Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/131975
businesstalks Below: Forming Circles founder Renata Cooper. from the idea to start a writing competition for teenagers. Not only would they have the chance to be published, they could also win prizes for themselves and their schools. She believed the competition would benefit teenagers by increasing their confidence, encouraging them to dream big and giving them a voice during what can be an emotional and difficult time in their life. Renata wanted to honour their voices and share their stories as a way of helping everyone to understand and connect with teenagers. "I got in touch with a new business contact, Caroline Webber, director of Green Olive Press, and because I'm an ideas person I said, 'What about doing a writing competition for teenagers?' and she said, 'Great!' I'd never organised a writing competition before, and going from that initial thought to being at a point where we had a room full of people – students, teachers, parents and those amazing kids who were part of a published book – was an amazing moment. "The whole experience of them being there, and thanking us for creating the opportunity for them, made me realise I'm here to do this kind of thing. I'm here to inspire and provide opportunities, not just for young people but also mums at home with small kids trying to return to work and other start-up businesses. Completing Written Portraits was the biggest buzz I'd ever had!" Renata's own kids are a key motivation for her to continue helping others; quite simply, she wants to create a better world for her children. She hopes for a world in which people are a lot more supported on a human level – a far cry from the '80s 'greed is good' money-driven philosophy she grew up with. "Now, 30 years later, you can see the result of that philosophy," she says. "There are crises left, right and centre. "As parents we have the responsibility to prepare the world for our children, especially the little ones. They need to have a better value system and understand that helping others is so important." Renata knows better than anyone the true value of helping others, having been helped when she arrived in Australia after spending a couple of months in camps as a 19-year-old refugee with no English, no friends, no family and just $20 to her name. The help she received back then gave her the opportunity to become the woman she is today and she would like to give that opportunity to as many people as possible. "The Forming Circles motto is 'Inspiring change in the way we do business in the 21st century,' " said Ainslie Fitzsimons after receiving the Forming Circles Father's Day Giveaway of a family holiday package valued at $4,500, which honoured the importance of spending quality time with loved ones. "In reality, however, Forming Circles is much more than that. Perhaps a more apt description and mission statement would be 'Inspiring change in the way we do community in the 21st century.' "Forming Circles has reshaped the way my family views community. We believed that good old-fashioned community spirit was dying. In fact, we discussed that on Sunday over Father's Day lunch. Now we believe that if everybody had a little bit of the Forming Circles community spirit within them and utilised it, the world would be in much better shape. Forming Circles generates hope." For more information visit www.formingcircles.com.au and www.facebook.com/formingcircles. 76