Check in: TLG in New South Wales
Welcome back to another edition of The Leaflet! This week we spoke to TLG NSW Community Manager Ling Lim about what the past couple of years have looked like for TLG NSW and their plans for the future.
Teach Learn Grow first expanded into New South Wales in 2018 when a team of tutors travelled to Wee Waa Public School. Since then, TLG has expanded our support of rural education over east by running eMentor and Pen Pals programs.
The past few years have been a tumultuous period for our New South Wales team as they battled through multiple setbacks as a result of the pandemic. Whilst planning for Rural Programs in Winter & Summer 2021 was underway, COVID-19 lockdowns ended up cancelling programs in both semesters.
“Not seeing plans executed because of COVID , which is outside of our control, has been really hard.”
“As a result of lockdowns, the team innovated and instead piloted the eMentor program for the first time in the state, creating a tailored program for remote students at Wangkatjungka Remote Community School which received positive feedback from the community and 15 volunteer mentors.”
Ling Lim representing TLG UNSW club at their 2022 O-Week.
Ling started with TLG in the midst of the pandemic in 2020. She originally joined through TLG’s University of New South Wales club, where she had been studying Human Anatomy and Pathology. Ling’s first program was the Pen Pals initiative, and she’s since gone on to participate in multiple eMentor programs as both a mentor and coordinator.
Ling had been allocated and was ready to go on her first Rural Program in December of 2021 before the Omicron outbreak led to an unfortunate last minute cancellation of her program. Out of these difficult experiences, the resilience and character of the New South Wales team has been on display.
“I think it’s easy to be bogged down by COVID - it’s very challenging! But it really is a testament to the strength and passion of the volunteers we have at TLG to be able to persevere through the various challenges and still be enthusiastic in taking up the opportunities that we offer.”
Ling mentoring a Wangkatjungka Remote Community School student.
Ling recalls a memorable moment when she was mentoring a student at Mount Magnet District High School during an eMentor session:
“Despite not being an in-person session, I was still able to engage with my student. To see her grow with confidence and character during those sessions gave me confidence in myself as a mentor.
“Being able to see that feedback live affirmed why I do TLG. It’s so beautiful and precious to be able to see what you are doing is worthwhile on the kids’ faces.”
And the encouragement Ling received from her coordinators inspired her to become an eMentor coordinator on her next program.
The Teach Learn Grow NSW team after an eMentor training day.
Ling is excited about the grand plans that TLG New South Wales has for 2022 and beyond. A big part of it includes growing TLG’s university outreach to Macquarie University, the University of Newcastle, University of Technology Sydney and more.
More eMentor programs are planned for next semester, and the ultimate goal is to get an in-person Rural Program up and running for the end of the year. In the meantime, they’re continuing to grow their Executive Team to adopt a similar structure to Teach Learn Grow’s WA model.
Teach Learn Grow NSW is currently taking applications for program volunteers. If you are interested in applying, click here to learn more.
Check out their Instagram to follow along with their journey in NSW!
Written by TLG’s Public Relations Officer, Luke de Castro.