Midland Express
Holiday Camp
Doxa’s Camps Program has been giving young disadvantaged children a positive life experience for over 40 years.
In the Summer holidays of 2016/2017, Doxa’s Malmsbury Camp saw many of these young people take part in the program and enjoy the great outdoors. They participated in a variety of activities designed to build personal skills and teamwork while incorporating adventure, learning and fun.
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We have 120 first-year undergraduates from across Victoria who have applied for the Cadetship program in 2017. Top areas of study are: science & pharma/biomed, commerce & business, engineering and law.
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120 talented young people need your support. Become a Cadetship Program Partner today. Others who have made this smart decision to back young people by becoming a Cadetship Program Partner include: Allens, Dennis Family Homes, KPMG, PwC, V/Line. See the full list here
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In addition to this, we administer financial assistance directly to the young people, so you don’t have to. We also develop employability and personal skills in young people through our tailored Professional Development Program.
Doxa puts forward high calibre young people for us to select as part of the Cadetship Program placement. Whilst you might think you’re giving a lot to the Cadet, you’re actually getting a lot out of it yourself. It’s very, very rewarding. – Cadet Mentor
See Preethi’s journey in the Cadetship program:-
Summer Holiday Campers consume approximately 360 Zooper Doopers per week at our Malmsbury Camp. Wow….that’s a lot of icey poles guys! Luckily our amazing chef Nicole keeps the freezers well stocked 🙂
On average, a Holiday Camper at City Camp will walk over 25,000 steps per day during the 5-day program. That’s a lot of exercise – no wonder there’s so many sleepy heads at the end of the day!
Nelly and Firelight are the mascots of Malmsbury Summer Camp. Can you guess what animals they are?
The campers have approximately 1 in 1300 chance of getting on TV at the Big Bash
The crew up at Malmsbury have used approximately 80m of calico so far in the design of team flags which they produce for team activities. A great way to get to know each other, bond and work up some healthy (and friendly) competitive vibes!
If the snow’s good, you’ll find me in the hills, skiing or boarding. If the snow’s not good, you’ll find me in the hills, walking and just being out there. If there’s no snow at all, you’ll find me in the hills, smashing out k’s on the mountain bike or running trails with my dogs, Digger and Nugget. I also place great value on spending weekends with friends and family.
By trying a range of occupations and being open to opportunities. I have been a corporate mailroom worker, credit clerk, telephone operator for a taxi company, factory worker, administrator of a theatre company, bike courier, bartender, ski guide, raft guide, expedition leader, personal trainer, outdoor educator and now program manager. Every role has held worth. I’ve carried valuable lessons from each to the next and what I’ve learnt along the way have been the milestones of my journey. I continue to learn.
Daniel has been a life-long Western Bulldogs fan
Every role has held worth. I’ve carried valuable lessons from each to the next and what I’ve learnt along the way have been the milestones of my journey. I continue to learn.
Day to day I am surrounded by amazing people. The staff team that we have at Malmsbury is outstanding. They are all very passionate about providing the best possible experience for all of the campers that visit. Our campers are diverse in background but share a common gratitude for everything they experience here. I am privileged to oversee all of the great outcomes between staff and campers. It’s rewarding to live and work in this environment.
The smile on campers’ faces as they leave. This comes as a result of the hard work that we all put in to make sure that their time at Malmsbury camp is a great experience. A smile and a thank you is pretty much all the affirmation you need!
I have worked in fifteen different countries.
Daniel leading a World Challenge Expedition to Mt Everest Base Camp, Himalayas
Be outdoors. Experience it. Understand it. Value it.
Be outdoors. Experience it. Understand it. Value it.
Absolutely going to say Friends, a great comedic classic. If I ever need a good laugh I can always rely on Friends. Though I’m also a huge animation addict and have an undying love for Adventure Time. It resonates well with my inner childhood as well as some deep obstacles that we tend to face in life.
Where do I even begin haha, I love Doxa and they’re my forever family. It all started from the Cadetship program where I was selected to commence my placement with BP Australia back in 2013. I’ve finished that now, but felt that Doxa and I could do so much more together. With more capacity for Cadets and Alumni to support and contribute to Doxa, I’d taken on a wide range of voluntary opportunities. I’ve helped out at a series of working bees, racing lunches, Cadetship camps and Holiday Camps in Malmsbury, University Pathways Programs and now the Future Focus program.
“What I can do now with all the skills and experiences is to give back and provide opportunities to the kids who don’t have it, who were like me when I was their age. It’s time for me to give back.”
Priscilla (right) at Doxa Malmsbury Working Bee, March 2016
Doxa helped me to believe that no matter what situations happen in my life anything is achievable, all I had to do was seek the resources and support that was already there waiting for me. Doxa made me realise that I’m beyond a social construct and that family comes in all shapes and sizes. Honestly, I don’t know where I’d be now if I didn’t have Doxa there to support me at my lowest. What I can do now with all the skills and experiences is to give back and provide opportunities to the kids who don’t have it, who were like me when I was their age. It’s time for me to give back.
“Doxa helped me to believe that no matter what situations happen in my life anything is achievable.”
Oh gosh, there’s so many! Here are a few key areas though:
Everything from quality living standards, to equality on every level and ensuring that everyone takes into account their responsibility for the environment.
Providing opportunities matters to me because I know that talent is existent in everyone, and if every person has that opportunity to showcase their talents and capabilities only greater things can come from that. It’s amazing what we’re capable of.
I always love to refer to the United Nations 17 Sustainability Goalsthat countries adopted in September 2015 as their new sustainable agenda. I can relate to all their set goals as my own and their goals are fantastic. We’re in a day and age where societies are capable of so much more.
“Providing opportunities matters to me because I know that talent is existent in everyone…”
Facebook is my go to and a long time buddy. It’s where I can find interesting news feeds, recipes, updates on friends and family and a great tool for global integration. I can say that half my friends aren’t Australian and I can learn so much about who they are and their culture. Snapchat is great too, it was initial peer pressure but I’ve grown fond of the filters!
Publication
Wyndham Star Weekly
Program
City Camp
Summary
As part of Doxa’s City Camp Program, students from a visiting school placed poppies in the field on Remembrance Day on November 11, 2016.
Hey! My name is Gabby. I am a 22-year old Cadet studying my fourth year in Psychology at Monash University. I’m also a Board member, Chair and HR Director of the I CAN Network. I CAN is Australia’s first social enterprise founded by people on the Autism spectrum, aiming to drive a ‘rethink’ of Autism in the community through mentoring, educational programs, and advocacy.
My journey with I CAN came about through Doxa; by participating in the Cadetship program, I was offered the opportunity to attend a Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) residential camp at Malmsbury in 2013 and met founder Chris Varney who was a speaker there. I was looking for some volunteer experience and had always been a very passionate Autism advocate, so I didn’t hesitate to put my hand up to help out…and the rest is history. I currently spend between 10 – 30 hours a week on I CAN projects, meetings and tasks. I enjoy it so much it doesn’t feel like work. I’ve been involved from the start and helped to build the culture in the organisation.
I enjoy it so much it doesn’t feel like work. I’ve been involved from the start and helped to build the culture in the organisation.
My personal values are centred around honesty, integrity and autonomy and I strive to create a positive, passionate culture at I CAN in which these values are honoured and represented.
I am super passionate about being a board member. Having young people on the Board can really help inject energy, progressive thinking and vigour to an organisation. Another element that is really important for Boards is that they maintain their company’s vision and mission.
I loved the idea of being involved in the progression of a start up from the grassroots and making it into a success story. It can be scary. Being a board member means that you are accountable for the performance of an entire company. But that just means that it has taught me to have an extra level of responsibility and diligence about how I work.
Being involved in the I CAN Network as a Board member has helped me further develop skills such as:
I’ve also realised that I’m incredibly passionate about developing people and making them feel like they’re performing at their best at work they they love doing… which all ties into Human Resources. Three years ago, I would never have imagined saying that I love Human Resources. I’ve developed some amazing personal and professional skills in:
The most rewarding thing about being a young board member in the not-for-profit space is knowing that your decisions really do have a positive, significant impact on the lives of the people we work with.
Mentoring has also played a key part in my development contributing to my confidence and career direction. In addition to my work placement and mentor at the Australian Taxation Office as part of the Cadetship program, I’ve had the pleasure of being mentored by quite a few different people in my journey, who have been invaluable. The most rewarding thing about being a young board member in the not-for-profit space is knowing that your decisions really do have a positive, significant impact on the lives of the people we work with.
Recently, a group of us attended Parliament of Victoria’s Inquiry into Services for People with Autism Spectrum Disorder which was a definite highlight in my journey so far.
Geelong Indy
Journey Program
Young disadvantaged people from refugee backgrounds are getting their first taste of the Australian bush through a three-day trekking expedition in the Goldfields and Kooyoora State Park in central Victoria, near Bendigo.
The Journey program, run by Doxa – a Victorian not-for-profit operating out of Malmsbury – aims to build teamwork skills and personal skills such as confidence, a sense of belonging and connectedness which they take with them back into the community.
Macedon Ranges Leader
Journey Program
Young disadvantaged people from refugee backgrounds are getting their first taste of the Australian bush through a three-day trekking expedition in the Goldfields and Kooyoora State Park in central Victoria, near Bendigo.
The Journey program, run by Doxa – a Victorian not-for-profit operating out of Malmsbury – aims to build teamwork skills and personal skills such as confidence, a sense of belonging and connectedness which they take with them back into the community.
I am passionate about giving young people the opportunity to be the best they can be, for themselves and the broader community.
Our philosophy is based around our belief in our role to facilitate change for our students. We do this through challenging them and then giving them the opportunity to make different choices than those that previously haven’t worked for them.
At the Doxa School Bendigo we place a significant emphasis on wellbeing and good mental health; our curriculum has a strong Personal Development and Emotional Literacy focus along side the normal academic program.
Our school rules – Be Responsible, Be Kind and Thoughtful, Be Fair and Be Safe – promote an environment where students feel safe and encourage a sense of belonging that enables trusting relationships.
The educational philosophies that underpin our system in Australia is one steeped in western industrial history. The system, its institutions and our assessment and reporting models are based around a one size fits all mentality and clearly it doesn’t.
Some schools are innovative and explore new ways of learning and teaching but still alternative settings and Flexible Learning Options have a real place in providing opportunities for the ever growing numbers of young people who are unable to engage in mainstream education.
Our annual awards evenings are fantastic celebrations of our young people’s achievements through the course of the year.
One of my greatest joys is to see the excitement and pride on the faces of students as they are acknowledged. And even better the looks of pride that parents and families have when their daughter or son, sister or brother are recognised in a way that they may never have been before.
I have been at the Doxa School Bendigo since it opened in 2006 and over that time there have been some significant changes.
Our original program catered for 13 students aged 11-15 with a 6 month enrolment and a 12 month outreach follow up support program. Now we have a program that supports 46 students aged 12-18, enrolment time frames are more flexible with some students remaining for up to 3 years depending on their needs.
One thing is certain about the Doxa School Bendigo – nothing stays the same, it is a dynamic evolving environment, that’s what makes it such an interesting and challenging place to work.
Our awards evenings are a favourite event for me each year but there are many other moments such as the camps and excursions that have provided wonderful experiences for our students.
Often the most powerful moments come from a few words of appreciation from a student or parent, then I realise the work we do here is worthwhile and important, it really can change peoples lives.
There have been over 540 young people that have been enrolled at the Doxa School Bendigo over the course of our story. Many of these young people have achieved success, some back in mainstream education, some in the workforce and in other learning environments. Two ex-students I would like to mention are Lucy and Matt.
These two young people have shown that given opportunities you can change your future if you have the desire to do it.
Lucy came to us as she was a poor school attendee but she was a hard worker driven by a desire to succeed. She participated in our Hospitality program and has since left school and currently manages a café in Bendigo.
Matt joined our junior program determined to gain skills to get a job. He joined the Engineering group and developed a passion for mechanics. He was dedicated to doing work experience and eventually got a foot in the door at a local workshop. Matt was offered an apprenticeship and grabbed this opportunity with both hands. Earlier this year he was named Bendigo Kangan TAFE Automotive 1st Year Apprentice of the Year.
Education is an ever-evolving industry and the impact of technology will continue to create change in the way schools are structured and the way our students learn. For the Doxa School Bendigo the changes will be around our ability to cater for individual student needs in what should be a more flexible learning environment.
Students are involved in our 10 year celebrations with the Hospitality and Cooking groups on catering duties. Some of our senior students are producing a short video presentation for the dinner on the Saturday evening and we hope to have a panel of students past and present to participate in a Q&A session on the night. One item we are organising for the celebration is a photo collage on a wall in our multi-purpose area that will have photos from the past 10 years, this will be a memento that we will have forever.
Our school celebrations will take place from October 14th – 16th with:
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