Social Impact Leadership Australia (SILA) is a ground-breaking program supporting and developing for-purpose leaders in Australia, and the flagship initiative of the Sidney Myer Fund and The Myer Foundation’s people strategic pillar.

A partnership with the Paul Ramsay Foundation and the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation (VFFF), delivered by the Centre for Social Impact at UNSW (CSI), SILA offers a series of leadership retreats, a tailored sabbatical and support for organisations and step-up leaders.

VFFF hosted the first of three retreats in Sydney in November 2021, for 23 leaders from organisations across NSW and the ACT. The retreat focused on the self, in the context of the roles leaders play in their organisations and the wider for-purpose ecosystem.

Participating CEOs reflected on the retreat held over three days:

“I valued it all, especially the depth of content and ability to sit with the concept for a while. I really appreciated having accommodation, it meant that I could stay in the right headspace for the retreat, I value the diversity in the group.”

“It was quite unique in its format and not like any other program or course where you sit and learn. The action and engagement of the participants was critical and so successful in my opinion. I just wanted more!”

The retreat was co-facilitated by Prof Kristy Muir of CSI, who said

“We sang, we laughed, we listened deeply, we cried, we created a safe, trusted space, we connected, we danced, we sung, we read poetry together, we divulged and we learned together.”

Applications for the next iteration of SILA will open in coming weeks, focusing on for-purpose leaders in Victoria and Tasmania, with other states to follow in the coming three years.

Learn more about SILA here.