Young achievers in Melbourne
Over 80 mentees, mentors, family members and friends have attended Melbourne’s Jewish Care’s Young Achievers graduation at the Caulfield Pavilion.
Young achievers
Following a jam-packed year of personal development workshops focusing on healthy lifestyle, leadership and skill building, the graduates enjoyed well-deserved recognition on their special day.
Young Achiever Shelly Makhlin, a Grade 10 student at McKinnon Secondary College, shared the impact of the program on her life, “During the year, I had awesome experiences and met amazing people including my mentor Tanya who shares my background and interests, and therefore, truly understands where I am coming from. I am very grateful for being a part of this incredible program and our community and will definitely return for more next year.”
Keynote speaker David Harris, Director of TIC Group and a longstanding supporter of the Young Achievers Program (YAP) addressed the audience with words of encouragement for further development and said that “success always comes to those who work hard and respect the people around them.”
During the night, the inaugural Bettie Kornhauser Scholarship was presented to graduates Leah Hain and Natalie Gunn for demonstrating exceptional excellence and leadership skills and representing the true values of Jewish Care — family, kindness, respect and charity. This scholarship will allow mentees to explore personal advancement options such as educational courses and trips.
“Our job as informal educators is to help mentees to develop their stronger sides and leave their comfort zones to explore who they really are; and for someone who really wants to learn, possibilities are infinite,” said Lana Block, Young Achievers Program Coordinator. “In 2015, we challenged our Young Achievers with camping, ice skating, circus balancing, meditation, self-presentation and community volunteering. We are excited about many more skill-building activities planned for next year.”
Mark Joel, General Manager Community Jewish Care thanked the donors and mentors within the community for their support of the Young Achievers Program, and said that “it’s crucially important to invest in our youth and inspire them to become strong community leaders of tomorrow.”
