{"id":29357,"date":"2021-05-30T07:01:32","date_gmt":"2021-05-30T07:01:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ala.asn.au\/?p=29357"},"modified":"2021-10-06T06:15:48","modified_gmt":"2021-10-06T06:15:48","slug":"adult-learners-week-launch-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ala.asn.au\/adult-learners-week-launch-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Adult Learners Week Launch 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Be inspired by people who have changed
\ntheir life stories through learning.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Our MC<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>Catherine Deveny<\/strong> \u2013 our MC, is a writer, comedian, author and speaker well known for her work as a columnist with The Age newspaper, as a Melbourne International Comedy Festival favourite and as an ABC regular. She has appeared on ABC\u2019s Q&A and participated in the Emmy award winning Go Back To Where You Came From on SBS television. <\/span><\/p>\n

Catherine has been named in the top 100 Most Influential Melburnians and has authored thousands of newspaper columns. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Guest speakers <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Simon Fenech<\/strong> \u2013 A workplace accident changed Simon\u2019s life forever. He went from a happy home and family life into drug addiction, and eventually jail. Inside prison he began a slow process of recovery through education but the reality of post-prison life hit hard. Just when it seemed like things couldn\u2019t get any worse, a chance opportunity turned his life around. Today Simon is an operations manager at social enterprise Fruit2Work where he inspires and mentors others, helping them get their lives back on track.<\/p>\n

Lana Masterson<\/strong> \u2013 Lana runs the social enterprise Down The Track, which is a life-changing program targeting marginalised young people in the small town of Lake Cargelligo. Down the Track is changing the lives of disengaged youth through mentorship, practical education, training, employment and wellbeing support.<\/p>\n

Ian Roberts<\/strong> \u2013 Former rugby league champion turned actor Ian Roberts has led an extraordinary life. He was the first and only openly gay man to have played in the league. But Ian had a bigger secret. He had difficulty reading and writing. And it wasn\u2019t until he reached the age of 37 that he got help in the form of a mentor who gave him faith in his ability to learn. And he\u2019s never looked back.<\/p>\n

Performances<\/strong><\/h3>\n