Our Malmsbury Camp has partnered with the Kyneton Community House to provide meals for families experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID 19 lockdowns. The DOXA Youth Camp has been providing its kitchen and the ingredients for the project while the community house has used its chef and volunteers to cook and distribute the food.
You can watch a video about this fantastic collaboration here: https://fb.watch/3Q7cVpbkZY/
Congratulations to Ben and Rachel who recently graduated from Doxa’s cadetship program (pictured here with Kate McConnell from sponsor company Metro Trains).
Ben and Rachel are both studying a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) at RMIT and recently completed their cadetships at Metro Trains, where they developed;
The Cadetship program is open to Year 12 students transitioning to university and is a three to five-year program, dependent on the length of the degree and the sponsorship model.
For more information on becoming a cadet or a sponsor organisation, please contact Doxa, we would love to hear from you!
Phone: 03 9046 8200
Email: cadet@doxa.org.au
Doxa city camp kids got to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when the Hawthorn Football Club invited them to watch a training session!
Many of the children who attend Doxa city camps are from rural areas in Victoria who have never been to the Melbourne city before. For some, it was their first time on a train and tram.
Thanks Hawthorn Football Club for this amazing opportunity! The kids had such a fabulous time!
Doxa Youth Foundation’s vision for reconciliation is that as a society, Australia recognises, respects and values the cultures, histories and identities of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. We strive to work together, with our Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters, towards a just and equitable Australia that is free from prejudice, oppression and injustice. As an organisation addressing disadvantage and inequity in Victoria, we aim to provide Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young peoples in Victoria with the support and opportunities to achieve their full potential in education and employment. We also commit to giving them the positive life experiences that they may not otherwise have access to. Our vision for reconciliation is one that welcomes Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples into our organisation and programs, celebrates their contribution and values their skills, knowledge and experiences.
Title of Image: Being Aware
Date created: 2013
Artist: Garry Scott
Story:
This goanna is carefully placing his feet on safe areas as he makes his journey through life. The meeting places and campsites he is stepping on are positive places to be at in regards to his well-being. I painted this at a time in my life when I had to be very careful where I was going and who I was around. The handprints are mine; they represent me helping my self. I had to look inside myself in order to make change for a better lifestyle.
Artist bio:
Garry Scott is an emerging Aboriginal artist who has experienced many challenges throughout his life. Whilst incarcerated, Garry decided to explore and connect to his culture by making art. He uses his art and culture as the foundation to look at where he has been and where he wants to be in his life. Through painting he has found the focus and strength to change his lifestyle and walk a positive path, including passing on his new found knowledge and skills to his children.
Michael Perry was a Doxa Youth Foundation Cadet in 1999. Like many of our Cadets, Michael experienced challenges growing up and the Cadetship program was an invaluable support during his three year accountancy degree. Fast forward 20 years and Michael is now working at V/Line and mentoring next generation Doxa Youth Foundation Cadet, Rabel Kaka.
Michael shared fond memories about the comfort he felt knowing Doxa and his sponsor company took care of barriers, including the cost of text books, tutoring for subjects he struggled in, the Malmsbury residential camps and even his first business suit fitting. What’s more, Michael’s mentor at his sponsor company was a Cadet Alumni too so she got it, she understood Michael and what he was going through.
Michael credits Doxa Youth Foundation as integral to his success. He says,
“My experience in the Doxa Youth Foundation Cadetship program has seen me through the good and the bad. I’ve developed resilience, teamwork and leadership skills and confidence in myself and my ability to meet challenges head on. I’ve never forgotten where I’ve come from and the opportunities I have been afforded. I am forever grateful. I began university knowing I had Doxa Youth Foundation behind me. I was nervous about the cost of text books but that was taken care of and I could just focus on my studies. I remember being fitted for my first business suit, again thanks to Doxa Youth Foundation. I received tutoring for subjects I struggled in. I was supported, made to feel special. I was being set up for success.”
Michael is now working at V/Line, leading a team and recently, he’s taken on his own next generation Doxa Youth Foundation Cadet, Rabel Kaka.
Rabel’s family left Iraq about 5 years ago due to the imminent threat from ISIS, who had raided the next-closest village to Rabel’s home. Rabel came to Australia with no material possessions . As a refugee he experienced financial hardship as well as culture shock, isolation, loneliness and struggled with English during his first years in Australia. It was extremely hard to make friends and Rabel didn’t feel like he belonged anywhere.
Rabel has just completed his first 8-weeks of placement at V/Line, where Michael volunteered to be his mentor. Michael shared how incredible it felt providing a Doxa Cadet with the same support he needed in his early 20s. Rabel has brought with him fresh ideas, new perspectives and a youthful enthusiasm to learn and a willingness to challenge the status quo. Rabel says:
“The Doxa Youth Foundation Cadetship program has provided me with the opportunity of establishing a strong and supportive community of friends and mentors from different backgrounds and walks of life. Being part of the Cadetship program provided me with a priceless sense of confidence and empowerment. Having such a supportive and inspiring community around me has finally made Australia feel like home. On top of the personal support, the opportunity of applying my learning to a real-life workplace through my placement at V/Line has been invaluable. It has allowed me to understand and develop the necessary skills companies value and look for in a software engineer. This is an experience that makes me feel empowered and prepared for the future.”
Great cadets make for great graduate employees. Cadets leave university with at least 6 months of relevant work experience, not to mention their networking skills, employability skills and professional development, so they are going to have the competitive edge over their peers. Also, what better way to recruit ready-made assets into your business? We are looking for organisations to support our 2019 Cadets and we would love to hear from you.
Doxa Cadet, Judy Hang tells us about her favourite things about being involved in Doxa
I was first introduced to Doxa through the University Pathways Program in Year 10 and was exposed to the many programs that exist including that of the Cadetship. Having Cadets as team leaders and mentors motivated me to apply for the Doxa Cadetship towards the end of year 12. Here I am now with the amazing opportunity to personally and professionally develop my skills as part of the Doxa Cadetship 2018 cohort.
A key part of the Cadetship program is to attend a residential camp in Malmsbury each year. Throughout the 3 days and 2 nights, we are able to learn about ourselves and furthermore learn about developing the skills that we need to make the most out of the program. However, we also get to bond with those in our cohort that we’ll be spending most of our time with for the next few years.
“Doxa has always supported me and many others throughout the years, and the genuine kindness of the group and Doxa staff reminding us that it’s okay to seek for help and ask questions.”
Jess from Doxa had told us that ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’; this really resonated with me! And when asked to reflect on the weekend, the majority of my fellow 2018 Doxa Cadets said their highlight was meeting each other – how amazing is that?
The new 2018 Cadet cohort at our Malmsbury residential camp, bonding as a team & learning new skills
We were given a valuable workshop held by Fran James (Future Insights/UPP) We were able to have time to sit down and think very carefully about what our priorities are – whether it was our health, family, education, career etc. From here we were able to establish what our goals were and the strategies that we could put in place to prevent ourselves from feeling demotivated and ‘stuck’. From this session, I was reminded that our goals in life should not only revolve around university and careers. We have families (including pets!), friends, our communities and most importantly our health that should be our top priority. These aspects in our lives enhance our overall performance! 🙂
On our final day, Jo Parker, from Heart Sparks, discussed some topics around personal development, such as building confidence and being true to our values and beliefs. We were given a large list of values and had to narrow it down to our most important ones. We were able to do this individually, away from external pressures and influence.
“What I took from this workshop is that these values guide our behaviours and perception.”
We all have different values where our beliefs may conflict, and this must be taken in consideration when we are in public settings such as uni or work!
Doxa Cadet Amier makes his statement to create a positive impact in the world
As I was checking my emails one day, I received an email from Doxa and it was about opportunities available at Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY). I was really interested and looked through and saw a 4-day program for young people from a refugee/newly arrived migrant background, called “Be Seen, Be Heard”, which was around using social media for positive change. I participated in the program and learnt a lot about how to run a social media campaign; it was an amazing experience. From there, they selected some of the participants to actually design and run a social media campaign. I was lucky enough to get selected, which was super exciting.
Working with the team at CMY on the #Go4It Campaign
Working with a bunch of super talented and young people, we worked hard to design and implement the #GO4IT campaign across Facebook (we set up our own page and have got over 500 likes already!) and we’ve also taken over the CMY Instagram to deliver our message.
“The key message we want to spread is to inspire young people to follow their passions and take that leap of faith and overcome the challenges and do what we love.”
Ultimately, we aim to empower young people and encourage them to pursue their passions by sharing stories from other young people who have done something inspiring and motivate others, so that they can too. The idea behind the name is that sometimes in order to live your dreams, you just have to “Go For It” or #Go4It.
CMY’s #Go4It campaign which Amier has been working on
The reason that I got involved was that I am really passionate about making a positive impact in the world, and by being part of this great campaign, I can do my part in making a better world.
“It is a message of positivity which I really believe in, and I think we need more of it in today’s world that can be full of negativity.”
In addition, this opportunity has also allowed me to experience and learn new things and step out of my comfort zone to do what I love and develop myself. I also believe, in order for me to grow, I need to do more activities to learn and experience and follow my passion and just #GO4IT.
Bendigo & District Aboriginal Cooperative Smoking Ceremony at Malmsbury Camp
“In this time, I have seen and experienced the amazing work that Doxa does for young people in our community, and now I am proud to say that we are working towards reconciliation with the community in the development of our first ever RAP.”
A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a formal statement of commitment to reconciliation. There are four different types of RAP; Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate. Even though we are still in the developmental stages our first RAP, Reconciliation Australia has advised us to move from a ‘reflect’ RAP to an ‘innovate’ RAP. Although this may seem like a small feat it is cause for celebration. This advancement marks Doxa’s first accomplishment in reconciliation. We have observed and evaluated our level of cultural competency and have acknowledged that significant work needs to be done at Doxa to welcome more ATSI staff and program participants, increase our collective knowledge and to push for reconciliation within our sphere of influence.
Program Participants at our Malmsbury camp
In the five years that I have been with Doxa I have been able to experience both sides of the company, as both a program participant and an employee. Being the first Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Program participant, and one of the only current Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander employees I have felt relatively alone at Doxa.
“With no representation and little understanding of my culture, I will be honest and say that at times I have found it tough to find that sense of belonging that some of my peers have benefited from.”
I acknowledge that some gestures have been made at Doxa to change this but it’s important that these are done with good intention and genuine commitment to reconciliation and are not merely tokenistic. Tokenism is something we see a lot of in society and it’s not helpful. That’s why we need a RAP. By committing to a RAP, Doxa is committing to becoming an environment where Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young peoples feel welcome, safe and valued, with our culture recognised, understood and celebrated. And that’s a really important place to be.
Doxa is working towards ensuring that Indigenous young peoples feel safe and supported
While our RAP is still in the developmental stages, it has already had an immense impact upon the organisation. We have been able to implement changes and raise awareness about not only Doxa’s but our staff and participants cultural . Cultural awareness training for all staff has been booked and has already started the conversations around reconciliation. Staff have also stated that they have been engaging in conversations and activities with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples outside of work.
“While this may not seem like much, a conversation is where true reconciliation must begin.”
In creating and committing to a RAP Doxa has taken that first step towards reconciliation. Now, our journey is well underway and those first few steps have started us on our march, with each step paving the way for others to follow.
We have shortlisted these future stars from a diverse range of challenging backgrounds from across Victoria for our 2018 Cadetship program. We are now looking for corporates to partner with to create a life-changing experience for these young people experiencing disadvantage.
That’s where you come in.
This CSR-aligned social investment opportunity means that your company will have:
And we’ve made it easy for you. We provide you with a shortlist of talented applicants, on-boarding support, mentoring support and admin assistance. Your company provides a work placement, Doxa provides the support, and we partner to create a life changing opportunity. We are with you every step of the way to make it a valuable experience for all involved.
You’ll be working with some truly impressive young people who are equipped with the drive, resilience and growth mindset to succeed and navigate the workplace of the future. Many have faced socio-economic disadvantage, others have come from a refugee/asylum seeker background and some have come from rural/regional Victoria. Overcoming hardship has given them the determination and drive to succeed.
The challenge we face is that we have 12 incredible young people from our shortlist to place at sponsor companies by mid-April. We need your assistance to provide the solution. Get involved and become a Cadetship sponsor company today.
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