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News from SA - Development of its strategic plan
14-02-2018
So what does a Branch Board do in Meetings? Strategic Planning?
The DSA SA Branch has for a long time been working towards building the groundwork for a successful state, and overall growth in DanceSport locally. On many occasions we have engaged with local members to look at how we might improve the grassroots locally.
With that in mind our Branch board embarked on developing a Strategic Plan with assistance from the Department of Recreation and Sport SA. Working with Hans van Bavel, who facilitated our workshop in April 2017, we invited our SA DSA members and were pleased to have 22 members present at the half day workshop. We secured representation from the Adult and Masters [1, 2, 3] categories to work collaboratively and develop a new direction for SA.
It was refreshing to have long-time members and young faces contributing towards the betterment of DanceSport in SA. We worked with our National Strategic Plan as a base point and applied local thinking to help drive our new directions and work towards change and growth.
"Change: No dancer walks onto the same floor twice." Oryst Tkacz, Oct. 2017
Working as a group we identified partners and stakeholders, values, core activities, pillars for action, strategies and outcomes. The following gives insight into our new thinking in SA.
Vision
DanceSport SA - Bringing people together
An active sport that encourages participation by all ages in a social or competitive pastime that brings people together in a social setting, studio environment, competition scene, or administrative endeavours. Competitors, volunteers, coaches, adjudicators, sponsors, affiliated associations and studio proprietors are all brought together to build and create opportunities for people from all walks of life to fulfil their desire to be a part of a glamorous and exciting leisure activity or participate in the demands of a competitive sport.
Strategy
Mission
We will develop our sport by:
- Increasing awareness of dance sport within the South Australian community
- Gaining recognition as a sport equal to others
- Providing opportunities for participants to build and develop healthy body and mind
- Bringing together all sections of the sport in South Australia
- Increasing participation by all age groups
- Creating an inclusive environment
Partners and Stakeholders
- Competitors - Amateur, Professional and Recreational
- Social dancers
- Members
- Registered DanceSport Studios
- Coaches, Adjudicators and Scrutineers
- Competition organizers
- Associations and Societies
- National DanceSport Australia
- Non-registered DanceSport Studios
- Volunteers
- Parents
- Office for Recreation and Sport
- Dancewear shops/businesses/proprietors
- Sponsors
- Venue owners
Values
Our values represent our desired culture - on and off the dancefloor.
- Inclusiveness and equality: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion – Accepting all participants regardless of age, race, gender, or sexuality.
- Safe environment: Children and young people have a right to be safe and protected at all times, including when accessing services in the DanceSport community.
- Discipline: Behave appropriately at all times and focus on your goals for success.
- Fun: DanceSport should be fun for all participants regardless of ability, or personal goals
- Respect and Integrity: Respectful relationships and integrity should govern our interactions in DanceSport
- Ethical Standards: All participants should act ethically and follow acceptable standards of behaviour in social and competitive settings
- Human Interaction: All interactions within the DanceSport community should be respectful and treatment of all others should be within expected norms of the broader community
- Collaboration - working cooperatively together
- Healthy and Active Lifestyle: DanceSport promotes a healthy and active lifestyle in the community
- Learning, Personal Growth and Self-awareness: Life is a continual journey of personal growth, improvement and self-awareness
- Supportiveness: All participants in DanceSport should support each other as they aspire to personal goals, pursuits and achievements
Our Workshop identified these Pillars as fundamental to future activity, growth and development:
Strategic pillars - Areas of planning focus
Participation, Sport Development and High Performance |
Education, Training and Accreditation |
Business Partnership Development |
Volunteers and Relationships |
Communication and Marketing |
Governance and Finance |
A sample of how we expressed one of our major pillars is below
Pillar 1
Participation, sport development and high performance
Key objective 1.1
Initiate a promotional program utilizing high profile couples in the sport
Strategies
1.1.1 Use existing avenues of promotion as a platform for high profile couples to present at events - such as
- Festival of Arts
- Fringe
- Rundle Mall
- Adelaide Oval Plaza
1.1.2 Conduct floor shows at corporate events
Key objective 1.2
Establish links between both the social and competition scenes to promote development pathways into DanceSport
Strategies
1.2.1 Encourage beginner, intermediate and advanced classes with development competitions such as a 6 to 10 week program that culminates in a studio 'Development Competition'
1.2.2 Foster mutually beneficial functions and events such as tea dances and cabaret programs throughout the year to bring sport partners and stakeholders together
1.2.3 Conduct competitions and cabarets on the same day
1.2.4 Develop pathways and activities that allow for entry to elite levels of the sport locally, nationally and internationally
1.2.5 Introduce an end of year awards evening event that recognises effort, commitment, participation and volunteers
1.2.6 Create mutually beneficial opportunities to work together
Key objective 1.3
Promote pathways for studios and their students/clients to engage with competitions
Strategies
1.3.1 Create opportunities to unite studios in an environment that enables them to promote their own studio
1.3.2 Advertise in local media to promote community-based events such as 'come and try' days
1.3.3 Offer assistance to conduct events (as with Development Competitions)
Similar content was developed for each of our Pillars and will drive the work of Branch board members assigned to each pillar, help them to provide leadership in SA and also provide a purpose for their work on the Branch board of DSSA.
The final piece of the Strategic Plan, is to develop an Operational Plan for the SA Branch Board. This work is in-draft-form and is to be developed so accountability is built into the actions and work of the Branch Board in SA. A sample of this is below.
Operational Plan for DSSA - sampler
Objective |
Strategies |
Key Performance Indicators |
Responsibility - Who will lead? |
Timeframe /Priority level |
Resources needed |
1. Initiate a promotional program utilizing high profile couples in the sport |
1.1) Use existing avenues of promotion as a platform for high profile couples to present at events - such as:
1.2) Conduct floor shows at corporate events |
Timeframe: Priority level: |
|||
2. Establish links between both the social and competition scenes to promote development pathways into dance sport |
2.1) Encourage beginner, intermediate and advanced classes with development competitions such as a 6 to 10 year program that culminates in a studio 'Development Competition' 2.2) Foster mutually beneficial functions and events such as tea dances and cabaret program throughout the year 2.3) Introduce an end of year awards evening event that recognises effort, commitment, participation and volunteers 2.4) Create mutually beneficial opportunities to work together 2.5) Conduct competitions and cabarets on the same day |
Timeframe: Priority level: |
|||
3. Promote pathways for studios and their students/clients to engage with competitions. |
3.1) Create opportunities to unite studios in an environment that enables them to also promote their own studio 3.2) Advertise in local media to promote community based events such as 'come and try' days 3.3) Offer assistance to conduct events (as with Development Competitions) |
Timeframe: Priority level: |
When all these pieces of our Strategic plan are in place, SA will be able to work cohesively with assigned leadership to Branch Board members with transparency, accountability and direction. This will in turn assist our planning for the future and gain acceptance from members, the broader community and the Department for Recreation and Sport SA.
Oryst Tkacz, for and on behalf of DanceSport SA.