
Experienced teacher, journalist, educational writer and producer Simon Garner will be sharing his expertise and experiences at an upcoming online information session hosted by EdConnect Australia and supported by Hume City Council.
The event held on 7th October at 11am AEST, will focus on the challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and the effects on the daily life of today’s students.
Danie McNeil, EdConnect East Coast Manager, speaks about the importance of acknowledging this topic.
“Being a student in the 2020’s is tough. Young people may already be experiencing a rough time as they explore who they are, their friendships, discover what they enjoy and what they can contribute to the world. Add Covid-19 to the mix and it presents further difficulties that can make it hard to cope,” she explains.
“The challenges resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic have had a huge impact on daily life. It has particularly affected school students. Young people nowadays are facing obstacles that have never happened on this scale before.”
Simon, an experienced teacher, journalist, educational writer and producer comments on the upcoming event.
“The need for young people to be exposed to, and interact with, senior people and vis versa is more important today than ever before.”
“Simon will describe how intergenerational volunteering meets the needs of and is beneficial for both young and old alike. He will provide a snapshot of some of the remarkable people he has met, interviewed and written about over the past 20 years,” continues Danie.
The EdConnect program is a national one which trains and supports volunteers to work in local schools, providing a safety net for young people who might otherwise struggle to realise their potential – in school and life.
EdConnect volunteers’ can assist in primary or secondary schools in the classroom with subjects such as numeracy, reading, or science as well as helping around the school with kitchen garden projects, canteen, gardening, library and much more.
Les Terrill a local Melbourne based EdConnect Volunteer has a passion for English Literature. Les assists students from a non-English speaking background with their English classes in senior secondary.
“I get an enormous amount of satisfaction from my work with EdConnect. I believe that placing a mature age volunteer in a classroom has a very positive impact on the students’ progress. I also believe that I learn as much from these young people as they learn from me; they keep me on my toes,” said Les.
EdConnect is calling for 50 new volunteers to commence in the 2022 school year, for more information about the EdConnect volunteering opportunities see www.edconnectaustralia.org.au, contact edconnect@edconnect.org.au or call 1800 668 550.
Event Information:
Date: Thursday 7th October
Time: 11am-12pm AEST (1 hour)
Registration Link: click here
About the Guest Speaker
SIMON GARNER
At 60 years young, Simon Garner is an experienced teacher, journalist, educational writer and producer. He is currently employed as the Marketing and Publications Manager at one of Victoria’s largest independent schools.
For the past 20 years, Simon has also written for The Senior, a national monthly newspaper dedicated to reporting on issues affecting, and stories about, older people. The Senior has an extensive, diverse and extremely keen and interactive readership among people aged 55+ throughout Australia.