Joanne’s journey to self-improvement

Sometimes you’ve got to seek out the opportunity to improve yourself. For Joanne, wanting to improve her life led her to volunteer to be a part of the Ceduna caseload of the Community Development Program (CDP).

Her journey to self-improvement didn’t end with herself, either. Since she first attended the Ceduna office, Joanne has blossomed and worked to encourage others to engage and grow themselves. She wanted to do something positive -not just for herself, but for others too –which is how she came to mentor other women.

As part of the Ceduna Futures activity sharing cultural awareness, Joanne helps to provide guidance and Bush Medicine skills and knowledge while also developing cultural knowledge within the activity’s environment. Her mentoring and engagement also led to other participants requesting support and assistance from EyrePlus just as she has.

As part of her voluntary engagement, Joanne and a handful of other CDP participants had recently begun working on a mural wall at the Ceduna Aboriginal Corporation’s women’s centre, based on a sea horse that is incorporated in a large mandala design.

Joanne’s positive engagement further developed into casual employment for herself and other community members who participated in a research program feedback survey. After seven months, she is feeling well and relaxed and noted that her engagement with the CDP has assisted with her positive state of emotional wellbeing

The weeks of employment have seen Joanne gain even more confidence within herself –her pathway to re-enter the workforce has begun, and she is extremely proud of her achievements –and so are we.