ACHPER SA Win Innovative Association Award

On World Teachers Day 2021 (October 29, 2021) ACHPER SA received the highest Association Honour at the Educators SA World Teachers Day Awards, held at the iconic Wine Centre. ACHPER SA were awarded the 2021 Innovative Association Award, which recognises ACHPER’s innovative and creative professional learning structures and opportunities. ACHPER SA is so proud that across a network of 60 professional educator associations, and a community of 15,000 educators in SA, we were awarded this honour for the work we do to support our ACHPER members and all Health & PE (HPE) professionals to be the best educator they can.

 

‘Innovation’ is considered to mean any initiative undertaken by an association that was ‘new to that association’ and can be seen to have been ‘impactful’ in broadening the reach of that association and/or providing a benefit to the members of that association. ACHPER SA faced a number of challenges since March 2020, and has had to think and act strategically and therefore move forward in a range of new and innovative ways in responding to an ever changing education landscape.

 

This award specifically recognises:

  • Our key focus of engagement; offering a new and expanded Early Career Teacher (ECT) project for HPE teachers.
  • With restrictions to face to face professional learning, ACHPER SA trialled and successfully implemented a range of online webinars and member hubs to network, engage and access best practice
  • Needing to diversify income streams, ACHPER SA developed new Consultancy opportunities, and were successful in a range of significant projects including Sport Australia- Sporting Schools Plus, Country SA PHN (Public Health Network) - Wellbeing Schools Project, Table Tennis Australia- New National Curriculum Resource and SA Circus Centre - CIRKIDZ - new Educational Packages
  • All of this was undertaken whilst offering ongoing activities and services to our members and stakeholders.

 

Minister for Education, John Gardner sent this message to ACHPER SA. "Congratulations to ACHPER SA, this year’s recipient of the Innovative Association Award at the Educators SA World Teachers’ Day Awards. It’s fantastic they’ve been recognised for their support for early career health and physical education teachers through their Early Career Teachers’ Development Program. I want to thank ACHPER for their ongoing work in promoting the importance of active and healthy living.”

 

ACHPER SA Executive Director, Matt Schmidt outlined “This is outstanding recognition of the hard work, strategic planning, team effort and innovation that has been driven by the ACHPER SA Board, Volunteers and our dedicated Staff. Thanks to all of those that have contributed significantly, and all of our valuable ACHPER members and partners. If you are not a member, there has never been a better time to join your professional association”. ACHPER SA wish to acknowledge all finalists, and other award recipients, thank Educators SA, the Minister for Education and Credit Union SA (also ACHPER SA’s long term partner) for their support and delivery of these vital awards.