ops.

The media event I went to was about the announcement of DSR's new online planning tool for sports clubs. Not a lot of media attended this, as I believe that it had little news value to them. But it was interesting to note that the media, who did attend the event, were only interested in asking questions about the new Sports Stadium at Burswood-this was a completely different topic to what the media event was for. As my boss told me later on, this kind of thing happens quite often. 

The media op contrasted to the media event. The media op was about the State government injecting $7.2 million into 47 State sporting associations. It focused on inviting the media to the NIB sports stadium, where around 10 young athletes from local sporting clubs and the Sport and Recreation minister, Terry Waldron, would be there for the media to take photos and ask questions. Unlike the media event, the media op was more focused on the topic. The West Australian published the resulting story: https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/24468553/7-2m-kicked-in-to-sports-clubs/

(Behind the scenes of getting the right photo)

Every week, the DSR has a performance review meeting with all the different divisions within the department. What I found really refreshing was that, instead of using technology, they used an old-fashion pinboard, pieces of paper and coloured markers to keep track of what each division was up to. I really enjoyed the performance review meetings, as I got to see how the communications team contributed to the overall success of the Department.  

I look forward to seeing what else the DSR experience will bring me in the next few weeks.

Good bye and good luck!

So after 20 days I have come to the end of my placement at the Department of Sport and Recreation. No more database, no more San Churros hot chocolates and no more talking about sport twice a week. Despite realising government work wasn’t for me, I was sad to go. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself and learnt a lot.

As well as filling in some important skills gaps I have also realised what I need to work on more. I need to feel more confident in my contribution and what I have to say, I also need to practice my telephone manner and not be so scared to pick it up and call someone. The most important lesson I learnt however is that even after years of experience you never stop asking questions. It was a relief for me to sit in staff meetings and have people ask the same questions I had running through my head.

On my last day I made Anzacs for the staff and went out for lunch in the beautiful sun. While I was sad to say goodbye I will always be grateful for all the staff taking the time to say hi to me every day and for my supervisor being patient with my many questions (some of which were relevant to the task I was working on).

Government work is not for me, but I know sport is where I want to be. I am hoping that in the coming weeks I will be called up to help the not-for-profit organisation mentioned in my earlier blogs because it is a perfect fit for and something I really want to be part of.

I hope everyone had a placement as enjoyable as mine!

It’s all fun and games at DSR

 

I have settled in a little bit more at my placement and am starting to interact with more of the staff members which has made my time at DSR a little less daunting! I got to see a different side of government work this week by helping out a member of the Inclusion team run an X-box and Wii day for members of Amana Living aged care facilities. Around 40 members took part in the day that saw them put their co-ordination to the test in a few rounds of golf. Scores were kept as trophies were awarded at the end of the afternoon, today’s event being the last in a series that have run over the year.

It made me realise that the Department of Sport and Recreation is so much more than just funding and supporting clubs. It was great to see mature aged people getting up and giving it a go, socialising, laughing and smiling the entire time. The position statement for mature aged sport and recreation can be found here: http://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/609

This week at DSR was made more enjoyable by seeing the community based side of government work as well the benefits it is having.

 

Lucy Morrison

Opportunities and Open Doors

I remember writing in my first blog that government work might not be for me and I wanted to try something in the not-for-profit sector. Well, it’s funny how things turn out. One of the fellow members in the programs and services department asked for my input on a survey designed for young girls to assess their physical activity levels and potential qualms they have about exercising. I was also given the proposal to look over to be able to better assess the survey and whether or not it was meeting the objectives that were set out. I fell in love with it! It was the first time since starting my placement at DSR that I was genuinely excited.

 I read through the proposal several times, I even took it home and made notes that covered the entire margin with ideas and ways I thought this project could be improved. My public relations creative juices were flowing and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet with the director of the organisation that will be implementing the program in schools next year. He too could sense my enthusiasm, it may have had something to do with the fact that I could barely sit still and my hand gestures were particularly over the top! He asked me to be the face of the program in the interim with the potential to be the full time co-ordinator in a few months. I couldn’t believe that I had found a program that embodied everything I was passionate about, exercise, health, nutrition and body image! Not only that it also made me realise that this is what I want to do in my career, I want to have a close relationship with communities and be involved in the creation of websites, the implementation of proposals and communicate messages in person not just via a media release or a press conference.

 

Lucy Morrison

More published news = Great feeling!

Every Wednesday I come into the DSR offices in Leederville and have a long week full list of emails to work through. Straight away my supervisor had a manageable amount of news stories ready for getting ‘meaty’ information and to submit to the DSR website.

After a day full of emails and phone calls to and fro, I had written, tweaked and perfected four lovely news ready for approving and uploading to the website. After a few slight changes to commas, quotation marks and full stops from the supervisor the stories were ready to be revealed to the world, or anyone who visited the DSR website.

Not only do I now know that a quotation mark goes before the full stop, I have a very proud and impressed mother.

Here are the web links to the news items I uploaded all by my lonesome last week

http://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/make-your-own-poster-competition

http://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/tammin-football-club-celebrate-100-years

http://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/geraldton-succeeds-with-new-annual-badminton-open

http://www.dsr.wa.gov.au/kicking-goals-for-community-harmony

When people ask me what I do at uni, PR needs some explanation. Most people say “Whats that?. They genuinely have no idea. As the unit is somewhat new to university, I get a kick about describing what the profession entails. I usually say, I get all the information , conduct the interviews and type up the story then send it to the journalist who then does what they wish to it, then hopefully it ends up in the papers. People seem pretty impressed by that statement and it makes me really like public relations. I know that it’s not all that it entails but I guess its my favourite part so far.

Until more published stories (hopefully).

Cheers

Emma

My Experience at the DSR (Part 4) - The End

This is it, it is finally over.

Last week I had my final day at the DSR but I have been putting this post off for a while due to the assignment.  I figured what better time to post this than on my last ever day of uni.

I had an amazing time doing my work experience at the Department of Sport and Recreation and it is fitting that it was the culmination of four years of study (I know, it was meant to just be three... shhh).

In a way I feel like I have come full circle, finishing university just as I started it - delirious from lack of sleep and putting the finishing touches on my report before I go hand it in.  Who knew formatting would take so much work!

I learned a lot at the DSR and loved every minute of it.

A large amount of the work was putting out media releases but I enjoy writing and (bizarrely for someone who dislikes work) actually had fun doing it.

There were some pretty amazing and unique experiences along the way.  One of the recent highlights was attending the stadium update and seeing the premier and minister for sport and recreation addressing a room crowded with media. I got to see the Eagles President make an address (yay) as well as the Dockers CEO (boo). It was a fun day and I am glad to have experienced it.

I'll keep this one short and end it here.  Thankyou to everyone who left a comment over the last few months.

I hope everyone enjoyed their experience as much as I did!

Luke

My experience at the DSR (part 3) - more media releases! and... burritos

This is it, the final stretch.

I have just four days left in my work experience at the Department of Sport and Recreation and I don't know what I will do when it is over (other than sleep in on Mondays again).  It has been a part of my life since January and it will be strange when it is gone.   

My main focus continues to be writing media releases but this is something I enjoy and I have a lot of freedom in what I do.  I get to identify a lot of story ideas myself and choose which ones I will work on.

Here is one story I wrote recently if you are interested.

I've begun to see a bit of my work showing up in newspapers and I find it very satisfying.  Sometimes it has very little in common with my initial media release, other times it is almost the original release word for word.  The journalist side of me might frown upon that but the PR side of me is proud that I can present a media release in such a newsworthy fashion that they run it with little changes.

We have been doing a bit of work towards getting local governments more involved and sharing any positive stories they come accross.  We have had some very good story ideas submitted and some of they are quite amazing.  We hear of kids with disabilities participating in sport for the very first time, participation rates doubling in certain areas through KidSport and even the creation of entirely new leagues to cater for the increase in demand.

One of the things I worked on recently was a few templates for local governments to use so they can easily create stories of their own when they come across something interesting without having to go through the department.  It should free up a lot of time for us as we cannot possible cover every good story idea that comes in.  Not every local government has a PR team and it is nice that they can now share some of the great results we are seeing with KidSport independently.

I also sat in on a few more meetings these past few weeks and have had an opportunity to voice some of my thoughts on KidSport and our co-operation with local participating governments.


Oh and I discovered the most awesome burrito shop ever.  Sadly I discovered it too late and there isn't possible enough time to sample all the possible combinations!

Until next time,


Luke

My Experience at the DSR (Part 2) - More media releases, more coffee and an accidental runner

Hey guys,

It's been a few weeks since my last update.  Ok that is a lie, it's been more than a few weeks but it's time to fill you in on my experiences to date.

I've found myself continually drawing from my journalism studies in a lot of my work so far.  As I joined following the launch of KidSport the majority of my time has been dedicated to identifying positive stories and working on media releases to help raise awareness for the program.

In week two (aka day two) I began my first media releases about the program which were about a group of Aboriginal boys in Narrogin joining the gymnastics club for the first time with financial assistance from KidSport and a similar story about a boy who was able to join his local cricket club for the first time - something his family had not been able to afford in the past.  These stories were sent out to local media outlets in their respective areas.  For one story I was lucky enough to get an interview with via email which gave me some well thought out, clearly written quotes to use.  The second interview was a little trickier as it was over the phone.  I was able to get a couple of decent quotes jotted down but need to work on my shorthand to make the process easier in the future.  For those interested you can read my two media releases here and here

It turns out there were a ton of enquiries about the Nicky Winmar Carnival article I had written in the previous week.  The carnival received some positive press with most of the information included in my media release appearing in the articles I saw.

In weeks three and four I changed focus a little and worked on a series of media releases for the Department of Sport and Recreation's (DSR) Community Volunteer Grants program.  I completed three articles which can be seen here, here and here.

I attended my first full department meeting in week five.  This was an interesting experience as I was able to see what all the other teams were working on - PR and otherwise.  It provided an interesting overview of the department and where our small PR team fits into the overall picture.

Monday mornings are not getting any easier.  Working nights Tuesday to Saturday and then using Sunday to try and adjust my sleeping pattern in order to get up at 7am on Monday can be very hard and my morning coffee is becoming the cornerstone of my day.  Without a good morning coffee the rest of the day just crumbles!  To help with this I have invested in a proper coffee machine and am currently sitting here pumped full of caffeine and wondering how I ever drank instant coffee. Seriously, best investment EVER.

As I alluded to in the title there was also a small mishap involving accidentally doing a runner from a cafe during my lunch hour...  I had become so used to paying for food before eating it (students can't afford to go anywhere fancy enough to charge you AFTER you eat to be fair!) that I finished my meal and simply walked out, no one said a word or tried to stop me.  An hour or so later as I went to get a drink from the office vending machine I noticed that I still had cash in my wallet.  As this is an incredibly uncommon sight my mistake quickly dawned on me.  Embarrassed,  I made my way back to the restaurant and paid for my lunch.  The staff seemed shocked that I came back to pay and were very nice about it.  Luckily for me I avoided getting on any blacklists and have been able to enjoy lunch there many times since!

Until next time,

Luke

My Experience at the DSR (Part 1) - The First Media Release (and Coffee!)

Hello everyone,

It's been about six weeks (six days) since I started my internship and I figure this would be a good time to start blogging about my experience so far.

I had originally intended to do this unit in semester two of 2011 but came to the conclusion that I would be better off putting it off for the semester and starting early in the summer.  This would allow me to do it part-time (one day per week) instead of taking an extended leave from work.

I got into contact with the Department of Sport and Recreational and was excited to hear they were willing to take me on in the new year.  I quickly agreed and crossed my fingers that they would still remember when it got closer to 2012. Fortunately they did.

Fast forward to today and I find myself six weeks into my work experience and loving every minute of it - although Monday mornings aren't getting any easier after becoming used to working nights!

In this blog I will be bringing you some of the highlights of my experience to date.

Week 1 (AKA Day 1):

I knew I was going to like the place when I was offered coffee upon arrival (and liked it even more when I learned it was a daily 9.30am ritual).  Following this much needed caffeine hit I began my first day by sitting in on the weekly meeting for the PR/communications team.  It was daunting at first and a lot of it went over my head initially but as I became more informed about what the department does and some of the programs it manages it began to make a lot more sense.  I was asked where my strengths lie and was promptly given my first task upon answering that it was writing. That task was preparing my first ever real media release, no more preparing media releases for hypothetical scenarios or preparing media releases that would never actually be released - this was the real deal.

I was a little apprehensive, I hadn't actually written a media release in almost a year but I am happy to report that it all comes back to you very quickly. 

Fortunately, the release I was to write was for the Nicky Winmar Football Carnival, a sporting event for a sport I am very familiar with - AFL.  Getting to write about a sport I know and enjoy definitely made things easier and far more enjoyable when it came to writing the media release and researching some of the material. 

I found myself drawing heavily on the journalism aspect of my Mass Communication degree, in particular the semester I had spent as a sub-editor at the Western Independent. I am proud to say my supervisor (Amanda) found no errors when I sent her the story.  That isn't to say my PR studies played no role at all, they assisted me greatly when it came to the structure of the story and the distribution.  For those interested you can read the media release here.

Perhaps the hardest part when it came to my first media release was actually issuing it.  There was no real media list at my disposal so I had to create my own. To make distribution matters harder it is a story that could be of interest to media outlets all across the state. I spent quite a large chunk of time creating a mailing list of my own which should make any future media releases I do significantly easier to distribute.  We got a lot of responses to the release and generated some decent coverage in newspapers and regional TV.

Working for a government department which is primarily involved in positive initiatives and popular policy makes it much easier to do the job. I can't help feel that I was very lucky to end up in a department such as this considering how much negative publicity and public distrust or disinterest there are towards many other government departments. It is nice being able to work on promoting the initiatives the department is involved in without having to be constantly dealing with negative publicity or a crisis. That isn't to say they don't happen and to some extent they very much still do but they are much less common than the problems other departments would have to constantly deal with.

Wow, I didn't expect this first blog blog entry to drag on quite so much as it did.  For the sake of your sanity (and mine) I will stop here for now.  Keep an eye out for some of my other experiences and thoughts from these first few weeks in part two! (coming soon-ish)

Until next time,

Luke Howieson

State Government Intern Program - Part II

Another big hello to my fellow PR buddies,

I hope that all of your workplace experiences are going as well as mine :)

I am almost half way through my time here at the Department of Sport and Recreation and it has absolutely flown by!

To give you all an indication of what I am doing here, I can sum it up in one word.. Research !

The Department of Sport and Recreation are currently up to stage five of a five stage program designed to get more people active in their communities, whether it be through sporting team participation, volunteering, umpiring etc.

At present, I have been scouring the internet, looking for previously implemented strategies (worldwide, national and local) to grab the attention of younger people to get more active in their communities and I have found some very interesting research. Ideas from offering students discounts on their university studies if they join a local group to establishing a passport system that allows people to showcase a portfolio to future employers of where they have volunteered are just two of many ideas I have found so far.

The state government has just allocated my particular section, called "Sport for all" a five year payment plan totalling $6million, or $1.2million per year which is going to come in very handy to pursue our strategies and projects.

There are also alarming trends between children and obesity as well as older generations and lack of social interaction, and we are trying to address these and many other issues too. It is quite exciting to be here, especially now with the government grant!

Everyone is very active here and only a few people commute to work by car which really shows that the staff live by the ethos of the department they work for and keep active.

Just to rub it in a little bit, I thought I should share some (not all) of the benefits I have while working here.

1. Free yoga classes, massages, walking groups at lunch
2. As much sporting equipment as you could ever need. (At lunch I will quite often grab a football, walk onto Leederville Oval (it adjoins our building) and kick a few goals with the guys!)
3. Free ergonomic assessment; you get fitted out for proper seating, foot rests, arm rests, fitness balls if you need them (very comfortable now!).

Everyone is very happy to work here and it definately shows.

Well, back to work for me but look forward to reading some more developments in all of your placements!

Kieran Vanpraag