2021 has again been an interesting year, where we have continued to deliver our programs virtually and the realisation that a hybrid approach moving forward is going to be the new reality. The second year of being YABBA president has certainly continued to challenge me but knowing that David Linke is only a phone call away has been very reassuring. Throughout this year the YABBA Council have zoomed, planned, created and promoted children’s choice and a group of dedicated volunteers I am continually humbled and very grateful to each one of you.
Again, the YABBA Team delivered an incredible Virtual Author Program in partnership with the Department of Education and Training. Our 36th Awards ceremony was phenomenal and with the support of Robyn Donoghue, Michelle Bentley and Adrian Beck it came together to a very professional standard. The live streamed Awards Ceremony was outstanding, and this year saw us begin a new tradition where the previous Graham Davey Award recipient awarded the new Award recipient. This year Felice Arena citation legacy to Sally Rippin.
The Council this year has been challenged to conduct all meetings via ZOOM again. We were very excited to hold our AGM at Hawthorn Library on 6th December 2021. At this moment we are recruiting and I am proud to say that Mrs Elizabeth Murray has agreed to step up and will take on the role of secretary in 2022. I am very thankful to Matthew Zbaracki who has taken on the role of treasurer again. Thank you to the whole YABBA Council who work tirelessly as we continue to amplify children’s voice, choice, and agency across the Australian literature landscape.
Leading YABBA this year has indeed been an exciting time and the VAP sessions have been very well received so a huge credit there to Michelle Bentley and Robyn Donoghue. Once again, Abbie Cini has been able to pivot, quickly opening VAPs and other videos to anytime access when in lockdown. This year has seen a huge social media shift whereby each YABBA shortlisted title, creator and publisher was acknowledged. This initiative saw a rise in connectivity across all platforms.
The YABBA vibe is set to launch across Australia as more schools join us as they see the VAPs as such a valuable event. May 2022 see YABBA continue to support schools nationally.
I thank each YABBA Council member for stepping up this year. I am sure we are all looking forward to learning from this time of remote online learning and incorporating the positives into 2021. Thanks again for your support in my first year as President.
Truly humbled to lead this organisation,
Michelle Nye
YABBA President
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