Achieve Connect

It’s pretty clear that we are entering a time of great economic, social and environmental change. As we shift into the fourth industrial revolution, young people will need to develop new mindsets, skillsets and capabilities to thrive in the  rapidly changing world of work.

Achieve Fest 2021

Prince’s Trust Australia has paired up with our friends at Teach for Australia and Prince’s Trust New Zealand to bring you Achieve Connect;  a 2-hour workshop delivered online & designed for students aged 13-16 to explore identity, build networks, and develop the skills needed to thrive now and into the future.

It is underpinned by our flagship youth initiative Achieve, an inquiry-based framework that engages young people in learning through careers education and enterprise skills development.

Achieve Connect brings together students from across Australia & New Zealand that are not in formalised leadership positions to – this is a chance for young people who may not have a voice to be heard.

→Designed to be an engaging, personalised and interactive experience for all participants.

→Underpinned by research & best practice learning design

→Includes a range of activities that spark ideas, explore interests and how they connect to potential career pathways

→Featuring a Live Panel discussion  featuring inspiring guests with nonlinear career paths

→Connects students from across Australia and New Zealand

→Limited to 15 schools (up to ten students per school) across Australia & New Zealand.

Teachers will: 
  • Engage your students in a meaningful alternative to work experience
  • Develop a generation of learners that are online, connected and prepared for the fourth industrial revolution
  • Provide oppurtunity to build their general capabilities
  • Unlock gateways to career opportunities & build tangible networks
  • Receive an APST professional learning & certificate of participation
  • Students will: 
  • Connect with other young people across Australia and New Zealand
  • Choose your own tailored learning journey
  • Engage in a safe and supportive process that encourages you to dream big and explore a range of career pathways
  • Connect and learn from leaders across a range of sectors and life journeys
  • Develop essential mindsets, skills, and capabilities, and learn useful life hacks that inspire lifelong learning
  • In order to participate, schools must be able to:  
    • → Be part of the Teach for Australia community
    • → Nominate a point of contact to liaise with Prince's Trust Australia prior to the workshop
    • → Organise a supervising teacher to accompany students during the workshop (This can be the same as the point of contact)
    • → Organise a physical space for students to participate in the workshop
    • → Arrange for a teacher to support students and actively participate during the workshop
    • → Select appropriate students that will benefit from participating in this workshop
    • → Organise any required parental consent or permission forms for students to attend

    if you have any questions, please email info@princes-trust.org.au

    Princes Trust New ZealandTeach for Australia

    The sample program below is from the October 2021 workshop and provides: 
    - Session breakdown (times are in AEDT)
    - Skillsets students will be utilising
    - Tools required (all links will be provided)
    - The mindset required for active participation

    Program - Thursday October 28Program October 28

    If you have any questions, simply email us at info@princes-trust.org.au and one of our friendly team members will reply as soon as possible.

    Meet our speakers

    Achieve Connect features changemakers, creators, and young leaders from across Australia and New Zealand.
    Keep an eye on this page as we update speaker announcements!

    Check out some of our previous speakers for Achieve Connect below.

    Tarsh Poching-Ieremia

    Tarsh Poching-Ieremia
    Club Advisor | New Zealand Rugby League

    Tarsh hold many roles including;  MC, TV presenter, broadcaster, former breakfast radio host and ex radio executive. For 14-years, Tarsh worked in radio – eight of those as a host on Flava’s morning radio show, The Full Phat Breakfast, and had guest stints on TVNZ’s Whānau Living. She’s also dabbled in sports TV presenting; as a host, side-line reporter, interviewer and panellist. 
    Earlier this year, the mum of four, from Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, started her dream for New Zealand Rugby League - 'helping to grow the best game in the world'. Coming from a league-loving family, a game she also plays and coaches, Tarsh was - in pre Covid times – an MC on the field at Vodafone Warriors’ home games. 

    Tarsh is passionate about health and fitness, a dedication she shares through her Facebook page, “Mum like a Boss.” 

    What is Achieve Fest?
    Sam Johnson

    Sam Johnson
    Chief Executive | Student Volunteer Army (SVA)

    In 2011, after the devastating Christchurch earthquakes, Sam mobilised 11-thousand students to help with the clean-up of the shattered city, and the nationwide volunteering movement, Student Volunteer Army (SVA)was born.

    Sam describes himself as a civic entrepreneur. He works as Chief Executive of SVA Foundation and is “focused on scaling the charity from good to great.”  He explains, “the foundation enables volunteers at primary, secondary and tertiary level across the education system and teaches project management, team work and cooperation. Most of all, it tries to mobilise people of all ages to better understand and embrace the value ‘takoha’- Māori for giving your time to others without an expectation of reward.” 

    During New Zealand’s Covid-19 lockdowns – including the current alert level restrictions – SVA runs a nationwide grocery delivery service for those in self isolation or who have no other way to access food. Sam is co-chair of the Emerging Leaders Community of the Australian New Zealand Leadership Forum, a member of the NZ Institute of Directors and Adjunct Fellow in the School of Leadership and Education at the University of Canterbury. 

    He lives in Auckland with his husband, Tyler, and serves on the board of The Prince’s Trust New Zealand.  

    What is Achieve Fest?What is Achieve Fest?
    Yo Mafia

    YO! MAFIA

    A renowned sneaker freak and hip hop junkie, YO! MAFIA has been killing them on the wheels of steel for a whopping 20 years. Having grown up at the fruition of Hip Hop in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, YO! MAFIA became FLUORO BREAKER after falling in love with Boogaloo Shrimp in Breakin’.

    After winning every B-Girl competition she entered, YO! MAFIA hung up her knee spin for the turntables after amassing a huge collection of original pressing 12-inch wax from every musical genre known to man. Relying on her acute party savvy ears, YO! MAFIA quickly began mashing up sounds from her beloved Hip Hop, mixing in RNB, electro, Commercial Bangers, Cock Rock and everything in between.

    She has solidified her place as one of Australia’s premier Party/Open Format DJs, possessing an incredible ability to blend and mix a variety of genres into one big party set! Her signature genre-smashing sets have seen her named Official Hit FM/ Fox FM’s RNB Fridays Live Tour DJ while also supporting a wide range of A-List artists.

    What is Achieve Fest?
    Tom Campbell

    Tom Campbell

    Tom has more than eight years’ experience as an AFL player for North Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs and is a recent Victoria University graduate, having completed a Bachelor of Business (Management & Innovation).

    Through these experiences he has developed a range of valuable and versatile skills, including:
    • Teamwork: After more than eight years in an elite team sport environment he has developed teamwork and collaboration skills.
    • Communication: He has develop communication skills in a variety of settings, including, under pressure on the football field, in front of large groups as an AFLPA delegate, and in a higher education environment.
    • Resilience: In his AFL career, Tom has had to overcome injury, form, and selection setbacks in order to consistently maintain a high standard of performance.

    In 2019, Tom enjoyed a brilliant first season at North, dominating in the VFL. Strong pre-season form saw him play Round 2 and 3 in the AFL, but the quality of Todd Goldstein saw his opportunities limited. The ruckman kept the pressure on the selectors and was named an emergency on multiple occasions. Campbell finished third in the JJ Liston Medal count, and won his first John Law Medal.

    What is Achieve Fest?
    Mandy Dante

    Mandy Dante

    Mandy Dante is the CEO & Founder of Flourish Girl. Mandy is an ex-speech pathologist and an Australian Accredited Facilitator. Mandy is the first-senior female facilitator at The Rites of Passage Institute and is paving the way for their school programs for teenage girls across Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. She has also worked with alongside leading youth experts such as Hunter Johnson and Arne Rubinstein and within youth-led organisations such as The Man Cave, Game Changers Australia and Little Dreamers Australia. To date, Mandy has worked with over 3700 young people across Australia.

    Mandy's passion originated from being a speech pathologist, where she empowered children with a range of communication disorders to find their voice. Towards the end of 2016, Mandy found that the rate of depression, anxiety and eating disorders amongst teenage girls were on a rise and it was in that moment that she found herself shifting her passion and focus towards giving teenage girls a voice.

    What is Achieve Fest?
    Dr Ranjit Rao

    Dr Ranjit Rao

    Dr Ranjit Rao is a Surgeon with a difference. He blends western and eastern; modern and ancient; physical and spiritual in a way that is easy to understand and apply to daily life.

    Graduating from Monash University as a Doctor in 1994, he then undertook residency training in General Surgery and Urological Surgery. He currently works as a Urologist at the Epworth Hospital Richmond and specialises in keyhole and robotic surgery.

    Though he works as a surgeon, he remains open-minded to a holistic approach, and encourages patients to take control of their lives with proper diet, exercise, yoga, meditation, as well as establishing a sensible and practical way of living. He was first exposed to meditation as a medical student and found it a useful companion during his studies and training.

    His deep personal experience as a meditator, culminated in him writing a book, “Meditation & Martini” where he outlines how it is possible to integrate both the material and spiritual lives seamlessly. “Meditation represents the spiritual and martini represents the material” he says, “and the key to a happy life is finding the right balance between the two”.

    The theme of his writing is to encourage people to make conscious choices and live a life of balance, rather than being swept away by the collective sway of society.

    What is Achieve Fest?
    Summar Howarth

    Summar Howarth
    Lead Facilitator - Achieve Fest

    Prior to establishing The Eventful Learning Co, Summer worked across Australia, the USA and Asia with school leaders, teachers and policy makers including work as a teacher and leader in NSW & USA Schools, lecturer at Sydney University and internal innovation consultant at AITSL.  Summer has led projects at a national scale working alongside education systems including Northern Territory education, ACT Education Directorate and government agencies including Victoria Police and Zoos Victoria, as well as a range of non-profit organisations.

    With expertise in facilitation, learning design, strategic consulting, policy and school teaching & leadership, Summer works with a collective of associates and leverages a broad network of clever connections to enhance the skills, capability and impact of teams.

    What is Achieve Connect

    Prince’s Trust Australia have paired up with Teach for Australia and Prince’s Trust New Zealand to bring you Achieve Connect;  a 2-hour workshop delivered online & designed for students aged 13-16 to explore identity, build networks, and develop the skills needed to thrive now and into the future. 

    Achieve Connect is underpinned by Prince’s Trust Australia’s flagship youth initiative Achieve, an inquiry-based framework that engages young people in learning through careers education and enterprise skills development.

    Achieve Connect brings together students from across Australia & New Zealand that are not in formalised leadership positions to – this is a chance for young people who may not have a voice to be heard.

    How does Achieve Connect help?

    Teachers and educators will: 

    - Engage your students in a meaningful alternative to work experience
    - Develop a generation of learners that are online, connected and prepared for the fourth industrial revolution while    building their general capabilities
    - Unlock gateways to  career opportunities & build tangible networks
    - Receive an APST professional learning & certificate of participation

    Students will:

    - Connect with other young people across Australia and New Zealand
    - Choose their own tailored learning journey
    - Engage in a safe and supportive process that encourages you to dream big and explore a range of career pathways
    - Connect and learn from leaders across a range of sectors and life journeys
    - Develop essential mindsets, skills, and capabilities, and learn useful life hacks that inspire lifelong learning

    How will the event run?

    Achieve Connect is designed to be an engaging and interactive online experience for all participants. We have intentionally curated the event to include a blend of online and offline activities.

    The workshop will be delivered online via Zoom and we will utilise online tools such as Padlet for collaborative activities.

    I'm an educator, how should I set up my classroom?

    Firstly, you’re awesome. Thanks for your support! We recommend the following set up:

    Use one computer to connect it on a projector or smartboard so that all students can see and hear the facilitators and their screen. It would be great to connect a camera so we can see you and your students.

    Need to factor in a recess break? See the Program tab for how we have set up timing for the day.

    For more information about how to prepare for Achieve Connect, see the What do I need to do before the event? FAQ.

    If you have any other questions, please email us and one of our friendly team will reply as soon as possible.

    What do I need to do before the event?

    We will email you with all the resources and instructions that you will need before the event.

    The workshop is limited to 15 schools so make sure you have registered via this form and have received confirmation.

    In order to participate schools must be able to:

    • - Nominate a point of contact to liaise with Prince's Trust Australia prior to the workshop
    • - Organise a supervising teacher to accompany students during the workshop (This can be the same as the point of    contact)
    • - Organise a physical space for students to participate in the workshop
    • - Arrange for a teacher to support students and actively participate during the workshop
    • - Select appropriate students that will benefit from participating in this workshop
    • - Organise any required parental consent or permission forms for students to attend

    If you are an educator, check out the How should I set up my classroom? FAQ.

    What will I need during the event?

    We will email you with all the resources, login details, and instructions that you will need before the event.

    This sounds great...but I can't make this workshop. How can I find out more about future workshops?

    Don’t stress, if you miss out on this one  please ensure you have registered and we will automatically put you on the waiting list and will keep you posted on any future Achieve Connect workshops. 

    What if I need to take a break/recess?

    Not a problem, have a look at the Program tab to see how we have set up each day, including breaks.

    Who do I contact if I have any further questions?

    If you have any questions, please email us at info@princes-trust.org.au and one of our friendly team members will reply as soon as possible.

    If you have any questions, simply email us at info@princes-trust.org.au and one of our friendly team members will reply as soon as possible.

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