Without the help of a Headspace scholarship, Warrnambool’s Erin Wood may not have gone on to study a Bachelor of Nursing.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Erin, 21, is in the second year of her tertiary studies at Deakin University with the $3000 scholarship helping her to study her chosen course.
She completed an associate degree in education at South West TAFE which gave her the skills and confidence to transition from secondary school to university.
Miss Wood said the scholarship helped to cover the cost of her TAFE fees. “I always wanted to do it but uni’s not cheap," she said.
Miss Wood enjoys studying nursing and said it was convenient to study at home, rather than having to move to Melbourne.
Six scholarships, of up to $3,000, are available to people up to the age of 25 in Warrnambool and Portland, who have sought help from Headspace Warrnambool, and are enrolling in at least a two-year course at either Deakin University Warrnambool or SW TAFE.
The program helps to subsidise the costs associated with course fees in their first and final year of study.
Miss Wood accessed Headspace support services when she was in high school and wants to go on to work in the field. “I’d recommend the scholarship and it’s good that Headspace do it with Deakin and TAFE so if people don’t want to do uni or want to be a tradie or a hairdresser they can do that. I want to get into mental health nursing when I finish,” she said. “I’ve got a few friends who have done it and they really enjoy it. I’m hoping to get placement in mental health.”
The program was made possible by four Warrnambool cyclists who raised $45,000 for Headspace, riding 1100 kilometers in 2015.
Headspace regional manager Anne Waters said the program helped young people who’d overcome health problems to pursue further study and employment.
Community awareness and engagement worker Kayla Mugavin said one of the Cycle4Life team’s goals was to provide a tangible benefit for the region’s young people. “We know the importance of study and vocational goals for the mental health of young people and this program is a great way to help support them and put this into practice.”
Applications close March 1. For more information go to headspace.org.au or the Headspace Warrnambool Facebook page.
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.
