The NSW Training Awards are held annually by the NSW Department of Education’s Training Services NSW. Last month the awards night showcased and rewarded the achievements of students, teachers, training organisations and employers in the Newcastle and Central Coast area.
Twelve months ago, We Care NSW made the decision to take on several trainees to complete training in Support Work within the disability sector. We Care NSW offer a range of services within the NDIS including accommodation, behavioural support, coordination of supports, and a range of allied health professional services.
We Care NSW provides trauma-informed and recovery-oriented services for people living with a disability or mental health issue. We Care provide allied health clinical services, community supports and accommodation services to those within the NDIS, Medicare funded supports or full fee-paying customers in the Newcastle, Maitland, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens and Tweed Valley regions of NSW.
Jodi Pearson, a dedicated support worker applied to the training awards traineeship award after encouragement from her managers. Making it through the shortlisting and interviewing stage Jodi become a finalist for the local Trainee of the Year award. We are proud of Jodi’s achievement in obtaining the Phil Darby Memorial Award, a special industry award to celebrate an exceptional trainee.
Jodi knows more than anyone that disabilities are not always visual. Her long road to being treated correctly for Dyslexia was a long one. She believes that working in the disability space allows her to have others look at their disability as their superpower, empowering them to take their rightful place in the world, just as they are. Jodi is also aware of the toll that being in a caring position can take so she has a list of arsenal at her fingertips that she priorities every day. These include:
- Meditation, taking a minute most days before she gets out of the car at the end and the beginning of her workday
- Music
- Driving
- Talking – to her managers. She has a process of unpacking the situations she has experienced and is not afraid to call to discuss situations. Jodi finds herself asking herself what she could have done better, while also not taking on things out of her control
- Walking – at the beach, on grass, especially where she can take off her shoes and touch the earth
- Nature – taking notice of what is around her, how it differs from last week, and the habits of animals that live in her world
Jodi is keen to continue her studies and will soon be undertaking a Certificate IV so she can continue her work with others and grow her skills to assist her participants even more.