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Ball in the Mall gives students a chance to shine

Annual community-driven event creates positive impact for disadvantaged youth

Students from Doxa School Bendigo gathered at Hargreaves Mall on Friday, 27 October for the region’s second annual Ball in the Mall, aimed at making a positive difference to the lives of disadvantaged youth by providing them with an experience they wouldn’t normally have.

Located in the heart of Bendigo’s central business district, Hargreaves Mall was transformed into a magical outdoor ballroom comprising a stage, live music, an MC, a dance floor, tables with impressive centre pieces and delicious catering for all guests. Doxa School Bendigo, a flexible learning educational facility, provides a variety of programs for students aged between 12 and 18 who face challenges with mainstream schooling. Principal, John Russell, said Ball in the Mall is all thanks to the local community who are fully committed to driving and supporting this annual initiative.

“Thanks to the local community, the inaugural Ball in the Mall held last year was such a success and this year was no different,” Mr Russell said. “Many students from Doxa School Bendigo would have limited opportunities to attend events where they can work on their social skills and feel part of a community. We work
closely with local individuals and businesses to create events such as Ball in the Mall to boost our students’ confidence both in school and in life,” Mr Russell said.

This year, there were eight debutante couples involved from aged 14 to 21. Each couple was primped and preened at the Bendigo TAFE’s Lotus Hair & Beauty salon, dressed care of Grant Rule Menswear with all debutante dresses donated, then professionally photographed and transported to the event in classic cars from Custom Addiction Classic Car club.

Ball In the Mall debutantes were presented to the honourable Mayor, Margaret O’Rourke, and received certificates commemorating the occasion along with a copy of their portrait and DVD.

One of the key drivers behind this initiative is Haylee Kennedy from headspace. “It’s hugely important to spend time with young people to rebuild connections and engagement that has been lost. Often it takes several attempts and a consistent approach to engage with the youth. Our group has been offering support in a variety of ways depending on the needs of the young person,” Ms Kennedy said. “By coming together as a community, we can make a positive difference to the lives of these youth through offering them an experience they wouldn’t have had otherwise. And in doing so, we’re creating an exciting event in the heart of our CBD.”

Ball in the Mall is an annual community-driven initiative thanks to the support of a handful of individuals, along with Doxa School Bendigo, The City of Greater Bendigo, DHHS, Anglicare, MarShere Dance Studio, Bendigo TAFE, YO Bendigo, Victoria Police, Golden City Support Services, BDAC and an impressive list of local businesses.

ENDS

Media contact: Jackie Smiles | jackie@flourishpr.com | 03 9092 8449

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Storytelling isn’t fiction

Doxa Future Insights program participant Hue Man Dang

Storytelling plays a fundamental part in the way we communicate, interact and interpret the world. It’s also an increasingly important skill in business. One young person who recognises this is Future Insights program participant Hue Man Dang. Hue Man is passionate about leadership, development and authentic communication. She recently won a coveted place on Anecdote’s “Storytelling For Leaders” course. Over to Hue Man to tell us more..

Hi nice to meet you! My name is Hue Man Dang. I currently go to the University of Melbourne, studying a Bachelor of Science. I am 100% committed to making sure that young people have access to educational material and resources.

Is the narrative of my life really boring? Sometimes I feel like it is.

But perhaps it isn’t – but it is just that I don’t know how to turn it into a compelling story (yet)!

When I first applied for the “Storytelling for Leadership” course, a part of me had no idea what I was getting myself into. I saw the website, looked at the past programs and could not turn away from an opportunity for personal development.

  • Leadership. Check.
  • Opportunity. Check.
  • Learning. Check.

I had only heard about storytelling briefly, but really didn’t know much about it, nonetheless I threw myself in the deep end because I believe that any opportunity no matter how slim, is worth it.

“Thanks to the wonderful Doxa I had the absolutely amazing opportunity of going on adventure into learning more about how I could capitalise on storytelling from a business / social perspective but also personally.”

Notes from the “Storytelling For Leaders” workshop

Storytelling isn’t fiction

When the workshop started, we were first paired up to introduce ourselves, and that introduction at the beginning was what I told my partner. Stock standard because society normally expects you to get to the point about everything, but this workshop wasn’t normal, it was a dive into the area of communication and psychology. Firstly, stories all have the same elements, a time or place marker, an event, people and something that has happened.

“From a business perspective, stories convey a business purpose and help contribute to the message of the company.”

Throughout the day, we covered key ideas such as the importance of being authentic, because storytelling isn’t fiction, it is real stories that happen to real people. When it comes to presentations and proposals you are going to get more out of stories that have context because stories are memorable, and are not just abstract terms in bullet points. If you want to make a good first impression (especially if you want to get that job) then your narrative is important, because if your introduction is predictable then people will switch off because they anticipate it.

“Stories show your values as well, and are a good way to build connection and trust.”

The narrative of my life was the same, but the perception was different

At four in afternoon, the narrative of my life was the same, but the perception was different, so I want to tell you a story to illustrate it.

As a young woman who was born in Vietnam, English was my second language and therefore I always struggled with pronunciation (I still do). During one of my debates in High School, a member of the audience suddenly stood up at the end during the comments section and straight up told me that I needed to practice my words more, though she probably didn’t mean it in spite.

But now it doesn’t matter if I can’t pronounce everything. No. What matters most is the story that I am going to tell.

Reflecting on key takeaways from the session (L) Doxa Cadet Jack Choo (R) Hue Man Dang

Looking to the future

In the future, I hope to use the knowledge that I have learnt today to give back to the community. I am currently working on a project called Brain Nation Hub which supports young people to build on their skills around leadership and growth, and so I will make sure the story that I tell, will be one that is going to help a lot of people in the future.

“I want to take the opportunity to thank Doxa for this incredible experience, without the organisation, I wouldn’t have been able to learn so much of not just about how I can communicate better, but also learn more about who I am, from such an inspiring speaker.”

Thanks for sharing your experience Hue Man Dang! Also a big thanks to Anecdote for offering places at their “Storytelling For Leaders” course to Doxa program participants.

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Strong New Futures for disadvantaged young refugee students in central Victoria

Young newly arrived and refugee students will be given the opportunity to build a positive life for themselves in Australia thanks to Doxa Youth Foundation’s Strong New Futures program.

Launching this week (11th – 13th October), the Strong New Futures program aims to connect a group of newly arrived young people from Noble Park Secondary College to education, culture and country.

The first part of the program takes the young people out to Kooyoora State Park in central Victoria where they participate in a three-day outdoor expedition. This gives them the unique opportunity to build teamwork skills, communication skills and the chance to improve their conversational English outside the confines of a classroom.

The second part of the program is a follow up in-school workshop which will provide an insight and exploration into the skills and practical knowledge for further study and to support a transition to employment.

Young newly arrived and refugee students face considerable hardship and disruption to their education and are often several years behind peers. They also face higher rates of unemployment – only 33% find work versus 71% if Australian youth. Doxa Youth Foundation aims to address this disadvantage through the skills and opportunities available in their Strong New Futures program.

Strong New Futures is funded by Gandel Philanthropy and Perpetual.

Ends.

 

Media contact: Belinda Rowse |browse@doxa.org.au | 03 9046 8207

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