Lauri is an 18 year old artist that lives, works and studied in Brimbank. When at secondary school Lauri’s year 10 and 11 were mostly in lockdown due to the pandemic, there were a lot of challenges through online learning but parts of it actually worked well. Having ADHD meant school was a challenge, their grades were fine but deadlines and studying were a struggle. In Year 11 Lauri was lucky to find a school that worked well for them and was able to complete VCE.

At 15 years of age Lauri started participating in ‘The House’ music program at Sydenham Neighbourhood House. This provided Lauri creative outlet, space to learn new skills and meet some amazing people along the way.

When Lauri was 17 years of age the program changed, Lauri asked to join ‘The House’ team as a Youth Peer Facilitator. In this role Lauri’s highlights include facilitating workshops, connecting with community via outreach work and assisting with social media. Being in this role assisted Lauri to get their career started. Since then Lauri has worked with other organisations in different capacities.

On reflection Lauri says that traditional learning environments didn’t work very well for them and learning everyday through their work and hands on experiences has been amazing. One day Lauri would like to pursue tertiary education is trying to overcome that fear.

“To other people wanting to learn more, my biggest piece of advice is to apply for everything and never be afraid to ask questions. Put yourself out there, it may open up so many different pathways for you”.

To view a full list of our current programs on offer or to register for programs, please visit:
https://www.brimbanklibraries.vic.gov.au for Library programs.
https://learning.brimbank.vic.gov.au for Neighbourhood House Programs. Search by the name of the program or Centre venue.
https://creativebrimbank.com.au/whats-on for STACC programs.