There is a very famous apt saying whose resonation dwells within any living individual across the globe without hesitation, “Charity begins at home.” But to breathe the same saying above all your other hierarchies, you need to develop a quality that is unmatched spiritually while compared to your actual needs and wishes with wants. The very same path dwells you into the resonance of leadership quality where you become a successful soul but the additional standout that lingers with you is the quality of non-profit possession. Now, you may question yourself, how can we stand out by becoming a leader and also cultivate the notion of donating to others?
The above answer to the question is velcroed to just one word, ‘Change.’ Any leader who is walking on the lane of non-profit professionalism encounters several boulders in their recurring grinds. But these individuals are blessed with unmatched spiritual anatomy and motivation bars which never allows them to turn back from the vision ahead and accomplishment smelled to be tasted.
With these unmatched leadership skills and the vision to change the primal accomplishment and rewrite the new history of the literary venture, Andrea Lewis, CEO, and Festival Director of Somerset Storyfest has had visioned and reflected the pearl of wisdom from her brain to the millions of eyes in action. In her own definition of success, she exclaims that there is no definite size or shape to measure success as it can wrap you personally as well as professionally in indifferent events. However, she adores the combination of both as it serves the purpose of motivation in the never-ending journey of her mission. In the blueprint of a premier literary festival, she believes that the establishment of such a mission with aesthetic value should not be unimpeded as the end consideration is not always tangled with money in the not-for-profit sectors. Her biggest drive that never hinders her thoughts is the knowledge of achieving a milestone where at least one child is associated and has accepted the adjunction of literacy in his/her life. This sends a sigh of succeeding and accomplishing to her. Teaching children to become lifelong readers is paramount to their future successes. – she adds.
The Journey:
Before the commencement of every journey, the self-resilience dive is extremely important to measure the vision and if that has the weight to improve the world along with the steps to nurture them on a mutant scale. Andrea has had the first-hand experience with her own children that has implanted the foundation of what she is today. She has observed the development of her children while they were interacting among themselves with reading and writing. An ensconced opportunity reverberated within and she penned that moment itself, that this is the challenge I want to live and untangle. Being able to inspire the next generation of readers and knowing that we make a difference in the lives of many disadvantaged children, pushes her to always seek the next big challenge. The philanthropic nature might be deeply satisfying but each serving comes with much bigger boulders than satisfaction and while you are associated with a not-for-profit sector, securing monetary consideration is one of the biggest challenges that you can encounter. Andrea explains that seeking diverse opportunities to interact and connect with various sectors of the community and adapting to their specific needs ensures that I’m forever adjusting the way we do business. I embrace challenges, it pushes me to find a solution and ultimately if you can find a solution, you will reap rewards.
Innovation with a vision:
Imagine yourself standing on the other side of a lane and when your vision falls in the parallel direction, you see your reflection like there is a mirror in between. That’s the power of a literary festival. Storyfest is Australia’s premier youth literature organization which attracts thousands of school-age children and delivers an annual calendar of events, the cornerstone of which is its annual three-day writers festival, including underprivileged indigenous communities, to a feast of literary workshops run by well-known authors and illustrators. Our mission is to connect authors with children and to teach children the powers of the written word. We pride ourselves on delivering specific opportunities to disadvantaged children. To measure the horizon, we are maintaining a clear focus of values, and aligning with like-minded individuals and entities that ladders an organic growth of the company through innovation!
Challenges – Boulders that grows you:
Recognition comes to those who have the ability to stand the storm. Storyfest is currently in the layer of a transition period standing in the pillar of independence. It has been receiving substantial support from its partners and well-wishers. This unending support has bagged an award of 2019 Gold Coast Businesswoman of the Year in the category of Arts, Culture, Tourism, and Entertainment mapping the biggest highlight in Andrea’s career.
Before Storyfest happened:
Before you commence any venture, it is prime to understand every brick to build a mortar. Andrea had an experienced season for about three decades in the events industry within Australia and overseas that has established the base of shaping into an ever-changing environment. With practical experiences in coordinating medical conferences in a Saudi Arabian military hospital, to developing Australia’s premier youth literature festival, she has been able to explore her passion and pursue it. Presently, she is regimented with managing a bright team and nurturing partnerships with closing the next big available opportunity. She would associate herself as “Passionate” while attempting to define herself and her journey in summarization.
Blueprint of encouragement in present to the future contributions:
Andrea believes that there are ample ways to overcome internal challenges that could invite sluggish nature in the workforce and to harmonize the balance. She ensures to book a meeting and meet/talk online/offline with her staff on a weekly basis to allow them in participating and raising their self-concerns and new ideas that could be implemented for the betterment of the venture. I incorporate the team into decisions and brainstorming sessions thus giving them ownership. When asked about the future plans for Storyfest, Andrea expressed that she is looking forward to continuing to be a leading advocate for the development of children’s literacy programs. On the contrary, she is also setting her goal to commence writing her first manuscript. Her message to aspiring businesswomen is to find where your passion lies and don’t be afraid to take risks, when we fail, we learn.