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‘I sponsor two students who were affected by the Nepal earthquake in 2015. One young girl lost her brother and sister in the quake and another was buried under rubble for 13 hours. I am determined to raise the funds to build a new school for them, their peers and teachers in Nepal.’ I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Emma McDonald, a former Kardinia International student.

 

What led to you become involved with EDUC-Nepal?

‘I first stumbled across ‘Education and Development for the Underprivileged Children’ (EDUC), a local NGO school in Kathmandu offering children from the Basundhara slums a free education, in 2014 when I was working as a journalist. I wrote a story about the school and the family of Nepali teachers who founded it, and I fell in love.

Continue reading “EDUC-Nepal, Emma” →

For the past 10 years the Rotary Club of Belmont has worked with Belmont High School to undertake “Mock Job Interviews” with Year 9 students. These students usually turn 15 during Year 9 and many are looking to apply for their first job – a part time job to earn some pocket money and get some experience in the work force.

The “job” for which the students apply through the “Mock Interviews” is a part time, casual job as a sales assistant in one of five departments within a fictitious company called S-Mart – the departments are audio visual, men’s wear, ladies’ wear, sporting goods, and books and stationary. The students are asked to write a Letter of Application and a Resume, which are both presented to the “interviewer” at the interview.

Continue reading “Mock Job Interviews, Bill” →

Exposure to music under the age of 5 opens up different pathways within the brain. ‘Bluebird Foundation was founded 7 years ago when we saw the need to make music and art freely accessible to all young children.’ We are talking to Bron. ‘My background is in music therapy, I trained to become a Primary School teacher and worked in small country schools before having a family. Then I worked in early intervention for children with special needs and taught preschool music to parents and their children. I saw so much joy and connection among the participants that I formed a strong sense that this should be accessible for everyone.

‘I talked to a colleague about how to make this fabulous work accessible to all and we came up with the idea to create an arts Foundation. This would enable access to all, even those that couldn’t afford it, were living with a disability or spoke a different language.

Continue reading “Bluebird Foundation, Bron” →

‘One in four women have experienced at least one incident of violence by an intimate partner, according to Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (ANROWS).’ Reports  ABC News Fact File: Domestic Violence in Australia, updated 15th April 2016. I’m sitting with Rob and Denise in the Safe House that they run in Geelong.

‘It’s named Pauline’s House after a mum who experienced domestic violence. Our referrals come via Safe Steps 1800 015 188 the domestic violence hotline, private referrals and local agency referrals. It is a sad fact that the women and children lose a great deal by having to move, losing ties to friends, employment and support networks. They establish a home in areas no-where near their comfort zones. It is true some women relish the opportunity for a new start free of violence but it comes at a cost.

‘Denise and I live on the premises with other staff and offer 24/7 security. We’re always there if the women need to talk. We have both been involved in direct welfare delivery in our previous work. This is a charity we have established to work on issues presenting people in Geelong and wider Victoria.

Continue reading “Safe House, Rob” →

Sexual assault is unfortunately all too common in our world and has been for far too long. These disgusting acts have somehow wormed their way into our society and made themselves appear as “just another thing that happens” allowing many members of our world to become numb to the stories we hear, but there are people standing up to it and the people who commit these acts. It’s a scary concept, standing up and saying ‘no’ for the people who are unable to say it themselves, but the women at Geelong Reclaim the Night are doing exactly that.

Reclaim the Night is a feminist movement that began in Belgium in 1976 when women who had truly had enough of the sexual assault that was taking place on their streets took it upon themselves to say ‘enough is enough’ and reclaim those same streets.

Continue reading “Reclaim the Night, Nancy” →

There would be nothing worse than losing a beloved pet and not knowing its fate. Animal lover Paul Hetherington, IN2K9 – K9 Behaviour Specialist, tells me about his volunteer work, finding lost pets and recovering pets killed on the roads or tracks. ‘I have a number of informers who let know if they’ve seen a dead pet. No matter what time of day or night, rain or shine, I’ll go and retrieve this animal. I take it to the nearest vet where they’ll scan the microchip, check the data base and inform the owners.’ www.facebook.com/groups/deceasedanimalretrievalgeelong/

‘I hate seeing the extremely sad look in the vet’s eyes when I turn up with a dead animal. A lot of people couldn’t do what I do, it upsets them too much. I do it for the animals and so the owners obtain closure. They may even collect their pet and bury it.

Continue reading “IN2K9, Paul” →