YWCA’s Y Connect Program works alongside women and gender diverse people living with disability to grow their skills and connections that support career and professional development goals in Toowoomba.
Career planning, networking and skill-building often comes with extra barriers for women and gender diverse people living with disability. The Y Connect program aims to create a community; offering workshops, events, social and mentoring opportunities for women and gender diverse people, regardless of their professional experience.
You are able to tailor your involvement as it suits you, by opting into our FREE events and opportunities that you are interested in and support your goals. All Y Connect events create a friendly, safe and empowering environment.
For more information about the Y Connect program, please contact Program Coordinator Francene on 0482 166 154 (call or text) or email at Francene.Bain@ywca.org.au.
The calendar of Y Connect opportunities and events changes frequently! Scroll down to view our current opportunities and events.
Our events and opportunities are for women and gender diverse people living with disability in the Toowoomba region. You do not have to be a NDIS participant to attend Y Connect opportunities.
The Y Connect Program, in partnership with Inclusion Access, is offering a limited number of Workplace Culture Inclusion and Diversity packages (valued up to $5800) to eligible workplaces servicing the Toowoomba region.
What the package includes Culture Inclusion and Diversity check-up:
We estimate this will be up to 10 business days’ worth of time. However, this will depend on the size of your organisation.
Why employers should apply Research indicates that workplaces that embrace disability employment enjoy many positive benefits, including:
Eligibility criteria
The Y Connect Program has planned regular FREE professional peer networking events for women and gender diverse people living with disability. We’re running two sessions each month on the same topic, one during the day and one after hours, so people can choose their preferred time. These sessions will be fun and informal and are designed to create a space where women and gender diverse people can connect with peers and discuss opportunities and issues relating to employment or career goals.
These sessions will feature guest speakers talking about different topics to help you with your career goals. The next two sessions in February will feature Alyce Nelligan and Laura Scurr presenting information about your rights in the workplace. They are going to take a deep dive into the National Employment Standards and help you understand your rights and responsibilities at work. These sessions in February will cover issues such as pay entitlements, leave entitlements, your workplace health and safety responsibilities and where to find help if your experiencing difficulties.
If you have any specific needs or require accommodations to fully participate, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We want to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and supported. Please contact the Y Connect Program Coordinator, Francene Bain on 0482 166 154 or email francene.bain@ywca.org.au
DETAILS: Cost: FREE Where: All Y Connect Peer events are held on level 3, Toowoomba City Library Building, 155 Herries Street Toowoomba. The venue is accessible. Parking: Limited free parking is available at the venue
Other topics in 2025
Participants are encouraged to suggest future speakers and topics so these sessions are meeting needs.
The Y Connect Program is offering a limited number of FREE individual computer skills sessions. You can select topics such as introduction to email, organising your computer and managing files/documents, introduction to Microsoft Word and Excel, or you can let us know what computer topic you would like help with, and we may be able to develop a session for you.
Each topic is an independent 1 or 2 hour session. In your registration form, please select all the topics you would like help with. Spots are limited so be QUICK!
Once you have submitted your registration form, a Y Connect facilitator will contact you to organise a time and location for your session. Sessions can also be held online.
For face-to-face sessions, a computer is supplied however you’re more than welcome to bring your own laptop.
To attend these workshops, you must identify as a woman or gender diverse person living with a disability.
If you have any further questions, please contact the Y Connect Program Coordinator, Francene Bain, on 0482 166 154 or email francene.bain@ywca.org.au
DETAILS: Cost: FREE When: by appointment Where: online or in-person. Location to be determined by you and the facilitator.
Do you need help finding and applying for work or study? Are you facing an important life transition? Do you feel dissatisfied, restless, or bored with your current position? Are you thinking about a change in career? Are you plagued with anxiety and uncertainty in relation to work and study options? Do you simply have no idea what you want to do?
The Y Connect Program is offering applicants up to three free individual career counselling sessions, normally costing $140 per session, with Stacy Nottle at Magnolia House. Stacy will assist you to:
In her practice, for all clients, Stacy will
For more information about Stacy, click here.
DETAILS:
When: by appointment Where: online or in-person. Location to be determined by you Magnolia House 66 Lindsay Street, East Toowoomba.
The Y Connect Program is offering professional development bursaries to support women and gender diverse people living with disability in their chosen field. The bursaries are valued at up to $1000 and will contribute up to 80% towards a professional development opportunity or event, training or education, or required resources to support individual career aspirations. If applicants are experiencing financial hardship, the Y Connect program may waive the 20% applicant contribution, however this will be assessed on a case by case basis.
Applicants are permitted to include multiple items in an application, however, only one bursary per applicant will be awarded. Examples of items that are eligible include noise cancelling headphones, high fidelity earplugs or training that will support you with your employment goals.
If successful, you will need to provide the Y Connect Program Coordinator with a valid tax invoice. Funds will be paid directly to the supplier. The Y Connect Program is not able to pay successful applicants directly.
Examples
All applications will be assessed by YWCA Australia and/or Y Connect Advisory Committee. Successful applicants will be notified by email.
If you have any questions, please contact Francene Bain (Y Connect Program Coordinator) on 0482 166 154 or email Francene.bain@ywca.org.au
Applications close Friday 13 December 2024.
Eligibility Criteria To be eligible for a professional development bursary, you must:
If you would like a Word version of the application form, please contact the Y Connect Program Coordinator, Francene Bain.
The Y Connect Program is offering individual Money wYse sessions designed to help participants build skills, knowledge and confidence in money management. Each session utilises the MoneyMinded resources which were developed in 2002 by ANZ in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and Training, Financial Counselling Australia, the Financial Counsellors Association of NSW, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and community sector representatives. There are a wide variety of topics available and sessions can be tailored to meet the needs of participants. Some examples of topics include: Goal Setting; Saving and Spending (budgeting); Everyday Banking; and, Superannuation & Everyday Paperwork.
Please note sessions are held online, they are one to two hours each, and there is a maximum of five sessions per participant. In your registration form, please select the topics you would like help with. Spots are limited so be QUICK!
Money wYse sessions are designed to provide information and ideas. The session facilitator is not a financial counsellor and does not provide financial services or advice.
Once you have submitted your registration form, a Y Connect facilitator will contact you to organise a time and location for your session. Sessions are held online.
DETAILS: Cost: FREE When: by appointment Where: online. The time will be determined by you and the facilitator.
Is anxiety and burnout holding you back in the workplace? The Y Connect Program is offering a limited number of free individual one-on-one mental wellness sessions with Inclusive Counselling Collective. These sessions are designed to help you with either your resilience, understanding of anxiety and potential burn out. The three topics in this series are independent sessions that you can book separately. You can book one or multiple sessions however each session will focus on a different topic.
Please click here to see what each session covers.
If you are interested in booking more than one topic/session, please rank your preference from 1 to 3 (1=first preference and so on) and the Y Connect Program Coordinator will contact you to confirm availability and advise you about your session. DETAILS: Cost: FREE When: by appointment Where: online or in-person. Location to be determined by you
Are you interested in starting your own business, but you don’t know where to start or what support is available? The Y Connect Program has developed five separate workshops for women and gender diverse people living with disability that are considering starting their entrepreneurial journey.
Workshop 1: Exploring possibilities. This session will showcase other women with disability that have successfully started their own business and will provide information about what supports are available through the NDIS. When: Thursday 6 March 2025, 12:30pm to 2:30pm.
Workshop 2: What is a business and what is a hobby? This workshop will explore the difference between a business and a hobby and will discuss what to expect in the early stages of starting a business. When: Thursday 13 March 2025, 12:30pm to 2:30pm.
Workshop 3: Disability-specific information. This session will explore what kind of personal considerations people living with disability may need to consider in starting their own business. When: Thursday 20 March 2025, 12:30pm to 2:30pm.
Workshops 4 and 5: Available support. These final two workshops are divided into two parts and compliment each other. These sessions will provide information about some of the resources that are available to support people wanting to start their own business. When: workshop 4 Thursday 27 March 2024, 12:30pm to 2:30pm & workshop 5 Thursday 3 April 2025, 12:30pm to 2:30pm.
Where: All workshops will be held in the community space at Multicultural Australia on Russell Street Toowoomba. Entrance is througth 15 Snell Street. This is an accessible venue.
Limited free parking is available at the venue.
Light refreshments will be provided.
YWCA Australia and the Y Connect Program would like to help you build your skills and networks to support you with your employment and career goals. The Y Connect Mentoring Program will support women and gender diverse people living with disability to develop strengths and work towards their employment and/or career aspirations.
The Y Connect Program will match you with a mentor that will help you realise your potential. To ensure that you are matched with someone who will understand you, the Y Connect Program will take into account your abilities, employment goals, skills, previous work experience and your personal attributes and preferences.
There is no cost to participate in this program and all mentors identify as women.
Limited places are available.
All applicants will be contacted for an informal interview to determine suitability for the mentoring program.
If you have any questions or would like assistance completing the application form, please call or email the Y Connect Program Coordinator, Francene Bain, on 0482 166 154 or francene.bain@ywca.org.au.
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