Community Engagement

I enjoy being part of my community wherever that may be. I think it is important to serve whenever possible because this encourages positive change. I like to feel that I am an agent of that change.

My local area

Justice of the Peace

In 2015, a work friend, my husband and I sat together and completed the JP course. It was so much writing, but we worked together over successive weekends and got it done. In 2016, I gave my oath before a magistrate and was sworn in as a JP.

I am an out-of-hours JP. That means my phone number is on a register, and if someone needs a JP, they can call and see if I am available.

I have met so many members of my community through this community service. Once a JP is "found", their phone number is often passed around to family and friends. I get many calls starting with"... gave me your number. I hope that's okay?"

I live in a multicultural community, so I can explain difficult legal concepts in simple terms. I am also used to working with documents produced outside Australia, which requires perusing them to ascertain how they need to be successfully completed. These skills, along with being approachable, enable me to fulfil the Justice of the Peace role proudly.

Griffith University

Student Mentoring

In late 2022, I was invited to become a Griffith University ICT student mentor. I discussed this opportunity with my husband and son to get their perspectives. I was enthusiastic about giving it a go, but I hesitated to commit due to the training and time commitments. My family encouraged me to apply. I have not regretted that decision.

For the first four weeks of trimester 1, 2023, I was a peer mentor to first-year Bachelor of Computer Science (BCS) students. No other BCS mentors were available, so I had eleven mentees, higher than the usual groups of five. Since there were so many, I decided to hold online meet-ups twice a week, and I met with some mentees one-on-one who could not make either of those times.

The university provided some set content, and I expanded it to include my personal experiences. I reached out to my peers and asked them for their advice. My peers were very generous and provided some assets they use for being organised, which they agreed I could share.

I was sad at the end of the four weeks because I felt the group supported each other, and I would miss being a part of that. However, I know these students need to form their own support network without me. I was the catalyst, and I am proud of that.

Initially, I had a poor level of mentee engagement. I reached out to those students who were not engaging and asked them if everything was going okay and if they needed help sorting anything out. Once I did that, it broke the ice, and they became much more engaged in the group. I think sometimes people need a bit of encouragement to feel comfortable.

The first meeting was a bit awkward, so I made some changes for the second meeting. I learned to prepare so that there is a structure to the meeting. I also looked into ways to make online more interactive with quizzes and polls. I learned to be open to letting the discussion flow where it will if there is high engagement. The mentees get the most out of helping and empathising with each other.

I have been invited back as a student mentor and invited to be a paid Science Success Mentor, which is a more formal role. I enjoy being a mentor and hope to continue acting as a mentor in my future employment.