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Mohamed’s story
Finalist - 2023 VIC Young Australian of The Year | CEO @ Endeavour Youth Australia | Consultant | Advisor | Social Advocate | Studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics
When Mohamed graduated high school, he found it hard to get a job and felt like "being a young African male, having the name that I do, made it hard to be in the position that I wanted". Growing up, he always felt that people had preconceived ideas about his behavior and intentions and sadly this translated into the workplace.
His work placement at North Melbourne Police Station gave him an opportunity to see things from a different perspective, seeing police officers in a different light and how they are behind the scenes. Mohamed left his placement with a lot of skills, networks and connections that really helped him moving forward in my career.
“Everything I experienced during the YMCP program and the connections I made, put me on my path to activism. If I was to go back and link something, it would be the work placement.”
Christy’s story
Currently a Cadet Engineer | Studying Civil Engineering
Christy was a newly arrived refugee from Syria and joined the YMCP program to get involved in the community, make some new connections and gain some experience to support her pathway to employment. She completed a work placement at Braybrook Library which she thoroughly enjoyed and reported “it was a great experience, I got a lot of benefits from it”.
Also as part of the YMCP program, Christy got one-to-one support from a dedicated mentor for 9 months.
“mmvllen and the YMCP program helped me a lot and Sylvia was such an amazing mentor, we’re still in touch till this day – 5 years later”
Christy is currently completing internship through CareerSeekers, already worked on two Level Crossing Removal Projects and completing her Bachelor of Civil Engineering
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Farida’s story
Currently a Legal Assistant | Studying a Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Global Studies.
When Farida joined the YMCP program, she was straight out of high school, didn’t have a job and was struggling to land interviews. She felt that getting her foot in the door was one of the biggest barriers for her.
We opened our doors to Farida and she completed a work placement assisting with the Try A Trade event. Farida shared that it was an amazing experience, developing useful admin and office skills and working in a professional environment.
She also wanted support from a mentor to help her find work in her preferred indsutry. Upon meeting her mentor Jane, Farida felt they had a lot of similarities and were able to connect, claiming Program Coordinator Laura “did a great job matching our personalities and interests”. They were able to have conversations outside of finding a job, talk about world issues and each others personal lives. They still have regular catch ups, five years on.
“Now I have a job and doing a clerkship in relation to my degree and was able to get multiple interviews. And that was because of my mentor and the help she has given me.”
Michael’ story
Currently a Job Advocate | Completed Bachelor of Criminal Justice
Back in 2017, a friend referred Michael to the YMCP program as he was finding it difficult to find and apply for jobs. He was matched with a mentor who supported him with navigating the job application process but also provided him with good career options and ideas that he hadn’t considered.
With a passion of working in the field of justice, mmvllen facilitated a work placement for Michael at Footscray Police Station, where he enjoyed going out with the Police in the community, answering phone calls in the watch house, administration training and meeting community members at the front desk.
“I now know how to do Key Selection Criteria, my mentor helped me with that. My placement gave me work experience, helped build my resume and now I have so many referees from the Police.
This program gave me a foot in the door.”
Michael has shared his success in the program at mmvllen’s events and is currently working at Brotherhood Of St. Lawrence as a job advocate, helping other people find a job!
Hamzah’s story
Hamzah was studying Agribusiness and seeking a placement as part of his University requirements and to put his theory to practice. He was matched with a mentor which turned out to be very fruitful as his mentor, Duy, was able to facilitate a placement for Hamzah at his workplace. Hamzah’s placement opportunity at The Level Crossing Removal Authority in the Sustainability Team aligned well with his University requirements.
Hamzah said that participating in the placement helped to prepare him for the workforce by strengthening his communication skills, networking and meeting new people, gaining skills in administration, project management as well as learning all about Sustainability practices in a busy office environment. What’s more, Hamzah impressed them so much he was offered a 3 month full time Internship position.
“The YMCP program gives you a head start from other graduates who are just finishing degrees. And industry experience and connections puts you ahead of class.””
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Pamela’s story
Completed a Business Administration Traineeship
After completing high school, Pamela felt a bit lost as she was unsure what career pathway to pursue and whether she would have enough experience to get a job. She was matched with a mentor and Pamela felt she led me in the right direction for my career and personal life. Pamela also completed a work placement at the mmvllen office where enjoyed working in a team and learning more about the office environment.
“I used to be a really shy person, but after the YMCP program, I’ve become more confident talking to new people.”
Beza’s story
Currently a Foster Care Placement Practitioner | Completed a Master of Social Work
In 2018, mmvllen wanted to employ a part-time Administrative Assistant to support the Youth Mentoring Career Pathways (YMCP) program. Beza was successful in gaining the role which began her journey in developing skills in project management, data collection, reporting and assisting with mentor recruitment and training. She said the experience was great and appreciated the opportunity.
““I feel very lucky to be part of the mmvllen team, which gave me an insight into the workforce, I learned lots of skills that are applicable across workplaces and boosted my confidence.””
Since working at mmvllen, Beza completed a Bachelor of Psychological Science and a Master of Social Work and enjoying working at AnglicareSA in her new home town, Adelaide.