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Awarded to the BEd Adult Education Student who demonstrated superior achievement in the areas of academic studies and adult education practice.

1. What is your current occupation?

Aged and Disability Coordinator at Campbelltown City Council.  This role has a strong community development focus, including working in partnership with residents in the development and implementation of community development and education programs.

2. What student achievements helped you win the Award?

My application for the award detailed recent initiatives I have introduced into Council such as the “interactive Disability Awareness” program developed in consultation with Council’s Access Committee to enable Council staff that have a customer service focus to gain a community based experiential and reflective disability awareness learning experience; an annual schools’ poster art competition in conjunction with International Day of People with a Disability that involves working with teachers and school students from 6 schools in the local area throughout the year to explore their values, beliefs, stereotypes and learn about people with a disability and then design a poster that positively promotes abilities of people with a disability; and the 2006 “Older Lenses on Life” Seniors Week Photographic Project that engaged older residents in learning digital photography in order to raise positive community awareness and identify issues and stereotypes associated with ageing. This initiative saw the introduction of a more participatory approach to Seniors Week activities.

I have always had a fascination with the ways people learn and found the course extremely interesting, a motivating factor behind my application to work required for assessments.  I also enjoyed the interactive nature of the course, which enabled me to learn from other students.

3. How have you used the content of the BEd in your occupation?

As a worker in the non-government community sector for nearly twenty years, and previously teaching at TAFE, I often found myself designing and delivering community based adult education programs within a community development framework.  As I have a strong commitment to involving members of the community in all aspects of community education, it seemed to be a natural progression towards taking up the BEd (Adult Education) in order to increase my knowledge and skills. 

This has led to the successful implementation of a variety of adult and community education programs with the community, enabling members to confidentially articulate their views and concerns.  Community adult education plays a key role in engaging isolated community members, many of who do not see themselves as learners, in a participatory and familiar environment.  I have also been able to use the knowledge within staff development programs.

4.  Where do you see your career & lifelong learning going?

With previous qualifications in the area of welfare and community organisations management, I really do classify myself as a life-long learner. I am now studying for my Honours in Education (Adult Education), with my research focussing on the development of learner-centred lifelong learning and people with multiple and profound disability.  I am enjoying the research aspect immensely.  In the future I hope to continue to introduce innovative community adult education projects within my role at Council.  My future ‘retirement’ plan (I am now just into my fifth decade) may include the establishment of my own consultancy and more teaching at TAFE (I miss this).