Melbourne News

Clemente Fitzroy: a fresh start through university

Tuesday 17 July 2012

By Loretta Walshe
Kairos Catholic Journal

“I had lost myself. Now I have an opportunity to learn more. That has picked me up and I am starting my second life. I feel Clemente is a blessing.”

Education can change lives
CatholicCare and the Institute for Advancing Community Engagement at Australian Catholic University are working together to create opportunities to help people make a fresh start through university. The Clemente Fitzroy program offers free, supported tertiary-level education in the humanities for people who are experiencing significant disadvantage. Clemente Fitzroy receives no government funding and is reliant on community and corporate support.

The philosophy of the program is simple: that education can change lives for the better. The students engaged with Clemente Fitzroy typically face life challenges such as substance misuse, mental health issues, previous imprisonment or homelessness or major psychological distress. Life circumstances have meant they have not been able to reach their potential. Clemente Fitzroy offers another chance to do just that.

The Clemente program is a proven success, having run internationally for more than a decade. Students are given the self-belief that they can do well at study, and many students have continued studying for a trade or university degree. Working with no more than 15 students each semester, Clemente imparts a sense of empowerment to get back on track in other aspects of life.

Lou’s story
Clemente student Lou shared her story with us: “When I arrived in Australia with my family as a young woman, I was surprised by many kindnesses. We had come as refugees from Vietnam. It had been a hard journey and we had arrived with nothing. We had escaped the fighting and we had survived the storms on the boats when we tried to escape. We had pirates chasing us who would have killed us, like they killed so many others. When we finally found somewhere safe, we just had to survive for six months on a small island in Indonesia. We were then taken to a refugee camp and after a year we were accepted into Australia.

“I always aimed to give back to my new homeland. I wanted to raise my children well and give them the best education so they could give back as well. They will be good citizens.

“I worked seven days a week and got three or four hours of sleep a night. I was running my own business and helping with our family business—an Asian grocery store. I didn’t realise we had problems with the business finances. But I had been betrayed and we had almost nothing left. My husband controlled our money and when I told him I needed to buy food, he said ‘no’. It was that bad. I couldn’t pay my children’s school fees and I had to ask the school for their understanding and ask my family for help. I completely lost myself and I felt desperate.

“I have struggled since then but I have always done everything I could for my children. My son has just graduated from university and is an accountant, and my daughter is doing well in a science degree. I am proud of them.

“Now, the Clemente course has really picked me up. The kindness and support means so much. I feel like they have picked me out of the bin and given me opportunities again. If I work hard, I can grow my experience and skill. It is most important to learn. I need to improve my language and computer skills so I can get a job. With the help of my wonderful learning partner Adele, I am getting better all the time.” n