A big thank you to our generous donor Gourlay Charitable Trust and Trinity College (the University of Melbourne) for providing our recipients with the opportunity to attend the Trinity College Young Leaders Program.
The program provides students with the chance to live on campus and interact with like-minded young leaders through lectures, workshops and mentoring, tailored to various academic streams.
On day one of the program Western Chances recipient Akon Chol was identified by the mentors at Trinity as the potential Valedictorian. Ultimately he was the unanimous choice. When he was announced valedictorian at the Valedictory Dinner he received a standing ovation from the 150 people present. Most of those present were his fellow participants and he received another standing ovation at the conclusion of his speech.
Take a look at this selected feedback from our recipients:
• … I had so much fun and made life-long friendships…The mentors were super nice and supportive …Overall, the program gave me an understanding of what it would be like to live on campus and study at Melbourne University…I learned a lot in the workshops and I came out of the program knowing exactly what I want to do in the future.
• … the experience was one of the most memorable and beautiful moments of 2019… I loved the diversity, I loved the food and I absolutely loved Dr Mureen (the Social Justice programmer) … Overall, I can't wait to finish my school and to volunteer as a mentor teacher! Thanks for programming YLP!
• … an amazing experience. My highlights were being able to do different activities which allowed me to create bonds with the other students and make amazing memories.
I also appreciate the ability to increase my social network, I can now say I've got friends around the globe!
There were never any low points during the week…
• The program was great, fun and inspiring. It was … a wonderful experience, meeting new people from different countries and working together as a team. I am so grateful to Western Chances for giving me the opportunity to socialise, interact and meet new friends…It was a great chance to look at the career pathway I’m interested in (Bio-med) and it’s given me some strategies and skills... I now feel capable of achieving more due to the program...
OTHER NEWS ITEMS
- A new Patron for Western Chances
- Taking big steps into the world of STEM
- An adventure at the London International Youth Science Forum
- Learning and working in Texas
- A career that’s taking off
- A passion to inspire through storytelling
- A lens on homelessness
- Western Chances Good Business Forum 2019
- Trinity Young Leaders Program
- Vale Lynne Wannan AM
- Scholarship student has big dreams to tackle inequality and discrimination
- National Volunteer Week 2019 - ‘Making a world of difference’
- Family values make accessible mental health care a priority for scholarship student
- Nominator spotlight: From student to Year 12 coordinator at Braybrook College
- Working together in Melbourne’s west.
- Netflow-Western Chances partnership supporting talented young people in Melbourne’s west
- Western Chances Scholarship Award Ceremony 2019 - Event Wrap Up
- Great results for Western Chances Year 12 students
- Scholarship recipient responds to One Young World call to action
- Nominator spotlight: A champion for enterprising young students