Herald Sun (also syndicated in the Brisbane Courier and Adelaide Advertiser)
Cadetship
Doxa CEO, Steve Clifford, and Cadet Alumni, Shelley Fenech, and external program facilitators speak to NewsCorp about the challenges facing school leavers.
Victorian not-for-profit, Doxa is seeking to partner with businesses across Victoria as part of their flagship employment pathways Cadetship Program.
Doxa has selected 12 business-minded young achievers from a diverse range of backgrounds for Cadetship. These individuals are motivated, talented, tenacious and have overcome enormous barriers in their pursuit to stay engaged in education. 44% are studying a STEM subject at university, 29% are studying Business, 13% Finance, 9% Law and 5% an Arts degree.
This CSR-aligned social investment opportunity offers Program Partners a talented undergraduate as part of their team; skilled volunteering opportunities for existing staff; and a chance to change the life of a high-achieving young Australian from a disadvantaged background.
Doxa supports Cadetship Program Partners by providing a shortlist of talented applicants relevant to their sector; building a learning and development framework; providing mentoring; and recruitment support as well as on-boarding advice.
Doxa CEO, Steve Clifford, said that: “We have a diverse range of Cadets all in great need. 51% live off a family income of below $30,000 per annum, 24% are refugees/newly arrived migrants, 18% come from rural/regional areas. These young people are experiencing significant disadvantage. They don’t have the social capital, financial support or professional networks that you and I had.”
“What they do have is the skills, growth mindset and incredible drive to succeed in business and in life. But they need your help in order to achieve this,” he said.
“We currently have 12 young people left to place this year by mid-April, and that’s why we are calling out for organisations with a focus on STEM, Business, Finance, Law and Arts to partner with us and join us on the journey.”
Since 1993, more than 400 young people have participated in the Doxa Cadetship Program. It is open to Year 12 students transitioning into university and is a three to five-year program, depending on the length of the degree the student is undertaking.
To get involved or for more information on the Doxa Cadetship Program, visit www.doxa.org.au.
Ends.
Media Contact: Belinda Rowse, Public Relations Officer, Doxa
Email: browse@doxa.org.au | Phone: 03 9046 8207
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.
Current first and second year Doxa Cadets
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
Doxa Cadets and AECOM staff at the inaugural charity trivia night
The Melbourne team from engineering firm AECOM recently hosted their inaugural charity trivia night and donated the proceeds to Doxa. A number of Cadets attended the event and had a great time as well as making the most of a valuable networking opportunity.
Drop us an email at info@doxa.org.au if you would like to host a fundraising event for Doxa.
Doxa Future Insights program participant Hue Man Dang
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.
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.
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
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.”
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
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.”
The League of Extraordinary Women hosted the Run The World 2017 Conference
To quote one of the most famous female divas of all time, “Who run the world? Girls.”
At the League of Extraordinary Women’s Conference for 2017, this answer was supported and proven by a range of brilliant female entrepreneurs. It was an event where females, and a handful of brave males, from all backgrounds and industries could share their passions for business while building a network of both professional and personal connections.
As a cadet, I was fortunate enough to be given this opportunity to attend the conference and were it not for Doxa, this would not have been made possible. So, for all those who are interested in knowing more about the league and the secrets to a successful business, here are my top three takeaways from the “Run the World” event.
Michelle Tran at Run The World 2017 Conference
Before the event, I would perceive people who were successful as these super humans who were either born geniuses or were extremely lucky to have accomplished their goals and create a name for themselves in the commercial world. To me, it was such a distant idea that I often would talk myself out of pursuing business ventures before I had even started.
At the conference, however, most of the guest speakers were women who were married and had families. They were women who had day jobs that most would consider normal. It was through hard work and determination that these women could balance building a business with raising young children and maintaining relationships with their partners, friends and family. It made me realise that I did not need any special ability to start a business and pursue my dreams, myself and everyone in the room were already more than capable of doing so already. To summarise with the wise words of Enjo CEO, Barb de Corti,
“you can have it all, but be prepared to work hard!”
Run The World – Melbourne 2017
People often describe entrepreneurship as a long, hard and lonely journey. My interest has always been centred around how people have managed to stay true to their goals in the face of such adversity. All the women from the League spoke collectively about one of the most important factors to their success, which can be described as their “turquoise moment.” To put into context, Spell and the Gypsy founder Elizabeth Abegg spoke about how her passion for turquoise jewels prompted her to join her sister’s jewellery making business to transform it into what is now an international clothing brand.
Many of the women speak about how their intense passions allowed them to take the leap and turn their dreams into successful businesses. It was the fact that they stayed true to their ideas and believed that it was something they wanted to share with others which drove them to put in the long and hard hours to make it possible.
Michelle Tran, Doxa Cadet at the conference
I find that often when I come across an amazing opportunity, I hesitate. Whether it is applying for a university program or even speaking to someone who I admire, there’s always a moment of pause that tends to result in nothing. It has either prolonged or prevented me from doing new things or meeting awesome people. Therefore, the most important lesson I took from the League event was how to stop this. “The moment you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must move within five seconds or your brain will stop you.”
“From now on, if I ever find myself hesitating to do something that will help me reach my goal, I just count to five and act.”
I have found that the fears I once had were all in my head and what I have gained has far exceeded what I was scared to lose anyway.
ABC Radio – Afternoons “Making A Difference” with Clare Bowditch
Cadetship
Arif Hazara is a Doxa Cadet and Young Victorian Achiever’s Award 2017 Semi-Finalist. He also represented Australia in UNHCR negotiations with NGOs in 2016. Arif is an outstanding community leader, advocate for young people and refugees, as well as a mentor, role model and representative of our Cadetship program.
Photo: Helen with two of her fellow Cadets
My passion for STEM is a universal constant. I wouldn’t be who I am without it. I went to a girls only high school where the culture was unknowingly prohibitive against STEM. Because of this, STEM remained an unexplored possibility until the summer holidays of year 10.
My first brush with the world of STEM was The ConocoPhillips Science Experience (TCSE), a three-day program for students in years 8 to 10. All of a sudden, I was surrounded by hundreds of like-minded peers who shared my curiosity about the world around me, and the trajectory of my life was completely altered, knocked off course by a staggering amount of passion and support from my fellow scientist fledglings.
About half a year later I successfully applied for Youth ANZAAS. It was a science program with about a hundred students from all over Australia and New Zealand participating in a week-long residential program. It included a tour of RMIT’s collection of 3D-printers, a trip to a planetarium, seeing a Nobel medal, and even included an explosive concert by Ologism, a science-themed rock band. It was also during this program that the students from New Zealand opened the world to up to me, and for the first time the rest of world felt truly tangible.
I had been a member of YSA (Youth Scientists of Australia) for a while, however I had mostly lurked on the fringes. But after the Youth ANZAAS and the bonding of the residential program, I found myself on the executive committee as a ‘Member Without Official Portfolio’. I dove head-first, and YSA became the supportive backbone that sustained my passion for STEM and helped focus that passion into something productive – STEM outreach. I began to be involved in engaging with the community through volunteering, which soon became another passion of mine.
After an almost year-long application throughout Year 11, (which required the support of a rotary club, a written application and a two-stage interview), I was given the opportunity to attend the National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) in Canberra. It was an Earth Science based program, and we toured the Earth Science departments, visited Geoscience Australia also engaged in networking events at Parliament House with participants such as a Nobel Laureate and Chief Scientist.
After the program, participants were given the opportunity to apply for international programs. I was one of five hundred students from over fifty countries who were accepted into the London International Youth Science Forum (LIYSF), and we spent three weeks abroad during term 3 of Year 12, residing with the Natural History Museum and Science Museum just down the road. Following the amazing program in London, we embarked on a trip through Paris and Switzerland, which culminated in a visit to CERN and the Large Hadron Collider.
Now that I am in university, the small flame of scientific interest that sparked to life in Year 10 has now crystallised into a steady burn of passion that makes up the very core of my identity. When I am not tinkering with electronics or code, I enjoy astrophotography and observing the night sky with my telescope. Alongside my studies in Aerospace Engineering and Science at Monash University, I am now involved with Engineers Without Borders.
Maybe one day I will be working as a researcher, or designing rockets, or maybe I will be in a classroom trying to inspire children to become the next Einstein or Marie Curie.
Wherever I may end up, I know it will be in STEM.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
At the end of March, a team of interdisciplinary students headed off to a small town in the Northern Territory called Jabiru – a town built on Aboriginal land – a town built for the purposes of mining. The mine has created tension in between Indigenous communities for decades now. However, its shutting down means the royalties to Mirarr, the owner’s of which the land was built, disappear accordingly.
The University of Sydney are running a five-year initiative to assist the community. As part of this initiative, our role was to understand the needs of the Bininj (a term the Aboriginal people call themselves) and in a joint effort with the Gundjeihmi Aboriginal Corporation, to help create a sustainable governance model that encourages collaboration amongst the communities in a bid to improve quality of life.
Photo: Husband and wife Mark and May – traditional owners of the land who took the time to take us around to see rock paintings on day then their community the next
Over the nine days, we learnt a tremendous amount about their deeply rooted customs, ways of life and their history. We realised how little we knew about their circumstances coming into this – both their struggles and achievements. It was very overwhelming. It was a much needed eye-opener.
We started to see where our skills could work to help a community create a sustainable way of life. We were part of something greater than just marks.
For someone who loved excursions and history in high school, this unit combined just that with my business side of things. Unlike normal classrooms lectures and tutorials, this experience allowed for firsthand interaction with the communities and people. When ‘on-country,’ we were able to go explore what Kakadu had to offer, its amazing past with traditional owners of the land and by exploring the land in which they owned.
Photo: Going to see rock paintings
Highlights at Kakadu for me were definitely the interactions we had with the community – whether that’d be playing ultimate frisbee or soccer with the kids and dancing along at their school dance or being taken on tour by the traditional owners. There was no doubt about it. I fell in love with the community and didn’t want to leave by the end of it.
Taking this chance to work closely with Indigenous communities was something I never thought I’d have the chance to do but it was one of the best decisions I’ve made.
It was my first experience working with an interdisciplinary team and it just goes to show how much you can learn off one another. I cannot wait to see how this project will be transformed from its current stage by the end of the final phase and the changes it’ll have on the community.
Photo: Obligatory crocodile sighting in Kakadu National Park.
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