Category: Service

For the second time in my All Saints journey, I was part of a team organising the Nulsen Quiz Night, our annual quiz fundraiser for Nulsen Disability, who provide services and support to people with disabilities. My role this year, rather than a Youth Patron, was being the Catalyst Leader for Nulsen alongside Year 12 student Holly Shackleton.

Most Wednesday lunchtime, the Nulsen team would meet and discuss our objectives and plans for what we wanted to be a stunning quiz night. Holly and I first met the 2022 Youth Patrons in 2021 – and we knew that the quiz night was the biggest task based on our experiences. This proved to be true, with the changeover in Service Leadership also happening at this time.

However, we worked hard, and the 2022 Nulsen Quiz Night was definitely one to remember. We decided on an 80’s themed quiz night, and so the Dance Studio was transformed into a disco extravaganza. The costumes on the night brought by guests were amazing, with the best-dressed prize proving tempting.

Holly and I organised the Patrons into well-defined groups – Prizes, Decorations, Intermission games, Questions and Promotion/Communication. By organising them into their strengths, we managed to get these tasks done much quicker than expected. On the night, we all worked to set up, sell raffle tickets, help guests to collect their prizes and promote our silent auction, which had lots of amazing donations including signed Fremantle Dockers and Perth Wildcats jerseys.

We raised $1800 on the night, a simply bewildering amount which will go towards some garden renovations for Nulsen residents as part of Nulsen’s “Make a Wish” program.

I hope to be involved again next year, because it was simply amazing to participate as both a Youth Patron and a Catalyst Leader. I would like to thank Ms Watt for the opportunity to participate in the Catalyst Team for Nulsen, as well as Holly and the Youth Patrons for being great to work with.

I still remember the day I decided I wanted to become a Patron. I put in my application, signed it, waited for what would happen. I thought that I might not even get in, what with all the people I knew would want to be one. I found out I had gotten an interview a few days later, and as they say, the rest was history.

Well, what can I say? It was an eye-opening experience to work with Nulsen and the other Patrons. I gained an understanding I did not have before of people living with complex disabilities, but more than that, I gained new friends, who I still aim to keep in contact with over the next couple of years.

Nulsen was an amazing organisation to work with. As well as allowing us to come into the homes of their residents, they gave us leadership and public speaking training, something I enjoyed very much. I won’t go into too much detail because I have already posted in depth about the training I received, but it was something I would never forget.

My favourite part of being a Patron was definitely the house visits. As someone who enjoys meeting people, it became a favourite part of Monday afternoons. The people I met were kind and welcoming, and it was very interesting to learn about them and what hobbies they had. There was a wide variety, from painting, to gardening, to monster trucks! Fundraising activities like the Connected 6 art exhibition and the Nulsen Quiz Night were also highlights of my time as a Nulsen Youth Patron.

Onto 2022. I have become part of the Catalyst Leadership Team, and I will be taking charge of the Disability Services portfolio on the team. I shall post about it once I am settled into the role, but what that means is that I will (thankfully) still retain a relationship with Nulsen.

I sincerely thank Nulsen and the All Saints Service Team for this opportunity, and hopefully we can keep making a difference together!

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This year, All Saints hosted the Connected Art Exhibition for the 6th year in a row! Time flies, doesn’t it? Over the past 6 years, All Saints has raised over $22,000 from this exhibition which is donated to Nulsen. Since I was a Youth Patron this year, I get to be a part of it!

As a Patron, my roles included speaking to introduce the night, presenting the awards, and showing visitors and residents around the artworks. These artworks were made my students, staff and Nulsen residents, and it took place in the CPA.

One of my favourite events I was a part of was the Nulsen Quiz Night, raising money for Nulsen’s “Make a Wish” project, in which wishes would be granted to Nulsen residents.

The event was held in Week 6 of Term 3, and was held in the Dance Studio. As Nulsen Youth Patrons, we had many responsibilities on the night, including selling raffle tickets for our many prizes. We met once a week to discuss with Mr Corbett, and we worked in collaboration with the Year 11 Events Certificate class to produce an amazing, sold-out quiz night. The night raised over $5000, which was put towards a garden for a Nulsen resident living in Bungaree.

As part of the 2021 Nulsen Youth Patrons program, we were invited to participate in many leadership and public speaking sessions. They were an invaluable experience to have, and they have definitely improved my skills for the future. They were split into two main categories – one being leadership skills, and the other being public speaking and confidence skills.

The first one we had was with Gavin Bain, who runs the Perth branch of advertising agency Wunderman Thompson. He has had over 20 years of experience in senior roles, including the board of Cancer Council WA. He taught valuable lessons around vulnerability, and how we should embrace it, rather than push it away. He also talked extensively about the skills all good leaders should have. Another was with Michael McHugh, from the Future Institute of Australia, who provide leadership training to businesses. He talked extensively around how vulnerability helps you to connect with others and become a leader, drawing on his personal experience in business.

The second category of sessions were with renowned public speaking expert Margo Halbert. She has been doing the program for over 10 years, and we learned some tips about how to sound confident and look good on stage. My personal favourite tip was only writing a speech 2/3 of the way down the page – it stops you from looking down too much! Another was how you should include breaks in your speech to take a breath – I found that really helpful. This session also gave us an opportunity to interact with the other schools that form the Youth Patrons program- Mercedes Ladies College and Hale School. I now have close friends from both- yet another benefit of the program.

As well as the sessions, we were provided with the opportunity to speak with business leaders at a Q and A session organised by Nulsen. This took place in Perth City, and we met leaders in many different fields, such as mining, construction and mental health.

Overall, I have enjoyed every single session that Nulsen has provided with. We have been provided with many opportunities due to them, and I hope that next years patrons enjoy the same!

I am pleased to say that I managed to get into the Nulsen program, therefore becoming a Nulsen Youth Patron for 2021. I am very excited to have this opportunity, and I hope I can do my best in. I have lots of good people on that team for 2021, so I think we can achieve great things.

On Friday, I had an interview to become a Nulsen Youth Patron. This followed a lengthy application process.

The Nulsen Youth Patrons are a group of students from All Saints College who represent Nulsen, an organisation that helps people with complex disabilities. I believe a couple of students will be selected, and it would be amazing to become one, because I really like what Nulsen provides for people with complex disabilities.

Another benefit is that Nulsen provides leadership training, which is another skill I can attain through the program. It would be a great opportunity for me.

The interview was with our Head of Service and a representative from Nulsen. I think the interview went pretty good, and I hope I can be part of the program.

Good luck to all the other candidates!