Build Your Resilience

Ludmila’s working life has led her from the mainstream of a rich and critical theatre tradition in Central Europe to re-establishment and training in Australia, from student and ‘laboratory’ theatre in the 70’s into her continuing concern with community development, the arts, and social-cultural animation.  Her working history demonstrates a breadth and depth of skills and experience which continues to inspire and enliven, to ‘quicken’ community aspirations and goals.

Her work has been concerned from the beginning with a practice of empowerment, the provision of infrastructure and methods which, while perhaps not always as visible as ‘product’, militate for continuity and sustainability. This can be seen in the number of organisations and individuals inspired or encouraged by her and which continue and thrive in the field.  Ludmila is a partner in Edgeware Creative Entrepreneurship, Edgeware Indigenous and Edgeware Online. Her career highlights include co-founding CONTACT Youth, Backbone Youth Arts, the Youth Arts Queensland network and the GRUNT Youth space. She was also Artistic Director of the Asia Pacific Wataboshi Disability Arts Festival.

Amanda has been involved with workshop design and facilitation for over fifteen years. Her qualifications in education, the arts and counseling have seen her work in a variety of contexts including indigenous communities, formal education from early childhood through to tertiary levels, TESOL and people with disabilities.

Amanda understands the challenges and rewards of being a small business owner. For the last ten years she has run her own small businesses in both a partnership and freelance capacity. In 2010, Amanda launched Bowerbird Creative Programs, a creative enterprise that draws on her passion for people and their stories.  Working closely with other creative consultants including film-makers, graphic designers and app creators, Bowerbird specialises in designing and facilitating specifically tailored programs for professional development, innovative curriculum and personal wellness. Alongside her busy professional practice, Amanda is currently researching professional reflection as part her Doctorate of Creative Industries (DCI) at QUT.  Stepping Outside the Circle is the practical resource she has developed as part of this research project.

In 2011, Amanda trained as an Edgeware facilitator and now brings her wealth of experience to enterprise education and training.