A catalyst for changing women’s lives

On this 100th International Women’s Day we’d like to celebrate our Catalyst Clemente education program, which is empowering women across the nation.

Catalyst Clemente offers free, socially supported university education in the humanities for people who are experiencing significant life challenges.

The philosophy of the program is that study in the humanities can act as a catalyst for social inclusion, intellectual engagement and positive change in the lives of participants.

Delivered in a community setting, just over half of the Catalyst participants (52 per cent) are women.

“The program is life-changing for the students and it’s great to see them realise their own potential,” said Sarah Spiker, Mission Australia Project Officer Catalyst Clemente and Communities for Children.

“One of the key benefits for the women who participate is the confidence they gain, which translates into all aspects of their lives, such as parenting, social engagement and the workforce.”

No one believes this more than Karen*, a single working mother and grandmother from Adelaide who last week commenced her third semester in the program.

Karen had to leave school at 14 due to a disruptive home life, which was marred by alcoholism and verbal abuse. “It’s hard to study when someone is ranting at home,” she said.

She waited 26 years – when her youngest child was seven – to return to study.

“Learning always felt like a luxury – something out of my grasp,” she said. “I had always enjoyed learning at school, then TAFE, but it seemed life always got in the way. I’ve since learned that if people can find a peaceful, safe place they can relax and study – you just need that place to open your mind.

“Catalyst has been fantastic. It’s given me the chance to first of all entertain the thought that I deserve to study and then allowed me to turn that into a reality,” said Karen, who is one of 11 Adelaide students enrolled in the 2011 program.

With support from volunteer learning partners and professional lecturers, women like Karen are gaining communication, writing and research skills – as well as a thirst for learning.

Last year she completed the ‘Short Stories and Their Writers’ and ‘Australia and The World’ courses. This semester she will study drama.

Mission Australia has operated Catalyst Clemente since 2005 and now offers the program in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth Adelaide, Ballarat, Newcastle and Campbelltown in partnership with various community agencies and educational institutions.

In Adelaide the program is delivered in partnership with Flinders University.

*Name has been changed.