AVCAT is delighted to announce The Veterans Benevolent Fund, the charitable arm of the RSL & Services Clubs Association will fund the AVCAT Alumni Network Mentorship Program for three years.
The Veterans Benevolent Fund was established to provide financial assistance to community organisations, ex-services organisations, and other service providers that deliver programs and services to current or former ex-servicemen and women and their immediate families.
Launching in 2023 on the back of the successful pilot program, the AVCAT Alumni Network Mentorship Program will run annually. Providing mentoring for AVCAT scholars and mentor training for AVCAT Alumni every year.
Mentoring is a meaningful way to support scholars as they strive to succeed in their tertiary education and to provide AVCAT Alumni with an opportunity for professional development. Mentees from the pilot program commented that; ‘My mentor is a legend who cares about the program and his mentee’, and ‘It’s been a blast. Loved every bit of it. You’ve done a fantastic job.’
Scholarships Manager Robyn Richardson says. ‘AVCAT is delighted to receive this generous grant from the Veterans Benevolent Fund providing three years of support for the AVCAT Alumni Network Mentorship Program. This program will support the academic journey of AVCAT scholars and provide valuable life skills for our Alumni. AVCAT’s partnership with the VBF extends and compliments their other initiatives by supporting education and training for veterans and their families.’
Mentors from the pilot program commented, ‘training equipped me with the skills necessary to engage in a productive mentoring session.’ Mentors also noted, ‘the support team was always available for guidance… they were very personable and made the training a pleasure to complete.’
Consultant Jacqui Van de Velde will provide training for the mentors. Jacqui has more than 30 year’s experience in education, wellbeing, mental health, and community engagement. She works across business, education, and community contexts, in Australia, New Zealand, the EU, Singapore, and North America. Jacqui is a passionate advocate for professional learning networks, and continuing education in the workplace, wellbeing, veteran health, advocacy and more.
AVCAT Alumni are encouraged to indicate their interest in becoming a 2023 mentor.