New academy is all for life

Docklands has a new charity with the formation of Father Bob’s 4-Life Academy, which aims to develop, guide and mentor the nation’s youth.

The Academy is based at The Hub and is the result of a collaboration between the Father Bob Maguire Foundation and the Big Umbrella.

Father Bob explained: “The Academy is a secular humanist organisation which is all about creating better citizens for the future.”

The Big Umbrella’s Justin Dickinson agrees. “We want to pick up and continue the work that Father Bob started on the streets of Melbourne 30 years ago.”

“Docklands is central to the creation of the 4-Life Academy because it will be built on the back of skilled volunteer corporate workers who are concentrated in this suburb,” Mr Dickinson said.

The Academy has developed a curriculum which will be delivered by skilled corporate volunteers as part of their regular corporate volunteering program.

“Workers at National Australia Bank, for instance, get two days a year to volunteer their services,” Mr Dickinson said. “The difference that we are offering is that we are giving them an opportunity to pass on their actual skills and knowledge that they already have, rather than just contributing their labour as anyone else could do.”

Father Bob and Mr Dickinson will be visiting Victorian high schools to educate children about global social justice issues such as child labour and homelessness.

The children will then be invited to come to Docklands to participate in the 4-Life Academy program, which will be delivered by the skilled corporate volunteers.

The children will be challenged to raise funds for charity and will be taught planning, budgeting, marketing and will be equipped with social media and video making skills.

Father Bob said it was possible for the young graduates of the 4-Life Academy to raise $12.5 million over the next five years.

“We will be suggesting a target of $500 for each of them and, if we reach 5000 kids a year, the skilled contributions of the corporate volunteers can be indirectly turned into significant funding for charity and aid relief around the world,” Fr Bob said.

The academy will soon be making approaches to government for funding for a core staff of facilitators. It will also shortly be approaching Docklands corporations seeking involvement from skilled volunteers.

The 4-Life Academy will be simultaneously offering a “Skills 4-Life” stream for marginalised young people which would concentrate on providing positive role-models and mentors.

The Rotary Club of Docklands is already working with the 4-Life Academy on this aspect of the program.

The club has already arranged excursions for marginalised young people to the Medibank Icehouse and Etihad Stadium.

Governance of the 4-Life Academy is to undertaken by an independent board mostly comprising Docklanders.  

The entity will established as a company with limited guarantee.

Anyone interesting in helping the 4-Life Academy can contact Mr Dickinson on 0426 816 456 or [email protected]