Australian of the Year Awards recipients are some of the most inspiring people in our nation. For the first time, these amazing individuals can virtually visit primary schools across Australia to inspire students through the Aussie of the Month Awards, the junior program to the Australian of the Year Awards both delivered by the National Australia Day Council.
Students can hear from inspiring Australians before the Aussie of the Month recipient is announced, with Alumni school visits now available both in person and virtually through pre-recorded messages. This new interaction means that for those schools that may have missed out on hearing from Australian of the Year recipients due to distance or availability of Alumni will now be able to hear from these Australian national heroes.
“Primary schools in regional or less accessible areas that have expressed interest in the past to have a visit from an Australian of the Year alumni have often had to miss out. Now however, these schools can engage and have access to Australian of the Year Alumni for their students at their own convenience,” says Karlie Brand, Chief Executive Officer of National Australia Day Council.
“The great thing about these virtual visits, is that we can share the inspirational stories from Australians of the Year across all jurisdictions, so a Local Hero award recipient from New South Wales can now inspire students in regional Queensland or Western Australia or vice versa,” adds Brand.
The first video created includes a message from the warm and enthusiastic, Craig Hollywood, who was named Western Australia’s 2022 Local Hero for creating the charity, Short Back & Sidewalks.
This service is being piloted in Term 4 2022, with the expectation to expand the series with more Australian of the Year Awards Alumni into 2023
Schools who are keen to take advantage of this initiative and hear from Alumni need to sign up to the Aussie of the Month program www.aussieofthemonth.org.au/register
Aussie of the Month recognises outstanding contribution to the primary school community and broader society and rewards students who display Australian values such as respect, inclusion, mateship and a fair go for all.
Aussie of the Month runs from February to November each year, is easy for schools to implement and, most importantly, is accessible to regional and remote areas. Children are recognised at their school assembly and are presented with an Aussie of the Month certificate, lapel pin, stationery prize and bookmark.
Aussie of the Month is delivered in partnership with the Department of Home Affairs and is supported by Pilot Pen Australia.
“Active citizenship is about getting involved in your local community and displaying values such as respect, inclusion and helping others,” says Brett White, Assistant Secretary of the Department’s Citizenship Policy Branch.
“The Department of Home Affairs is proud to encourage and recognise young Australians who exemplify these values through our sponsorship of this program.”
Primary schools can register for the Aussie of the Month program for free at any time during the year at www.aussieofthemonth.org.au
