OUR TEAM & PURPOSE
Founded in 2018 by Michael and Tracie Pecic of In Safe Hands Educators in Safety, The Good Choice Project is a charitable not-for-profit organisation that provides health and social wellbeing workshops for children aged 4 years to 18 years across Australia.
The Good Choice Project was founded by a few local parents and volunteers at a junior sporting club. The parents were looking for ways to educate their youth on various health and social wellbeing matters of today's world.
The major concern identified was the lack of training available to help parents and young people navigate these issues.
One parent decided enough was enough and organised a free workshop for the parents and youth at their club. The workshop covered the following topics: social media, online bullying, drugs and alcohol, and healthy eating. The great success of this workshop led to many parents from different sporting groups enquiring how they could organise a workshop for their club.
As the demand grew the "The Good Choice Project" was established.
The program now includes a number of health and social wellbeing education workshops for children. The workshops cover:
Drug and Alcohol Education
Gambling Education
Nutrition and Health Education
Child Protection Training
Social Media Education
Respectful Relationships Education
Community sporting clubs and other organisations working with young people are at the forefront of community youth issues, but often struggle to fund this type program that will better equip members of the community.
The Good Choice Project's vision is to positively impact the lives of 50,000 Australian young people by 2023. Our mission is to educate young people on how to make good choices in their lives, to set up bright futures for themselves.
"We want to help our youth build and achieve their dreams for a bright future".
Every young person deserves the right to have a safe and healthy upbringing. Experiences during youth can have a long term impact on an individuals future.
Sadly, many young people do not have access to the necessary education and training on risky behaviour and harm minimisation.
Our driving aim is to provide training and education to bridge the knowledge and skill gaps for parents and children in sporting clubs around Australia and by doing so build stronger communities.
Educating the Future Generation, Today.
The Good Choice Project
Our Board
Tracie Pecic
Director
As a mother of two boys Tracie knows and understands the safety issues presented to parents on a daily basis.
Having dedicated 20 years serving Queensland as an operational Police Officer she is very aware of the real dangers these safety issues present to young people.
Tracie achieved her Detective appointment whilst working in the area of Juvenile crime and Child Abuse and as a result of this area of work, she is well aware of the issues and problems faced by youth of today and the risk taking behaviours that many choose to undertake.
Tracie has been heavily involved in the sporting community either as a participant or a volunteer for most of her life. As a volunteer, she has taken on the role of coach, manager and leaguesafe of her son’s teams.
She is a Director on the Board of a Brisbane A Grade Rugby league team- West Brisbane Panthers. This involvement has enabled her to witness the impact of sport on the lives of young people and the role that sporting clubs and volunteers play in a young person’s life.
These two connections has driven Tracie to be passionate about educating children relating to making the right choices in life, as they navigate their way through the ‘risk taking’ years of their youth.
Her key achievements and experience included:
* 10 years she has investigated and managed complex and sensitive child abuse and neglect cases.
* First female officer attached to the Queensland Police Service Public Safety response group. She has undertaken specialist training in public safety, response and education.
* She has a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice, an Advanced Diploma of Public Safety (Police Investigation) and other key qualifications in community safety.
* Tracie is currently completing her Diploma of Child, Youth and Family Intervention.
* Volunteer at various sporting clubs throughout Brisbane
* Board of Directors for West Brisbane Panthers Rugby League Club
Simona Vavega
Director
Simona is a well-respected sports professional in Queensland with over 10 years experience working in sport across all levels from community to professional sport.
Simona's experience includes working for the Brisbane Broncos, overseeing sport and club development in the West Brisbane corridor, working under a Queensland Government Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing contract as a Sport and Recreation Officer, Co-Founded and a Founding Director of the West Brisbane Panthers Rugby League Football Club and General Manager of professional rugby league club The London Skolars in the United Kingdom.
He has also presented numerous workshops for the Queensland Government for all statewide sport and recreation officers on best practice club operations.
Simona holds a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management, Certificate 3&4 in Fitness, Level 1 Strength and Conditioning Coach and a Level 1 Rugby League Coach accreditation.
A former contracted player with the Brisbane Broncos, Simona has played in the Queensland Cup and was an elite junior athlete contracted on scholarship with the Queensland Academy of Sport and the Australian Institute of Sport.
Janet Kurz
Director
Janet is a mother of three young children. Her children are all active members of local sporting groups, so she understands the benefits of children in sport and the issues that can arise in the lives of young children.
Janet enjoys supporting and volunteering for the local basketball league in which her children are part of. Throughout the years she has taken on several volunteer roles in her children’s sporting teams including coach and team manager.
Janet and her family are active community members in a number of areas which include her local church group and her children’s school community. Since her children started school, she has been an active committee member of their P & F and pastoral care group.
Janet has worked for In Safe Hands Educators in Safety for over 5 years and is currently studying a Diploma of Child, Youth and Family Intervention.
Previous to her employment with In Safe Hands Educators in Safety, she worked in Human Resources within the Mining and Construction Industry for over 13 years.
Our Staff
Michael Pecic
Chief Executive Officer
Michael Pecic has nearly 30 years’ experience in child protection case management, investigation and education. He served with distinction as a Detective with the Queensland Police Service for 20 years investigating child abuse offences, being awarded the Assistant Commissioner’s award for dedication to child protection. His key achievements and experience included:
2017 & 2018
Australian Small Business Champion Awards Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist
Awarded a Churchill Fellowship to extend his expert knowledge on international child protection practices. This included 8 weeks’ study of child protection practices in America.
A member of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) since 2011.
A member of the Australian Government Advisory Child Protection Committee.
Lead Investigator in over 10,000 child protection investigations over a 19 year period as a Detective in Child Abuse Units with the Queensland Police Sevrice.
Officer In Charge of the busiest Child Protection Investigation Unit in Australia for 3 years.
Lead the investigation into the “Baby Kate” Ombudsmen report, which made key recommendations to sweeping changes to Government child protection practices.
Served as the Chief Inspector for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Queensland for 4 years where he worked closely at an executive level with Government Departments in regard to legislation and community expectations.
Founder and CEO of In Safe Hands Educators In Safety Pty Ltd.
He has dedicated the last 10 years to education and awareness of child protection issues.
He has formal qualifications in management, training, investigation practices and public safety.
Madonna Harris
Secretary
Madonna Harris is a mother of two teenage daughters. Madonna has had extensive experience across a range of industries. Starting her career in the legal field, she moved across to banking and finance where she wrote, reviewed and implemented policies and procedures to adhere to the government legislations.
Once this was completed Madonna provided training for the staff. After this time Madonna decided to peruse her dreams to live and work in London.
In the 5 years that Madonna worked in the UK her time was spent working in funds management and investment banking before returning home to start her family. Madonna returned to the workforce five years ago, taking on the role as Administration Officer at In Safe Hands.
Jacquie Butler
Corporate and Events Manager
Jacquie is a mother of two young children who are heavily involved in numerous sporting teams. Jacquie has worked for the past 6 years in the early childhood Industry as an Assistant to an Early Childhood Teacher, completing her Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. Jacquie was the Health and Safety Representative and Fire Safety Advisor during her time in the industry.
Prior to that Jacquie worked for 12 years in the hospitality sector, where she studied her Certificate 4 in Business Management. During her time there Jacquie worked her way up from doing the dishes to managing a profitable business. Since her children started playing sport nearly 8 years ago, Jacquie has been a constant volunteer for her children’s sporting teams.
Roles in these teams have included Manager, Coach, Duty Official, Canteen as well as day to day organising. Jacquie enjoys volunteering for the local rugby league, netball and cricket clubs in which her and her children play for.
An active volunteer in the community, Jacquie regulalry helps to run raffles for her local rugby league club and Arana Sports as well as helping at her children’s school fundraisers and other sporting and community events.
Jacquie has taken the role of Corporate Events Manager at the Good Choice Project as she has a real passion to see these programs implemented in the community to assist youth making good choices. Through her experience in the sporting and wider community she has seen the overwhelming need for such a program.
People of Influence
We partner with valued and trusted industry leading professionals to provide the best practice across our workshops, education and training.
Simona Vavega
Sport Club Development and Health and Fitness
Simona is the founder of Compass Sports Management and Compass Sports Fitness, providing grassroots sports clubs with organisational development, strategic planning and grant assistance as well as health and fitness education.
Formerly contracted with the Brisbane Broncos, Queensland Academy of Sport and the Australian Institute of sport as an elite junior, Simona went on to work as a Development Officer for the Brisbane Broncos where he worked across governement contract for the West Brisbane region from 2012 to 2015.
Tony Parsons
Drug & Alcohol Education
Tony Parsons has seen the worst of the drug culture and the organised crime that underpins it, in 30 years of strategic and tactical covert drug operations.
He has been critically involved in and directed countless drug operations, many of which resulted in high profile intensive media coverage. These investigations included matters of a national and international operational basis. Tony has also had cause to assist in drug connected murder investigations.
If you have heard about a drug bust in the news, chances are that Tony has been involved in the case behind the scenes.
He is one of Australia’s leading experts in drug culture, and has advised national inquiries and other government departments on key issues surrounding legislation, drug culture methodology and community safety response.
This gives Tony a unique insight into what truly drives the drug culture, why our current approaches to stopping illicit drug use are failing, and what needs to be done instead.
Drug sales directly and in-directly fund organised crime syndicates, drug cartels and terrorist organisations, who are known to control the raw ingredients, trafficking networks and profits of the drug trade.
By following the money trail back to its source, Tony educates people on the illicit drug culture, and what they are unwittingly choosing to be part of and support when they take drugs.
Hayley Lingard
Respectful Relationships
Hayley Lingard is a qualified Social Worker of almost 15 years. Having spent the first 5 years of her career in frontline Child Protection assessing child abuse and managing children in foster care, she then went on to manage a large Foster Care Service for a number of years. This role involved managing three program areas, including supporting approximately 170 children and young people in foster care across 125 households, ranging from moderate to extreme needs as well as a Therapeutic/Counselling Support Service with a combined budget of $1.4 million and over 25 staff. Hayley now works in the Early Intervention and Prevention area as well as managing her own private practice in Brisbane North and the Sunshine Coast. She has a passion for training delivery as well as volunteering, having been a Director on the Board of PACT (Protect All Children Today) Inc. for 7 years.
Jim O'Brien
Gambling Education
Jim OBrien is a father of two and a grandfather of one. Jim has in excess of 26 years' policing experience in investigating and case managing complex and protracted child protection matters. He was a senior advisor for the Queensland Government multi-disciplinary SCAN (Suspected Child Abuse & Neglect) Team system and sat on five different SCAN teams in Queensland. Jim has also served as the Vice Chairman of PACT - Protecting All Children Today, a not-for-profit organisation that supports non-offending children and their families in the Criminal Justice System. Jim also served on the Board of Directors for MacKillop Community Services Queensland Limited which oversees a number of community-based Josephite ministries operating under the ethos of Mary MacKillop in caring for people in need. Jim's public speaking and presentation skills have received positive feedback from participants who have been grateful that his style can deliver child protection messages in an informal and non-confrontational method.
Nutrition Australia
Food Safety
Nutrition Australia is a non-government, non-profit, community based-organisation with offices throughout Australia. Nutrition Australia is an independent, member organisation that aims to promote the health and wellbeing of all Australians.
The Australian Nutrition Foundation Inc was founded in 1979, became incorporated in 1981, and commenced trading as Nutrition Australia in 2001. Nutrition Australia continues the work of the Australian Nutrition Foundation (ANF) as Australia's peak community nutrition education body, to provide scientifically based nutrition information to encourage all Australians to achieve optimal health through food variety and physical activity.
Members of Nutrition Australia include the general public and some of Australia's most influential food and nutrition experts, together making Nutrition Australia a key nutrition voice in Australia today.
Nutrition Australia operates through a National Board which is responsible for its policies and national programs. Our divisions respond to local needs and opportunities for nutrition education and health promotion. Nutrition Australia has staff with expertise in a range of disciplines. The range of services offered by Nutrition Australia includes:
Testimonials
Read what some of our program participants had to say about us.
“The Brisbane Broncos and West Arana Hills RLFC fully endorse the services provided by the ‘'The Good Choice Project.'
These programs have been a major benefit to our rugby league club and its members in many ways.
Not only have we provided this important information to our members, we have created an environment where we nurture all club members in their personal development as people.
Such is the success of the program, other Brisbane Broncos affiliated rugby league clubs are showing interest in these programs."
Wayne Weekes
Brisbane Broncos Development
West Arana
"The Good Choice Project” have been instrumental in creating a sustainable social education program for all age
groups and members of the West Arana Hills RLFC over the last three years covering important social welfare education topics such as child protection, drugs and alcohol, nutrition, mental health and social media.
The feedback at our club has been fantastic, the presenters have high personal experience and passion for the subjects presented, very professional and easy to work with, its pleasing to see we can make a difference. “
Phil Stephan
President
West Arana Hills RLFC
Join our movement in youth health and social wellbeing or ask about our workshops for your sports club.
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