2017 NENHN Awards

Last Thursday PRACE had the pleasure of attending the NENHN (North East Neighbourhood House Network) Awards.
We had been selected as a finalist in the Innovative Community Development Initiative Category for our project: Digital Literacy for Older Victorians.  Even though we didn’t come home with the award — Congratulations to Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre — we did have a lovely evening.

Several volunteers from the Digital Literacy for Older Victorians program: Sandra, Pedro, Briare and Rosina, attended the awards dinner with us. It was delightful speaking to them about the program, its impact on their lives and on others who participated. The program was run in a number of venues including Darebin Libraries, Latrobe Village, Villa Maria Catholic Homes, and Little Sisters of the Poor. It utilised a range of delivery models, most importantly, a train-the-trainer model in order to ensure continuing benefit to the community.  A number of our volunteers experienced that marvellous transition from being a student in the program to becoming a teacher, and being out in the community and ‘meeting new people’ was a particular highlight.

Here is more of what the volunteers had to say about their experience.

“Volunteering at PRACE reignited my passion for helping others to learn and grow. My time with PRACE reminded me that I have much to offer, giving me the confidence to pursue my chosen career path. Through volunteering, I have met many wonderful people who have become lifelong friends. Thank you, PRACE!” – Sandra

 

“The course was really fantastic. I enjoyed everything that we learned. I’d really like to go ahead and do more if I can.” – Rosina

A huge thank you to all of our program volunteers.