2008 Monthly VCE Achiever Winner
July: Brianna Smith
‘Although I live on a farm, I think it is important to participate in the wider community’, Birchip P–12 School student Brianna Smith notes. As Treasurer and former President of the Birchip Youth Group, Brianna has organised many social activities, like junior discos and fundraising initiatives, such as folding letters and assembling large mail-outs for local businesses.
Every year the youth group helps to organise the local drug and alcohol free FReeZA event.
‘We do-up the local hall and organise, publicise and budget the event. We have to coordinate the bus schedule and organise food. We have as many as 500 people attend.’ Brianna is highly involved with sports in school and at the community level. ‘I started off playing netball, then I fi lled in for someone at a hockey game and I haven’t stopped playing since’. Brianna plays in the women’s team and has been coaching the junior ‘Minky’ hockey team for the last five years. This year she has also taken on the role of coach for the Under-16 mixed hockey team, ‘I was asked to coach the team as soon as I was too old to play!’
At Birchip P–12 School Brianna was elected School Captain by her teachers and peers. She also holds other leadership roles including Sports Captain, Bus Captain and SRC member. ‘These roles require me to be approachable and a role model to other students.’ Her leadership duties include collecting trophies and making speeches at assemblies and other school gatherings. Brianna’s public speaking experience has helped make the task of giving speeches less daunting than it used to be. She has participated in the VCAA’s Plain English Speaking Award and the Lions Youth of the Year Quest.
At school Brianna also helps to organise social and fundraising events and has recently been raising money for a new school barbecue that will be built by one of the students. She has also been raising money for the Salvation Army who have provided a lot of assistance to people in the community who are effected by drought.
As a role model for the community and school, Brianna was asked to talk about her experiences in a short film called Birchip Stories made by the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI).
Brianna was surprised and honoured to have been awarded an Australia Day Young Citizen Award from the Boluke Shire for her work within the community. She considers this to be one of her proudest achievements.
For Brianna community involvement is something that is always a positive experience. ‘I really enjoy being involved with everyone in the community. It is really rewarding to work with kids in particular because they are always excited to see you.’
Next year Brianna would like to travel around Europe, taking in Italy and France. After that, she would like to start a chef’s apprenticeship.
