Melbourne Plus Capabilities
Melbourne Plus is your opportunity to develop capabilities outside the classroom and be recognised as a people leader, community engager, sustainability advocate or innovator.
There are four capabilities that you can develop and be recognised for with a Melbourne Plus digital credential. Start with one, but why stop there? Get outside your comfort zone to extend your knowledge, build new skills, and stretch your thinking by doing all four!
Find out more about each capability below.
People Leadership
People who excel as leaders can fairly judge their own strengths and limitations, as well as those of others; and manage this knowledge together with reflection, assessment and action, to successfully achieve goals.
- Developing your interpersonal, cultural, communication and group facilitation skills
- Leading student teams, where you guide by example, as well as motivate and support others to achieve goals
- Challenging preconceptions and better informing people’s perspectives
- Learning and practising new skills related to project management
- Developing strategies to assist others; by establishing and fostering support networks or by providing mentoring opportunities
Activities that can help you develop your People Leadership capability may involve:
“One of the most significant aspects of my leadership development has been the cultivation of effective communication and collaboration skills. My experience with GHYC has taught me the power of teamwork and the importance of building strong relationships to achieve common goals.” - Je Min Suh, Global Health Youth Connect (GHYC)
Community Engagement
People who are strong at building Community Engagement will be engaging with civic and community responsibilities, while connecting with and supporting others to have a positive impact on community needs. You may be an active member of multiple communities; for example, helping to improve students’ experience on campus.
Activities that can help you develop your Community Engagement capability may involve:
- Ensuring the student/community voice is heard in key program developments or projects
- Collaborating with others to develop and deliver workshops within a community
- Engaging with communities to hear their voice, identify their needs, and co-design possible solutions with them
- Developing effective communication skills both within a community and external to it, to articulate ideas, issues and iterative responses
- Fostering relationships, partnerships, and connections within communities for impactful change
"Engagement with new students helped me improve my confidence and ability to speak in a large group setting. I believe I created a warm and welcoming atmosphere and students were able to voice their opinions and we had meaningful chats." - CC Qu, UMSU Host
Sustainability Advocacy
People who advocate for sustainability will advance socially, ethically and environmentally-responsible decision making, and will understand that the actions of today shape the future. By becoming a capable sustainability advocate, you will be better able to support environmental initiatives, empower others to make a difference and draw on a range of approaches to reach viable solutions.
Activities that can help you develop your Sustainability Advocacy capability may involve:
- Contributing to local sustainability initiatives that have immediate impact
- Learning more about environmental management and behaviour change techniques
- Gaining skills in promotion, education and engagement
- Acting as an advocate for sustainability – utilising opportunities to influence others to make sustainable choices on campus, at work or within a community
"This opportunity helped me build a vision of how to create change that is holistic and aligns with environmental but also social and cultural needs. This experience has been significant in shifting my perspective on change making." - Finnian Gregg-Rowan, Wattle Fellowship
Innovation
People who are innovative thinkers are able to create new or unique solutions, recognise new patterns and make the most of opportunities. An innovator will be someone who can apply lateral thinking to new contexts, work creatively to resolve problems and propose solutions.
- Developing confidence in creative thinking; perhaps by approaching personal challenges in a creative or unique way
- Practising, refining and delivering a pitch
- Honing your problem-solving abilities, and gaining real-world problem-solving experience with industry partners
- Meeting inspiring experts, mentors, and networking with like-minded entrepreneurs-to-be
- Contributing ideas to a real-life scenario
Activities that can help you develop your Innovation capability may involve:
"I learnt the significance of approaching challenges with an innovative mindset and being open to exploring different ideas and resources. This program challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone and take on new responsibilities. I improved my research and analytical skills and built a strong foundation for future projects." - Carmen Xin Yi Koh, Global Victoria Intellect Program (GVIP)