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Youth award honours Rosie’s service to community

Cire Community School student Rosie Hellicar, who is passionate about the importance of the Arts to overall health and wellbeing, has been recognised by the Warburton Yarra Junction Community Bank for her inspiring service to the community.

The 17-year-old was a special guest at the bank’s recent AGM where she was officially named the 2021 recipient of the Ian De La Rue Youth Initiative Award which acknowledges a local young person’s positive contributions to their community.

Rosie was overwhelmed to receive the $1000 award and, in true form, plans to use the money to fund a VET Certificate III Music Industry (specialising in Performance) to further help the community.

Rosie believes investing in her education is investing in the local community and will benefit many more young people than just herself.

“A Cert III Music Industry would mean I could run my own program for people who can’t afford a course like this.”

The Ian De La Rue Youth award acknowledges Rosie’s community involvements and achievements including:

  • The Warburton-based MISFIT theatre project creates opportunities for youth development and empowerment, giving young people in the Upper Yarra particularly a voice and a place to belong Rosie is an assistant and has co-directed shows in the past.
  • Koha Café. Koha brings people together who might not otherwise be able to provide food for their family. Rosie helps out as a volunteer.
  • Rosie has volunteered as a disability support worker, attending camps and day activities helping children with disabilities participate in the program

In nominating Rosie for the award, teacher Kelly Taylor stated:

Rosie is truly deserving of this award because of her unwavering philosophy of service to others and the community. She is a true role model to so many other young people, having overcome many challenges in her 17 years. She is wise beyond her years

The work Rosie does to better her community has given her a sense of purpose and belonging and has enabled her to grow into the young woman she is today. Rosie takes on roles and responsibilities that are beyond her years and always has a smile on her face. She is more than capable of anything she sets her mind to.

Rosie would never self-promote herself or her abilities and always puts the needs of others first. With a quiet and shy disposition, Rosie avoids attention but her contributions and effort are worth recognising as she inspires other young people in the Yarra Valley to be true to themselves and have a sense of purpose by giving back.

With a calm and supportive demeanour, Rosie engages easily with the young people in the programs in which she is involved. Through her own lived experience, she knows how drama and music help overall health and mental wellbeing. She draws on her own experiences to help others initiate the changes they need to make to move forward with optimism and purpose and self-esteem.

Rosie has made positive contributions to her community and will continue to do so because of her giving and selfless nature. Rosie is involved in and attends many different programs and volunteers her time on youth camps and other activities. Rosie is kind and supportive and any young person attending these camps or programs would feel loved and accepted by Rosie without any judgement.

The $1000 Ian De La Rue Youth Initiative Award was first made in 2012 to honour the memory of the late Ian De La Rue OAM, first Chairman of the Warburton Community Bank and a member of the Steering Committee.  It is presented in the spirit of his commitment to community, and his passion for encouraging young people to strive for excellence and to be active in and contribute to their local community.

The activities and passions of award recipients are varied but they all help to strengthen and better the local community.

Ian was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his community service, in the Australia Day Honours List, 26 January 2008 (the year after he passed away).

Photo: Rosie hugs an avocado pillow – she loves avocados

Not for Profit People 2020

Cire’s vision to enhance capabilities is demonstrated both inside and outside our service, extending to our employee group as well as to the community. We invest in the development of our employees so they can provide high quality support to our clients and truly make a difference!

On the 24th and 25th of February, the senior members of our People and Quality team (Melanie, Katiana and Napoleon) attended the Ethical Jobs Not for Profit People Conference. The conference was run at the Melbourne Convention Centre with a sustainable and ethical approach, hosting a diverse range of speakers for the team to learn from.

Focused primarily on the Human Resources area of the not for profit – or profit for purpose – space, there were also a number of CEO’s in attendance, demonstrating the important of people and culture. Workshops and talks centred around Health and Wellbeing, Leadership, People and Organisational Strategy, Strengthening HR and Recruitment.

The team heard from some amazing speakers, such as Cassandra Hutton from St Vincent de Paul Society, who spoke on creating powerful moments to engage and mobilise people. Katiana engaged with Kristen Ramsey from Caxton Legal Centre and HR Law, and Amna Karra-Hassan blew Melanie’s mind in a powerful and dynamic session that bucked all the trends.

Keynote speaker Craig Davis from Sendle had the team thinking about the future and how harnessing human potential will be so vital. Sarah Lance from St John Ambulance Australia (NSW) engaged Melanie and Napoleon on their change journey and transformation…Which, as we all know, never ends!

Kon Karapanigiotidis from Asylum Seeker Resource Centre ended the conference with a passionate and personal speech on his journey, the centre and how he has grown his team.

A range of providers manned their stands and offered exciting products and solutions. We had some great conversations and a meeting has already been set up through a timely connection!

Not just talking the talk, the conference was ethical in its entirety. All of the food at the event was vegetarian and lanyards were sourced from The Welcome House, who support young women trafficked into the sex industry in Cebu. Conference bags were from Boomerang Bags, who focus on reducing plastic bags by up-cycling second hand material into new bags.

Since returning to the office, the team has already put some changes into action – small to start but with some big plans ahead:

  • Utilising a Boardroom space for a staff break out area (when not being used of course!)
  • Practicing 5 minute guided meditations on a Monday morning
  • Keeping each other accountable in our healthy living goals

We appreciate the opportunity to attend the conference and we’re excited to continue implementing positive changes!

Thank you to our Senior Manager of People and Culture, Mel Fisher, for penning this blog for us to enjoy.

New Hospitality Training Centre for Cire Community School

Career pathways for students at Cire Community School will receive a major boost with the opening of the school’s new hospitality training centre at the start of 2020.

The purpose-built training facility will enhance the learning experiences for students from both the school and Cire Training, greatly enhancing and expanding their potential career opportunities in the hospitality industry.

It will also hugely benefit a social enterprise run by students from the existing basic and small kitchen in the Cire church building.

Costing more than $500,000, Cire CEO Gus Seremetis said the development would boost the school’s growing reputation as a school of choice and place of positive learning.

‘The hospitality training centre is particularly relevant for our students because of the continuous of tourism in our region and ambitious plans for the future including the Ride Yarra Ranges project.’

‘Our state-of-the-art commercial kitchen will encourage Cire Community School students to participate in hospitality studies and skills which will be highly sought after to cater for the continuously growing number of visitors to the Yarra Valley and surrounds.’

Adding to the project, Cire has received a $20,000 Local Schools Community Fund grant to assist with landscaping and creating areas for relaxation and developing a vegetable garden.  The vegetable garden will help promote healthy eating and reinforce the paddock-to-plate learning.

The Yarra Valley is renowned for hospitality and tourism, however, according to local traders there is a skills gap. Being able to train students to a high standard onsite, means the initiative will be of great benefit to local business, the broader region as well as the students and Cire’s reputation as a visionary organisation.

The Warburton Mountain Bike Destination Project and Yarra Valley Trail Project alone promise to create many new jobs in the near future to cater for the anticipated boom in visitor numbers.

It is envisaged the new facility will be used by other Cire operations and the broader community.

 

Top Gear for Kaylum at the Wandin Rotary Car Show

With a passion for both photography and cars, Cire Community School student Kaylum was in his element helping out at the 2019/2020 Wandin Rotary Custom Car and Bike Show.

Kaylum attended the family-friendly local show on several occasions to assist and learn tips from the club’s official photographer, who is recording the event on camera.

“It was really great,” Kaylum wrote of his experience. “I saw all the cool cars people brought to the show… Cars from the 80s and before except for some like a Nissan R33 Skyline (Release Date 1995). I saw some of my favourite cars”.

The Wandin Rotary Custom Car & Bike Show is held monthly over the summer at Wandin East Reserve (Old Baker Rd, Wandin East) with six shows showcasing the very best custom and classic vehicles. With all sorts of makes and models on display, this wonderful local event is sure to satisfy even the most ardent car enthusiast!

On Wednesday evenings, the event offers something for everyone, with food trucks, a well-stocked bar and live entertainment, including music and a jumping castle for the kids, in addition to the spectacular array of cars.

Kaylum’s Top Five Cars

  • Mini Morris which was supercharged. It is similar to a turbocharger but instead of being connected to the exhaust like a turbo, a supercharger is connected to the fan belt.
  • Mini Clubman. The clubman is similar to the Morris except that is has more of a flat bumper opposed to the more bug-eyed look of the Morris.
  • Corvette Stingray. The Stingray was one of my top favourites when I was younger. I can’t recall why I liked it so much but I think it was the design the sleek pointed front end that looked like a blade.
  • Dodge Charger. The Charger was a car that I discovered in the ‘Fast and Furious’ movie – Dom is one of my favourite characters and the Charger is his car.
  • Nissan R33 Skyline. The R33 Skyline is a part of the GTR family which has been a big part of the JDM community for a long time and the Nissan GTR became even more popular from the ‘Fast and Furious’ movie where Paul Walker’s character Brian O’Conner drove them (specifically the R34). Paul Walker was a massive JDM fan.”

Visitors can enter the show for a mere gold coin donation or, if you have a pre-1985 vehicle or bike you’d like to display, you can do so for $5. With all funds raised going to the Royal Children’s Hospital as well as local community projects, not only will you have a fantastic evening out, your attendance will support some wonderful causes!

Final shows for the year take place on Wednesday 15 January, 19 February and 18 March. For further information, please visit the Wandin Rotary Custom Car & Bike Show Facebook page or email wandincustomcar@gmail.com

Announcing the 2020 SwinLocal Scholarship Recipients!

The SwinLocal program is a community outreach initiative by Swinburne University of Technology, offered to students studying at Learn Local or community schools, such as the Cire Community School. Learn Local providers offer education and training in community settings and Cire Training was awarded the Community Training Provider of the Year for 2019.

The SwinLocal partnership currently covers the outer-east, including Yarra Ranges. Established in 2016, SwinLocal has awarded 23 scholarships, enabling students to undertake VET courses at Swinburne University. Scholarship recipients receive quality vocational training and a safe, supported introduction to a larger educational institution.

Our Community School team are pleased to announce that the following Cire students have received SwinLocal scholarships for 2020:

Rhonan Wouters
Certificate III in Information, Digital Media and Technology – Game Art and Animation

Kyha Edwards
Certificate II in Building and Construction Pre-Apprenticeship – Carpentry

Sienna Withers-Burke
Certificate III in Laboratory Skills

Each of these students submitted an application for the scholarship and participated in an interview process. They have already attended orientation and enrolment sessions in preparation for their studies, which will commence February 2020.

Janice Farrell, Student Wellbeing Coordinator, SwinLocal VETSS Program supported the students through the application, interview and enrolment process. She explains “The SwinLocal Scholarship program, now in its 3rd year,  aims to bridge the gaps that currently exist for students studying at Learn Local or community schools. Previous SwinLocal students have made successful transition pathways into employment or further vocational studies.”