Welcome to Western Evening - Parramatta Transcript Video Playing | Western Sydney University. Background music. End video.

Jim Micsko: Good evening. My name is Jim Micsko and I am the Manager of Widening Participation Engagement Marketing here at Western Sydney University. Thank you all for joining this Webinar.

I would like to commence our evening with an Acknowledgement of Country: We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands we are meeting on. Tonight, the team and I are on Darug lands and we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people joining us tonight.

With respect for Aboriginal cultural protocol and out of recognition that its campuses occupy their traditional lands, Western Sydney University acknowledges the Darug, Eora, Dharawal and Wiradjuri peoples and thank them for their support of its work in their lands in Greater Western Sydney and beyond.

Joining me tonight is Barbara Stephens, the Project Officer for the Parramatta region.

We both extend a warm welcome to the year nine student cohort of the 2020 Fast Forward program. And so too their families that are joining us tonight.

Just a few points of housekeeping before we commence;

• The presenter’s audio and video (including screen shared content) will be recorded. As attendees, your video and audio are not being transmitted and you will not be visible or heard during the webinar. You will also not be recorded. Further to this, a recording of this webinar may be published online for reference. Attendees will not be visible or heard in this recording.

• Participation in the ‘Chat’, ‘Question and Answer’ and/or ‘Poll’ sections of the webinar is completely optional. By participating in the Chat you consent to the information shared in these sections being collected and used by Western Sydney University for learning purposes and to build a catalogue of ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for the benefit of other prospective students.

• Any personal information collected by Western Sydney University during the webinar will be handled in accordance with its Privacy Policy and Privacy Management Plan which can be accessed online.

In the event of technical difficulties interrupting this webinar, the content will be recorded and a link emailed to you to access the presentation. If you move your cursor down the bottom of your screen you will see some icons – Q&A. We will be utilising these functions throughout the webinar.

In the Q&A feature, you can post questions which will be answered by the panellists throughout the webinar. Once questions are answered, they will be visible by all participants. You can ask questions anonymously by selecting the ‘Send Anonymously’ option.

I would particularly like to welcome our special guests who are joining us here tonight, Executive Directors, School Performance - Ms Sylvia Corish and Dr Glen Patterson. As well as Directors, Educational Leadership from Education NSW - Mr John Kennedy, Ms Judy Goodsell, Ms Lisa Porter, Ms Anne Bahnisch, Ms Karen Bryant and from the Catholic Education Office, Parramatta Diocese, Ms Maura Manning.

Each student participating in the program will have received a copy of the ceremonial booklet that goes along with this evening’s event and their own copy of the book “Letter to my Teenage Self”. Please see your teacher tomorrow at school if you don’t have these.

Fast Forward is a longstanding program which commenced at Western Sydney University in 2004. The program is an initiative aimed at introducing these selected year 9 students to all that higher education can offer and assisting them in their High School studies along the way.

Fast Forward encourages students to strive for their personal best and to see tertiary study as a realistic and viable post-school option. Our students participate in experiential learning which develops their skills and fosters familiarity with the University environment. Fast Forward is an aspiration building program where we work to raise the aims and goals of all students involved in the program. Educational aspirations have a substantial effect on educational outcomes. The higher our students aim, the more likely they are to achieve their goals. It is the primary work of the Fast Forward program to provide opportunities for students to engage in aspiration-building activities and expose them to the many different pathways available to them to continue their education beyond year 12.

To our year 9 students, congratulations on being selected to participate in Fast Forward. Along with your schools, we’re going to help you dream big, aspire to great heights, and work hard to fulfil the unlimited potential you all possess.

You’ll now hear from Professor Peter Shergold, Chancellor of Western Sydney University who will deliver the official welcome for the evening.

Video Playing | Peter Shergold Welcome Address: Hi, I am Peter Shergold and I am the Chancellor and proud to be the Chancellor of Western Sydney University and on behalf of the University I do want to extend a very warm welcome indeed to the Widening Participation Fast Forward program. Let me start by acknowledging the Aboriginal people, the Darug people of our area who have been the traditional owners of this land on which we are meeting. Darug people have lived along the riverbanks, have hunted the Cumberland Plains we know for at least 30,000 years; that's quite remarkable. And it's in that spirit that I want to acknowledge that deep past, their elders and, in particular, the young Aboriginal leaders of the future. You know this Widening Participation Fast Forward program has been going quite a while. I came to the university as Chancellor back in 2011. And I think it was in my very first week that I went along to a Fast Forward program and I have loved this program ever since then. And even when I first attended, this was a program that had been going six or seven years, indeed, since 2004, we've had approaching 15,000 students who've gone through the Fast Forward program. I'm a very, very strong and committed supporter of it. I see enormous value for schools, for teachers and for principals, for parents, but in particular for students as you go through to the end of year 12 and then beyond. So this is a program that is designed for you and that means is designed for people who've got drive and confidence and ambition and talent. And you are joining a Fast Forward program that has significantly increased opportunities out here in the Greater Western Sydney region. Across the range of campuses that we have from, you know, Hawkesbury and Campbelltown in the West to Parramatta in the centre of Sydney but to our east. I think this is a really important program. Of course, I would be delighted if you would make a decision to come to Western Sydney University, to be part of the Western community. But I don't really mind, what I want to make sure is that this program persuades you to open up and look at the extraordinary range of opportunities. Educational opportunities, training opportunities that extend beyond year 12. That's what this Fast Forward program is all about. And the key message for me is, this is a program, I believe, which does something that is profoundly important. Namely, it helps you to learn how to learn, so that then you can continue to learn throughout your whole lifetime. And that's important to you to make your life more worthwhile. But it's important for you in finding future employment in a very uncertain world and also becoming an active citizen and community member. That's what this program is about is whetting your appetite to learn and to keep on learning and to see the value of continuing to learn through what I hope will be your long lives. It's a program that's going to open up all sorts of opportunities. There's going to be workshops, there’s going to be on campus days, you're going to be able to find mentors. I hope, I believe that you'll find it exciting and different. And I hope, that it will strengthen you, to help you to be resilient, to give you the opportunities to follow your passion and give you the potential to succeed. Not because you're perfect in everything. I'm certainly not perfect at everything and I have continued to learn through my long life but you've been selected because, we think that you have the willingness to try. That you've got the ambition to succeed. That's why I think you can really make use of this exciting program. Over the next four years, you will be able to look at a whole range of opportunities to explore your talents, to develop yourself. I hope you're going to learn how to solve problems, often complex, how do you communicate effectively by writing or talking, how to be digitally savvy, how to be able to collaborate on projects with others, how to be able to work on your own with little direction. Fast forward, I hope, will show you how to be creative, to push you to be entrepreneurial, to learn how to be a leader and lead others. It's going to be a program that offers you students the opportunity to meet current university students, meet the lectures at the university and I hope on every occasion to embark on a new adventure. I'm hoping and I believe that this Widening Participation Fast forward program will help you to be the very best version of yourself. So I welcome all of you, all year 9 students, all your mums and dads and family, all your teachers, welcome, welcome warmly to the world of Fast Forward. End video. Jim Micsko: Thank you Chancellor.

I’d now like to introduce Barbara Stephens who is the Fast Forward Project Officer that works with your schools. Barbara has been doing a fantastic job as the key point of contact for all schools located in the Parramatta region of western Sydney. Barbara is extremely passionate about providing life-changing opportunities for all of the students she works with and has established excellent relationships with all of her school and stakeholder partners.

I’ll now hand you over to Barbara.

Barbara Stephens: Good evening everyone! My name is Barb, and I’m the Project Officer for our 13 awesome schools in the Parramatta region.

Thank you for tuning in tonight. We’d normally hold this event on campus in one of our lecture theatres and I’d be able to see you guys. Sadly, that isn’t possible this year, but that’s ok because it’s not going to stop us from celebrating the selection of our amazing students and congratulating the proud parents, carers and families that support them.

As you’ll hear tonight, Fast Forward is about making the most of every learning opportunity and experience, whilst having a heap of fun along the way. The more you throw yourself into this program the more you’ll take away in return. So on that note, I’d like you all to throw yourselves into giving a huge Fast Forward welcome to everyone watching around the Parramatta region tonight. What I’d like you to do is on the count of three, let rip with a massive cheer, high five the person next to you, or give me a high five on the screen. Ready - One, two, three... Yay! Parramatta region you rock!

That was awesome! I could feel those high fives all the way from where I am tonight on our Western Sydney University Parramatta campus!

I’m looking forward to getting to know you over the next four years, as we explore the unlimited possibilities you have to shape your future self.

But before I tell you about what’s coming up for you in Fast Forward, I’d like to introduce a special guest speaker, Grant Sparke, Principal of Greystanes High School, who wanted to share with you his thoughts about the Fast Forward program at his school over the years.

Video Playing | Grant Sparke:

Good evening everybody, I feel very honoured to be asked to speak about the Fast Forward program, because the association between Greystanes High School and the Fast Forward program has been a long one. And it is unfortunate that we can’t be meeting together tonight, but certainly, it doesn’t lessen the impact of the program.

One of the greatest challenges in life is reaching your teenage years and trying to work out what it is you want to do. And those questions can be “do I want to work in Medicine? do I want to work in Law? Education? Mechanics? Engineering? Carpentry? Plumbing?” and the list goes on. This is a dilemma that we've all been faced with as teenagers. And yes despite the wrinkles and the craggy face, I do remember what it was like to be a teenager. These were the questions that I faced as a teenager. These are questions that transcended race, gender, skills and time. And over the decades answering these questions has not become any easier. As young adults it is now your turn to grapple with these decisions as you move forward. It's important that you are making informed decisions, exploring different pathways and testing yourself - what are you capable of? What can you achieve? do you have the right attitude moving forward? What's your work ethic and where can you get assistance and support?

The beauty of the Fast Forward program is that it supports you in answering so many of these questions. It offers information, support and encouragement at Greystanes High School, our first group of students to enter the program was in 2016. These students completed their HSC last year. As the students move through each successive stage of their schooling, Fast Forward provided experiences and opportunities to meet student needs. Having the opportunity to visit Western Sydney University on multiple occasions, interact with University students and lecturers, explore different fields of study, set goals and establish a work ethic with clear expectation has been instrumental in assisting these students to plan their future to make informed and well considered decisions. And as we speak today there are students across year 9 to year 12, who are participating in the program and gaining the benefits that Fast Forward offers them.

The Fast Forward program has also assisted Greystanes students in developing those skills that are critical in any workplace; communication, interpersonal, problem solving and critical thinking, of benefit both for now and in the future. One aspect of the Fast Forward program I think that is brilliant, is that it is not just a program for a week or a term, but a support that endures from year 9 through to the completion of the HSC in year 12. For some of the year 12 students who have been active participants in the program, they are now at this stage where they know exactly what they want to do, they know they want to go to University and they want to study a particular course. And with this decision, there comes clarity and purpose. They know what they're working towards, they know what they need to do and they know how hard they need to work to achieve it.

Fast forward has also opened up opportunities for our school. Western Sydney University has been generous to provide special learning opportunities for our staff, we have also been lucky enough to be part of the PATHE programme the Pacifica Achievement Tertiary and Higher Education program which many of our students truly enjoyed. Western Sydney University also offers a diverse scholarship program, of which one program can only be accessed by those students who have been part of the Fast Forward program.

I cannot recommend the Fast Forward program enough. It provides students with direction and purpose. In life you need to take opportunities that come your way. This is one such opportunity that you cannot afford to miss. Be proud of your decision and be glad that you have accepted that challenge that's provided by your school and Fast Forward. Thank you very much for listening.

End Video.

Barbara Stephens: Thank you Grant. It’s always a pleasure to work with the students of Greystanes High School and I look forward to continuing our partnership for many years to come.

Our Fast Forward team can’t wait to show you all the exciting things you will be able to enjoy during your time with us. We want you to know that your teachers and the Fast Forward team see your potential, and over your four years in the program, you will be able to take part in a range of special activities to help you along your study journey, towards your chosen career.

We will help you to see the possibilities, strengthen your academic abilities and build your confidence in areas such as study skills, managing your time, finding your best learning style and applying for a scholarship. We have these modules and others ready for you to access now in our Fast Forward online hub. Visit www.westernsydney.edu.au/ffonline. This link will again be displayed at the conclusion of tonight’s event.

You’ll also learn about all the opportunities and benefits available to you through university study, and lifelong learning. To assist with your school homework, we provide 24/7 access to an online homework feedback service called Studiosity. Each of our Year 9 students should have received an access code from their school, so we hope you have logged on and activated your account. If you haven’t, please see your Fast Forward Coordinator at school.

There are also loads of fun, informative and interactive events especially for you in Year 9, and through to Year 12. You’ll soon have chance to take part in a University experience day – this year online for the first time ever! So that’s going to be a crazy experience for you, and us. Next year, fingers crossed, we hope to host you on our campus so you can explore the university for yourself.

In your senior high school years, you’ll also come onto campus to attend Western U Day and the Fast Forward Year 12 Conference, where you take part in hands-on career workshops with our academics and current Western students. In Years 11 & 12 we’ll visit you in school, to provide one-to-one consultations to help you find the right pathway for you after year 12. We’ll explore university courses, discover all the different entry ways to Uni and learn how to apply.

As your HSC approaches, we understand it can be a stressful time so you’ll have a chance to attend free HSC study workshops to help you prepare. In year 12 you’ll be able to apply for our Fast Forward Scholarship, valued at up to $20,000 if you decide to study at Western Sydney University. You don’t need to worry about the scholarship right now because we will guide you through how to apply when you reach Year 12. But if you’d like to see our Scholarship recipients talking about how they applied, check out the student roundtable discussion on the Fast Forward online hub.

That’s Fast Forward in a nutshell. We are looking forward to supporting you in school and beyond and if you have any questions please type them into the Q&A as our team is ready to answer them for you tonight!

I’d now like to introduce former Fast Forward student Matthew Bryant, who started his undergraduate degree this year at Western Sydney University. Matthew graduated from Ambarvale High School last year and is currently studying a Bachelor of Music. Thanks to his outstanding HSC results, Matthew was awarded one of the university’s academic excellence scholarships. Tonight he will share a few reflections on his time in Fast Forward.

Video Playing | Matthew Bryant:

My name is Matthew Bryant and I graduated from Ambarvale High School in 2019. I took part in the Fast Forward Program from year 9 to 12 and participated in all of the activities and excursions that were offer. These workshops were extremely beneficial to my learning and were also a lot of fun. I was able to step out of my comfort zone as I worked alongside students I had never met and continued to push myself to strive for success. Fast Forward also gave me the opportunity to become familiar with Western Sydney University campuses and the university lifestyle. In year 11 I received the Academic Excellence Scholarship as the highest achiever, this gave me a guaranteed position at Western Sydney Uni and a $500 study grant that I received immediately. The scholarship also included $20,000 if I got an ATAR over 90, which I did.

I'm now studying a Bachelor of Music that I auditioned for and have enjoyed every single minute, I'm a keyboard player and extremely passionate about making a career in music, I believe it is really important to follow your passions, to be the best you can be. And Fast Forward is a great avenue to discover what really interests you. I really hope you will find this program as beneficial as I did. Thank you.

End Video.

Barbara Stephens: Thank you Matthew for sharing your experience with us.

This is the part of the evening where we formally welcome all our commencing students, and under normal circumstances we would cheer our students from each school and take a lovely group photograph. Of course tonight we can’t take a group photo, so instead when you see your school and your name appear on screen, we would love you to proudly hold up your book, Letter to My Teenage Self and to take a selfie with your family. You can share it with Fast Forward via #FastForwardAtWestern because we’d love to see you enjoying your special night! So let’s begin.

It is with great pleasure that we welcome our students from Arthur Phillip High School. Please give yourselves and the other students from your school a huge cheer and snap that selfie! I’d also like to thank Principal Lauretta Claus for her support of Fast Forward at Arthur Phillip and acknowledge the commitment and dedication of our Fast Forward Coordinators, Cidgem Suar and Stephanie Malnar.

Our next school is Auburn Girls High School; congratulations and welcome to all our students. Thanks to Anna Tsoutsa, Principal at Auburn Girls and a long-time supporter of Fast Forward. Also a huge thank you to the lovely Donna Heemi, it’s always a pleasure to work with you and your dedication to your student’s shines through in all you do to support them. They, and we, are very lucky to have you onboard.

Next is Chester Hill High School; congratulations and welcome to all our students. I’d like to acknowledge the support of Marie O’Harae, Principal at Chester Hill and thank you also to Perry Rosewall who I know is retiring this year after many years as our Fast Forward Coordinator. Perry I wish you a long and relaxing retirement. Thanks also to Jeffery Bullen who is taking over the reins from Perry.

Delany College, Granville; congratulations and welcome to all our students. I’d like to acknowledge the support of Paul Easton, Delany’s Principal and our Fast Forward Coordinator also, Alex Peronace. Thank you for the work you put in to ensure our program always runs smoothly at Delany.

Fairfield High School; congratulations and welcome to all our students. Principal Charles Borg has had a long association with Fast Forward, firstly at Bankstown Girls and for several years now at Fairfield High School – thank you for your support over that time. Thank you also to Zoran Markoski who has for many years now, supported Fast Forward at Fairfield High School. I appreciate your hard work.

Granville Boys High School; congratulations and welcome to all our students. Principal Noel Dixon is dedicated to ensuring you guys get the very most out of your education and as such, is a firm supporter of Fast Forward. A shout out to Bernadette Bailey. Thank you for all your hard work behind the scenes to support our Fast Forward program at your school.

Granville South CAPA High School; congratulations and welcome to all our students. Melissa Johnstone, Principal at Granville South CAPA has supported our Widening Participation programs at her school, first as the STEPS program and in recent years as Fast Forward. Renuka Rama is our Fast Forward Coordinator, and I’d like to extend my thanks for her dedication to supporting Fast Forward and ensuring the program always runs smoothly.

Greystanes High School; congratulations and welcome to all our students. You heard from Grant Sparke tonight so it’s very clear to everyone that he is an ardent supporter of Fast Forward. Of course they say behind any great principal is a great woman and that woman at Greystanes is the amazing Trish Booth, who works tirelessly to support the students, not only in the Fast Forward program but also the Pacific Islander program we run there.

Holroyd High School; congratulations and welcome to all our students. Fast Forward has run for many years at Holroyd and is always supported by the school executive so thank you to Principal Kylie Adams for that continuing support. I’d like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of Ellie Apostolopolous, to ensuring that the Fast Forward program runs smoothly at Holroyd and the students make the most of their opportunities.

Nagle College; congratulations and welcome to all our students. Principal Delma Horan is a long-time supporter of Fast Forward and along with Marie Etherington who has been our Fast Forward contact at Nagle College for many years and I’d like to say a big thank you for your ongoing support.

Parramatta High School; congratulations and welcome to all our students. Domonique Splatt, Parramatta High School’s Principal has always shown her appreciation of our program and I thank her for her continued support. I haven’t met our acting Fast Forward Coordinator at Parramatta High School yet but I’m looking forward to meeting Mahmoud Hammoud in person just as soon as I can. Thank you for supporting the program while Billie is on maternity leave.

Pendle Hill High School; congratulations and welcome to all our students. Thank you to Principal Judith Simms for her sustained support of Fast Forward at Pendle Hill. A huge thank you also to Suzanne Talary – always cheerful, super organised and a pleasure to work with.

And St Andrews College; congratulations and welcome to all our students. A big thank you to Principal Stephen Kennaugh who joined St Andrews in the last few years and who continues the tradition of supporting our program. Huge thanks to the lovely Therese May who has supported Fast Forward at St Andrews College for many years. Therese it’s easy to see your absolute commitment to the students and I’m grateful to have such a wonderful Coordinator to work with.

Congratulations to all of you as you start your Fast Forward journey! I look forward to helping you navigate your way and seeing where that journey takes you.

Now we have a special friend from one of our partner sporting organisations, the GWS GIANTS, who would like to send a message of encouragement to all our Year 9 students tonight. I’m sure all you AFL fans will recognise this guy, so enjoy!

Video Playing | Phil Davis:

Phil Davis: (Why is it important to have a strong education alongside your career in sport?) For me, having a strong education to balance out my sporting career is really important because one thing I know is that, unfortunately, my body's going to give up at some point. I'll have to retire and for me why not keep my mind stimulated to really balance out all the football and you know those aspects of my career, but also to give me a good state that I can transition back into the workforce, once I retire. (What helped you decide to choose business as your area of study?) For me, choosing business was all about, you know, a really broad topic. I must admit, going through squad in I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. However, you know, the finance the accounting and sort of economics of the world was somewhat interesting and it also, you know, infiltrates all parts of, you know, society in all sectors whether it’d be health science, anywhere, there's always those elements. So for me, if I could get a grasp of that, that'd be great. And, you know, in terms of life after football, I guess, business, as I said before, covers a lot of areas and hopefully I can give me a head start with, you know, some aspects of what I will do off the football. (What tips do you have on time management and work life balance?) Yeah, time management, when you've got a few things on your plate, is always a challenge. I think it comes back to the prioritisation. You got to make sure that you prioritise the most important things, but then also with work life balance, you've got a time to physically and mentally recover because you know a sharp mind will always learn more and also perform better. So for me to prioritise your time, you might be useful not wasted scrolling away on old types of social media. (What have you learnt about building resilience, facing challenges and dealing with disappointment?) Resiliency is just part of life I’ve learned so far, whether it’d be on field or off field and, in particular, you know, from a sporting sense you sort of can have ups and downs whether it’d be, you know, physically, you know, you can have injuries etcetera you can also have form, where you personally struggled to perform. And as a team as well, you know you can have those same sort of up and down moments and, you know, whether it be internal feedback, external feedback, there are always different challenges coming your way. Though I think it's really important that you understand that you know those challenges will come, but your ability to respond take on learnings and push forward really helps you through those challenging times and actually makes you a more well-rounded and better person. (If you could offer your teenage self some advice, what would it be?) Looking back now if I could say sighs my younger self tear itself is, is make sure I maximize my time. I think for me. You know there are certainly opportunities out there for everyone in this world that Is fortunate enough to be, you know, given an advantage in life, whether it be through schooling or educational and extracurricular activities. If you do get given that opportunity just kind of maximize it you know Give your best effort everything, and that includes enjoying your social life and make sure you know mingling and making friends and people that you can really bounce off ‘cause you know those friends can form such a big social And supportive network going forward, and they can really help you capitalise on you know your professional life and sporting life. (What do you love about the Western Sydney region?) Ah, the thing that's best about the Western Sydney region is the diversity. I think you know what we can do in Western Sydney, as well as anywhere is, you know, tap into all different cultures and also all different aspects of life, and I think that's really exciting. You know, if you want to do something you can do it in Western Sydney because there's always a door open for that opportunity. (How did your business commerce degree help you to lead and captain the club?) Now, the ability to, you know, broaden my mind, no doubt, through my business and commerce education, definitely, you know, helped me with my leadership. I think some of the things you learn about, you know, whether it be bored or, or just management in general, you know, there's some definitely some leadership things that come through there that you know, might be a different setting, but the very translatable to my life as and AFL captain back in the day. So I think from that point of view, you know, the more you know, the well, more well-read you are, the greater you can relate to other matters. End video. Jim Miscko: Thank you Phil and Barb.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please reach out to us via email at [email protected] or through our website at westernsydney.edu.au/fastforward.

On behalf of the Fast Forward team, I’d like to thank you for attending our virtual Welcome to Western webinar. We look forward to seeing you in person and like to warmly welcome you to the Western Sydney University Fast Forward community. We will leave you now with a short video of the university’s facilities across our campuses.

Thank you and goodnight.

Video playing | Western Sydney University campuses. Background music.