Caption: Catholic Club Directors and Mater Dei representatives celebrate the win for the NextPath program (Education category) in the 2022 Clubs & Community Awards
L to R: Sue Stapleton, Louise McDonald, Andrew Stapleton (Director), David McDonald (Director/Chairman), Sharon Pascoe-Thomas (Mater Dei), Samantha McCauley (Mater Dei), Julie Puckrin (Director) Gavin Robinson and Ian Puckrin
Last night the 2022 Clubs & Community Awards were held at a gala event at the ICC Ballroom Darling Harbour.
The night was attended by over 1000 VIPs and industry representatives and hosted by media personality Ben Fordham.
The Campbelltown Catholic Club and Mater Dei Partnership was recognised with an award win for the innovative NextPath program.
Mater Dei are a registered charity located in Camden NSW. They work together with families and carers to provide innovative and contemporary education, and therapy services to babies, children and young adults with an Intellectual Disability or developmental delay.
Established in 1910, Mater Dei School is the oldest and original educational offering of Mater Dei. Over time, Mater Dei has expanded their support to include a range of programs targeted at specific segments. The NextPath Continuous Learning (NPCL) is the latest innovative program to be delivered by Mater Dei.
The goal of NPCL is to offer a program providing young adults diagnosed with an intellectual disability, the same opportunities as all other young adults leaving school. It was apparent to the founders that young adults with higher needs for support to continue building skills, actually had the least opportunities provided by our community. It was envisaged that NextPath Continuous Learning (NPCL) could fill this gap and offer a unique program targeting post-school continuous learning.
Campbelltown Catholic Club has provided financial support for Mater Dei over the years and assisted in expanding Workplace learning opportunities within the Club for Mater Dei students, encouraging other local businesses to follow suite.
We are proud of the positive impact NPCL has on the community. The most important part of the NextPath Continuous Learning (NPCL) program is to provide purpose and meaning to the lives of the participating individuals. This is obvious to staff working with young adults from NPCL on the days these young adults have their Work Place Learning (WPL) experience. The young adults come dressed and ready for work, feeling included and that they are a special part of a team at the Campbelltown Catholic Club or other supporting community businesses. They come with anticipation, pride and a sense of excitement for what they might learn as well as the interactions they will have with supporting staff.
To find out more and support the Mater Dei organisation, visit their website here.
Caption: Mater Dei representatives (L to R) Phillip & Sharon Pascoe-Thomas, Samantha McAuley & Gavin Robinson celebrate the Clubs & Community Awards win for the NextPath program
