Futures Forum held Friday 17th August

Year 9 and 10 students from several schools in the Brimbank/Melton area enjoyed an informative day out at the BMLLEN Futures forum held at Victoria University Convention Centre in Sunshine.  Participating schools from both Brimbank and Melton LGAs included Kurunjang Secondary College, Springside P-9 College, Staughton College and Sunshine College.  The aim of the Forum was to raise awareness of the possible future pathways for young people and the requirements to achieve successful outcomes.

The keynote address on Careers and Future Pathways was given by Andrew Smith, Career Development Officer, Western Metropolitan Region, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

This presentation was followed by Joanna Clare, Marketing Officer from Victoria University, speaking about tertiary pathways.

Guest speaker on the day was Sam Riggio, author of “Nothing To Fear but Fear Itself”, who provided a moving insight into the power of positive thinking and shared his insights into overcoming trauma and achieving goals against all odds.  After a horrific car accident in 1999 in which Sam suffered a spinal cord injury, he was told he’d never walk again.  After constant frustration and feeling let down by the system, Sam went in search of answers to improve the quality of his life using Eastern Chinese Medicine traditions, natural therapy and weight training.  What Sam discovered and how he taught himself to walk again after over six years in a wheelchair is an amazing story.  Sam’s speech was informative, thought provoking and uplifting.

Other workshops presented on the day were:

• Apprenticeships/ASBAs (Presented by Rachael Fisher, MEGT)
• Employability Skills Workshop (Presented by Greg Young, YouthNow)
• VCE/VCAL/VET/Workplace Learning Workshop (Presented by Maria Cox, YouthNow)