Students from the Merredin, Northam, Central Midlands and WACOA Cunderdin Follow the Dream programs had a great time on their ‘career pathways camp’ last week. The first day started with introduction activities in Northam at the Bilya Koort Boodja Cultural Centre where students got to introduce themselves to each other and discuss the exciting camp ahead.

They then travelled to Perth and arrived at St. Catherine’s College and met with student mentors and staff from the Dandjoo Darbalung program. Students heard about the Dandjoo program, the college, University and TAFE study pathways, had a tour of the college, and did some art activities. They also had a yarn around the fire pit, listened to the mentor’s journeys, and had dinner in the college dining hall. A great start to the 3-day camp.

Day 2 saw the day begin with a visit to the brand-new School of Indigenous Studies building at the University of Western Australia. The morning involved a tour of the building and information about entry pathways, an activity with the Molecular Biology Faculty, and a tour of the UWA campus.

The students then visited Monadelphous to hear about the wide variety of jobs roles available within the company, hear about training opportunities for Alumni, and get hands on with some of the equipment used. Students also heard from Follow the Dream Alumni Cherokee Ugle who now works at the Polly Farmer Foundation, about her journey through high school and experiences with the Monadelphous training.

Students had an incredible last day of camp with some future career exploration at the Careers Expo at the Perth Convention Centre. Students got to interact with and explore future career opportunities with over 100 organizations and employers and take part in many hands on and simulated potential future careers.

The students then visited Edith Cowan University in Joondalup for the last activity of the camp. The students got a tour of the spacious and beautiful grounds of the campus and visited the future student’s office to hear what courses ECU has on offer. The students then took part in activities with the Nursing and Midwifery Faculty, to see the hands-on training environments that they have available on campus. The students were then treated to a pizza lunch on campus, before heading home after a busy 3 days. A great camp filled with many experiences and memories!

Northam, Central Midlands, Merredin, and WACOA Cunderdin Follow the Dream are proudly partnered with Public education in Western Australia.