February 2018

Doxa develops Reconciliation Action Plan

Students from Lakes Entrance Primary School attending our City Holiday Camp

We are currently in the process of developing a Reconciliation Action Plan. This brings us a step closer to becoming a culturally safe, inclusive and supportive organisation for the increasing number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young people who participate in our programs.

We have submitted a draft to Reconciliation Australia and will be continuing to build our connections and relationships with the Indigenous community as part of this important work in 2018.

179 young people attend summer holiday camp

Holiday Camper enjoying a cooking session at Malmsbury Camp

Doxa Holiday Camp is a highlight of the year for many of our young people from challenging life circumstances who look forward to their chance to get a much-needed holiday, either at our Malmsbury or City Camp. It’s an opportunity for them to have fun, make friends and enjoy new positive life experiences.

At our City Camp this year, we saw 30 campers from across Victoria take a trip to Melbourne CBD to participate in activities including: stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking on the Yarra and our now-famous “Masterchef” burger cooking challenge.

And at our Malmsbury Camp, we hosted a record 149 Campers. Many thanks to our dedicated team of 30 volunteers – we literally couldn’t do this without you! Highlights from across the camps included: horsemanship, swimming, circus skills and even a visit to Kryall Castle.

Holiday Camper parents’ feedback:

“At last week’s camp at Malmsbury, my daughters went and had an absolute ball. It was so good for their self-confidence as it was at an all-time low. You people are just amazing and I thank you so much for everything you do”

“I am the foster mother of a young person who attended and loved your Malmsbury Summer Camp this year. We have never seen him so happy after a camp before. He was full of enthusiasm and told us all about the activities and other kids…and it was really positive which is amazing for him.”

45 young people shortlisted for Cadetship

Current first and second year Doxa Cadets

We have now interviewed around 100 amazing young people and shortlisted 45 for our 2018 Cadetship program.

These young people are resilient, determined, ambitious and incredibly talented. They’ve all got a place at university; they just lack the financial backing and professional network needed to succeed.

Students may have come from a low socio-economic background, have had tough times at home, come from single parent families or be from a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse background. Many are the first in their family to attend university.

Every year we match as many young people as we can with a sponsor company to support them throughout university, and we are always looking for new program partners.

10 places have already been found, with 35 more spaces available.

If you work for a company that has a CSR alignment and is interested in supporting a young person throughout their degree with a work placement, a mentor and financial assistance, then please get in touch: cadet@doxa.org.au

Students complete four-year University Pathways Program

Heart-warming feedback from our Year 12 UPP participants

January 2018 saw the delivery of the final University Pathways Program session to our Year 12 cohort.

These young people are the first group to have participated in the full four-year consecutive program from Year 9 through til Year 12 – a great achievement for everyone involved! During this time, they have developed their communication skills, confidence and conversational capabilities in order to present their best professional selves.

Understanding life at University, insights into the professional world and skills development are some of the key outcomes of UPP. Students learn about values-based decision making, enterprise skills, study skills, success strategies, health & wellbeing, resilience and goal setting across the four-year program.

Workplace and university visits for this group in 2018 included: BT Financial Group, The Big Issue and Swinburne University. At the networking dinner students developed professional connections with individuals from Telstra, Russell Kennedy, Citipower/Powercor, Arnold Bloch Leibler and more.

It has been so wonderful to see the growth and development of these young people, as we support them through an often turbulent and challenging time in their lives, and on to brighter futures.

Some heart-warming feedback from our Year 12 University Pathways Program students:

“In these last four years, I have made changes to my learning and lifestyle from advice I have received from Doxa and I changed to be a better person. I became confident!”

“This is an enlightening experience about completing Year 12 and beyond. This will help me complete my studies.”

Maryborough Advertiser – Students Take Part In Summer Camp

Publication

Maryborough District Advertiser

Program

Holiday Camp

Summary

A group of young people from the Maryborough area attended Doxa Holiday Camp in Malmsbury this year.

Guiding the next generation: why I volunteer for Doxa

Alessia Roujeinikova, Doxa Alumnus

Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community and the young people who participate in our programs. Alessia Roujenikova is a Doxa Cadet Alumnus who knows all about this, having spent so much of her spare time guiding the next generation at Doxa’s University Pathways Program this summer holidays, as well as volunteering on other programs throughout the last year. We caught up with Alessia to tell us more.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Hi, I am Alessia. I’ve recently completed a Bachelor of Commerce at Monash University majoring in Accounting after attending Footscray City College, Melbourne’s inner West. I was very fortunate to be offered a place on Doxa’s Cadetship program and a work placement with Baillieu Holst Ltd.

I greatly enjoyed my four years with the financial services firm, acquiring knowledge and experience in a professional environment to help set up a foundation for my career path.

Since then, I’ve secured a full time graduate role at KPMG in the Audit Assurance Risk Division.

Alessia featured in the Herald Sun in 2017

Why do you volunteer at Doxa?

During the last two years of my degree, I studied part time to create more free time to focus on my wellbeing, get back into my hobbies and take up volunteering opportunities with Doxa.

I decided to dive-in on the opportunity to be a Team Leader on a University Pathways Program (UPP) and it has been one of the best decisions I’ve made yet. Doxa staff were there to support me in my growth personally and professionally, so it felt super rewarding in-turn being able to impart my experiences and knowledge to younger students in that mentoring capacity and give back.

“I wish I had guidance from students in their university years to tell me back then what I know now.”

I continue to come back for numerous reasons; growth in leadership skills, having lots of fun, meeting the other amazing team leaders and most importantly, being continuously inspired by the young individuals that go to these UPPs with a hunger to learn.

Since that initial opportunity, I’ve volunteered on: Future Focus, Future Insights and the Peer-to-Peak Performance Program. I hope to continue to make a positive contribution in future years for these programs as a Doxa Alumnus.

Volunteering as a Team Leader on UPP

What are your top 3 tips for UPP students unsure of what to do next?

Study in the area/field you are interested in I believe that if you follow what you love doing, you’ll find your calling.
Do not have a “year 12 is the be-all and end-all” mindset What you choose to study in year 12 does not determine your outcomes in life, they are moreso a stepping stone into uni that opens you up to a world of opportunities.
Ask LOTS of questions A lot of what we learn is not in theory, but off our experiences in interacting with others.

“I’ve seen so many UPP students learn so much from their discussions with networkers and team leaders, helping broaden their mindset on opportunities that exist out there and how to incorporate their interests with those opportunities.”

UPP students and volunteers before a networking dinner

Share a favourite memory from a recent UPP you volunteered at?

In the last UPP session, I ran a session for the students advocating the important of taking care of mental and physical health. During the UPP farewell as the students were heading off, a couple of them personally approached me and thanked me for the impact that my session had made on them and how they’ve learned a lot on such topic that is usually never addressed at this stage of their life. It was truly heart-warming and is what makes me so motivated to help mentor young individuals.

Thanks so much to Alessia for sharing her thoughts and experiences, and to all our amazing volunteers. We literally couldn’t do it without you. If you’d like to volunteer at Doxa yourself or would like to know any more about our programs drop us a line at info@doxa.org.au