When asked why she volunteers, Catalyst Clemente Learning Partner Sarah Carter has a simple answer – she loves helping people to help themselves.A Reservoir Engineer with Woodside Energy, which is a strong corporate supporter of our services in Western Australia, Sarah has been involved with the Catalyst Clemente program since it was introduced to Mission Australia’s Wattle House two years ago.
Delivered in Perth in partnership with Edith Cowan University, this accessible program enables people who have experienced significant challenges in life, including homelessness, to participate in undergraduate level humanities education. It caters for the particular needs of students by combining education with social support.
Learning Partners like Sarah are recruited from corporate partners and the wider community, and play a vital role in the program. As a Learning Partner, Sarah supports and assists students at weekly study evenings during the semester and with essay writing, research and course material interpretation.
Team Leader Community Development and Catalyst Clemente Coordinator, Mario Gomes, said he has been impressed by Sarah’s unfailing commitment to the program over the past two years, despite the demands of her family and working life.
“She has been with us from the start and has renewed her commitment unit after unit,” he said. “On one occasion, she was very busy at work, but came all the way out to Maddington for the Catalyst learning evening, then went back to her office to complete her work! Sarah had her first baby last year, so we really appreciate the time she gives is valuable.
But for Sarah, the satisfaction she receives from volunteering at Wattle House make it worth the effort: “It is not difficult juggling volunteering with my paid work but I have found it more difficult to fit in spending time with my son, Henry,” she said. “Ultimately, I really enjoy my volunteering time and so try to fit this in around our family routine - my husband helps by picking up the slack at home!
“The most rewarding thing about volunteering is the opportunity to be involved in the greater community doing something that helps others and that is not just about me,” Sarah said.
“Also seeing students graduate from their four subjects as part of the program and move on to further university study or different challenges in their lives with so much more confidence and motivation. The students become great examples for their family and children and end up not just changing their lives but those around them as well.
Mario said its this positive attitude that makes Catalyst volunteers like Sarah an integral part of the program: “Our six Learning Partner volunteers are extraordinary. So often they tell me that they get more out of volunteering that the Catalyst Clemente students do,” he said. “I think that’s because it’s very tangible work. The volunteers help the students to get results and feel so proud to be a part of their success – it’s very interactive.”
For Sarah, student graduation ceremonies are the highpoints of her volunteering year. Seeing the sense of achievement on the faces of the students, she said, make her efforts worthwhile.
“There is so much to gain from getting involved in your community through volunteering activities and I’d recommend it to anyone,” she said. “It is also really important to use volunteering as a way to help people help themselves, which is what the Catalyst Clemente program is all about.”
Find out about current volunteering opportunities at Mission Australia’s Wattle House at our WA Volunteering Opportunities page.
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