David Law has been working with Anglicare Victoria for seven years and is one of our Community Development Coordinators.
David manages the ‘Ararat Plus’ program, which aims to help young people in rural areas develop a lifelong love of learning and inspire them to pursue higher education.
How did you first become involved with Anglicare Victoria?
I started in a community development role in Ararat and soon realised that the key to improving outcomes for Ararat youth involved helping the students to want more, and to feel that they deserved more.
Do you have a favourite Anglicare moment?
I actually get genuine satisfaction from the small moments. For example, last year I was involved in a retreat with indigenous kids. During the day we were running leadership programs but at night we would all sit around and eat together. Hearing the kids laugh and talk about things that happened that day, really made me smile. Even though it wasn’t part of the official program, it gave me great satisfaction to see the kids enjoying themselves and gaining new experiences.
What has surprised you most about working for Anglicare Victoria?
The amount of genuine care and compassion from people in the local communities. They don’t ask for any recognition for their generosity, and they have a very positive outlook about the changes that are possible.
What would you tell someone about why they should get involved with Anglicare Victoria?
Anglicare are prepared to invest in a 10-15 year generational difference and make long lasting change. The program I am working on, we can’t always measure all the outcomes immediately but we know they last. The kids that come to the camps, their young siblings, or perhaps even their kids, will be inspired to raise their aspirational level because they have a mentor or are the first in the family to go to university.
Working in the space that you do, what sorts of trends do you see?
Working in regional Victoria, it is very clear that certain pockets are falling behind modern Australia, they are alienating themselves from the modern world and getting further and further behind. I truly believe the way to overcome this is education. People and organisations in Melbourne also need to be prepared to bring ideas and concepts to the outer regions and help them to aspire for more.
What do you do when you aren’t working?
I spend a lot of time with my wife and two kids. I also love bush-walking, off shore fishing and canoeing.
