We were so excited for this term, and just look at how it flew by! Thank you to everyone for your support and understanding throughout the term (and the past couple years) as we have grown in so many ways. We have a few new people who joined us at the start of 2023, and we have seen nothing but support from our participants and their families as we navigate much busier days.
Intentions and Aspirations …
As we start with 2023, we look ahead to what this year can become, and how we can set ourselves up for success. We are looking forward to securing additional animal shelters where we can offer our participants more varied volunteering opportunities, and our next Ladies Day Out. Our short stay holiday to Eden was fantastic, and we would love to set the foundation for us to do something similar again. As you’ll see, we have had a very busy term (so busy that some things just can’t fit in this newsletter!), and we hope to fill our next term with even more fun experiences!
Holiday Trip to Eden …
Before we kicked off 2023, we headed up to Eden for our first short stay holiday! We were able to explore the Buchan Caves, the Green Cape Lighthouse, the Aslings’ Beach rockpools, Merrimbula, the Eden Killer
Whale Museum, and the Mallacoota Lakes on a pleasure cruise, where we fed sea eagles. Having short stay holidays away from home gave our participants the opportunities to grow their independence away from home. We encourage our participants to think outside the box and try new things. We’re always close by to lend a supportive hand, but always far enough away for them to grow their independent living skills. We had an awesome time away and look forward to our next holiday!
Our Voice …
Kaitlin: I loved the different places and experiences.
Bianca: I had fun!
Brayden: My favourite part was swimming in the pool and Bairnsdale.
Amber: It was the best trip in my whole entire life!
Dylan: It was fun!
Riley: It was awesome.
Lucas: I liked feeling the independence it gave us.
Certificate II in Animal Care
We’ve now completed our second cluster in our Certificate II in Animal Care course, meaning we’re almost
halfway through it! How time flies…
We have greatly furthered our knowledge in general animal care this term, learning a variety of things. This includes communication in the workplace, how to classify animals into species and breeds, and how to fill out animal care documentation. As you’ll see later on in our newsletter, we also spend a good portion of our week volunteering at different animal care facilities. While these get our placement hours up, they also
encourage us to put our learnt skills into action, as we see how to practically apply what we’ve learnt.
Equine Therapy …
Our participants started again with Equine Therapy/Counselling at Jabulani Sanctuary, where they work with horses. This process encourages participants to think about how the concepts they learn can be applied in everyday life. This term there has been a specific focus on performing health checks, communication and active listening skills.
The benefits of equine therapy include:
Reducing the effects of anxiety
Improving social skills and communication
Growing in confidence
Increasing self-awareness
Emotional regulation
Our Voice …
Chloe: I love the horses, especially Indie!
Shania: I love working with the horses and doing join-ups.
Bianca: I like the horses’ different personalities.
Gembrook Wildlife Shelter …
We were so excited to return to Gembrook Wildlife Shelter this year especially looking forward to see how all the animals grew over the Christmas break. Every week we have the opportunity to care for beautiful native Australian animals, which include wombats, kangaroos, joeys, and koalas.
Volunteering encourages compassion and understanding as we help animals which otherwise would have quite difficult lives. We perform our tasks with care, as we gently handle small babies and clean the environ-ments for sick and injured wildlife. This is a great stepping stone for a deep sense of empathy to take with us everyday, where we can look at opportunities to be kind and helpful.
Our Voice …
Riley: It’s awesome!
Kaitlin: It’s fun, and I get to face my fears of emus.
Bianca: I like being around the crazy animals.
Brayden: I like feeding wombats and seeing Evie the Emu.
Bluey and Alice Bunny Refuge …
We also continued our work at Bluey & Alice Bunny Refuge, where our main jobs are refilling the bunnies’ hay and water supply to ensure they never want for anything. As we take turns going up to the refuge, we have the opportunity to cuddle and care for the cutest bunnies, who are being rehabilitated before finding their forever home.
Since we are all getting so good at caring for the bunnies, when we have bigger groups of people, we are also improving teamwork skills. We delegate tasks to certain people, and work like a well oiled machine to get everything done! We absolutely love volunteering at the bunny refuge, and really appreciate all the cuddles we get to have with bunnies who need some love.
Our Voice …
Kaitlin: They’re cute and fluffy!
Riley: They’re so awesome.
Jess: I enjoy giving them fresh water and hay.
Brayden: I’ve liked seeing Frankie the bunny get better.
Wellness Mondays …
We continue to spend our Mondays having some well needed time to discuss and develop our emotional
intelligence before heading down to the gym to improve our physical fitness.
This term, with the addition of many new participants, we have focused on learning more about each other. This includes learning about the simple things, like our favourite colour, but also about our boundaries, hopes and dreams and the importance of Gratitude.
This term we have been doing cardio, weight training, swimming and basketball, with swimming being a favourite – we get to cannon ball into the pool.
We know that physical and mental health and wellbeing go hand in hand, and our Wellness Mondays set us up for the week ahead.
Our Voice …
Kaitlin: It challenges me.
Riley: My muscles are getting big!
Brayden: Getting fit and stronger is the best.
Paul: I like going on the exercise bike.
Liam: I enjoy learning the exercise machines.
Woodwork …
Our Thursdays are spent doing Woodwork at the Dandenong Community & Learning Centre, where we have
made: pencil holders, mail holders, trinket boxes, shoe racks, storage boxes, and money boxes.
Everyone loves woodwork, where we get to unleash our creativity! It’s such a great opportunity for creativity while following a brief, as we learn how to design a piece that follows step by step instructions, and enables us to add our own personal touches. Paul has also had the opportunity to do one on one classes with Tim
every Tuesday, where he can develop his skills doing something he absolutely loves!
Our Voice …
Riley: It’s awesome.
Paul: It is so good!
Brayden: I like making things out of wood and learning more skills.
Ben: I like the tools.
Amber: I like learning new skills.
Chloe: I like sawing things.
Melbourne Academy Barista Course …
This term Liam, Nesian, Kaitlin, Ben, Amber and Chloe went to Melbourne Coffee Academy to
participate in their barista course.
They were attentive as Justin explained the processes they would be following to make the perfect cuppa. Everyone did an amazing job and their coffees were delicious. This was such a great opportunity for our resident baristas-in-training to learn latte art and how to perfect their coffee making skills. Everyone had so much fun, and received their certificates a couple weeks later. During the whole day, Liam was very supportive, encouraging everyone throughout the process, and supporting everyone along the way. It was great to see so much kindness and compassion from him. Well done to everyone for all your hard work!
Artwork at Lakeside …
This term we’ve started doing art classes at Lakeside, where we’ve been following an online tutorial covering a range of different pieces. These have included: an Easter Bunny, fireworks, a sunset, sailboats and a night sky. These have been really fun and creative, giving those who participate a chance to unleash their inner creative side while following a tutorial. We have loved seeing these masterpieces come to life each and every week!
Ladies Day Out …
We had our first Ladies Day Out for 2023, and what a fun day we had! We started off with a bottomless brunch at Mary Eats Cake, complete with mimosas, Pimms and delicious teas before heading off to Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery for some Easter shopping. We finished the day at Brumfield Winery!
We ate, we laughed, we sipped and we had such a fun day out. Thank you to all our wonderful ladies.
Out and About Fridays …
Each Friday we get out and about in our community, going to movies, exhibits or participating in other experiences and excursions. We have spent time discussing where we want to go throughout the year, and have already begun planning some of our activities. Over this term we’ve had some super fun excursions, including going to the: movies, bowling, Queen Victoria markets and the Maru Wildlife Sanctuary.
Ultimately, the most important thing about out and about Fridays is that our participants choose and plan what we do. Having our Friday’s dedicated to getting out and about means that we have the opportunity to research, price and discuss all the options out there, improving our communication and critical thinking skills. There is such a place in our lives for recreation, exploring and learning new things, and being able to get out into the community is crucial for us to live fulfilling lives. In planning what we want to do ahead of
time, we have the opportunity to research activities we would enjoy, while also keeping in mind everyone else’s interests.
Our Voice …
Amber: I enjoy seeing movies and hanging out with mates.
Dylan: I get to learn social skills.
Kaitlin: I like going to different places.
Liam: I enjoy going to new places and learning about the city I live in.
Nesian: I enjoy having fun with everyone.
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