Program that benefits Year 12 volunteers
La Trobe University’s Aspire Early Offer Program rewards Year 12 students for their volunteering.
Tatura Fire Brigade volunteer Charlotte Freemantle (pictured) was keen to talk about her time in Year 12 and what it was like to balance study and volunteering with the help of the Aspire program.
The Aspire program is an early entry scheme that lets secondary school students secure an early conditional offer to La Trobe University before finishing Year 12. One way of qualifying for the program is by making a community impact through volunteering.
Although it was only a few years ago, remembering the COVID-19 years is a struggle for many because so much has happened between then and now. However, Charlotte recalled her final year in high school with fondness and in detail.
“It was COVID. I was worried about my marks. Trying to do everything at once was hard,” Charlotte said.
As La Trobe University has a campus in Shepparton, its staff were able to visit Charlotte’s high school and discuss the Aspire program with the senior students. There are many options for regional students including opportunities for scholarships to relocate to metro locations.
“A lot of people applied but I thought I could use fire brigade because I was completing General Firefighter training at the same time.”
Many students were encouraged to take up leadership positions at the school to meet the community contribution criteria but Charlotte had an edge over the competition – she was already impacting her community by volunteering with CFA. That experience contributed towards her application. She said the application process was easy and was supported by her brigade communications officer who had children her age at the time.
“My only hiccup that year was that I was a young woman coming into a brigade where I felt like I needed to prove I wanted to be there and that I could do everything. I’m grateful for the support I had from my comms officer because as a 17 year old it was really challenging balancing training and study during COVID.”
At the time there were a couple of young people in brigades near Tatura, but there weren’t many young people to make connections with and gain support from in her own brigade.
“I made one friend from a neighbouring brigade who was a little older than me and we did the same course together.”
It wasn’t until she attended that year’s Cadet Camp that she found more opportunities for young people in CFA and was able to discuss her experiences with people her own age, make strong friendships and support networks and gain skills tailored for young members.
“I went to one of the pilot Cadet Camps and that’s where I really connected with other young people,” Charlotte said.
Back at school, Charlotte nominated Bachelors of Exercise and Sports Science or Physiotherapy as her preferred courses of study at multiple universities, but La Trobe was the only one offering an early entry scheme for her circumstances. When she found out she had been approved for an early conditional offer in October that year before her exams, she was ecstatic and felt like the pressure was off.
“It was a massive stress relief knowing there was somewhere I could get into and that the ATAR score for the courses I wanted would be lowered for me. I felt like I could still commit to both my brigade and school. I could study and not be worried about being distracted by a fire and being a volunteer and not be stressed about my exam scores.”
After selecting her preferences and attending open days, Charlotte decided on a university that suited her learning needs and course preferences. When asked about any tips for students interested in the program, Charlotte pointed out that “it favours people in regional areas and those who do community service including CFA. Even if you only do Championship running, your membership and service still counts.”
For more information about La Trobe’s Aspire program email the Pathways team at youthteam@cfa.vic.gov.au for application support.