Molly, Alysian, Regan and Rhylan were selected from a pool of more than a hundred applications. The scholarships will support these young people through their tertiary education.

The Youthrive Victoria Rural University scholarship includes financial support of $30,000 over three years, plus mentoring and leadership development, and was awarded to Molly and Alysian for their outstanding leadership capacity and commitment to Victorian regional communities.

Molly grew up in Creswick and attended school in Ballarat. Molly is an active community member, acting as netball captain for Newlyn FNC’s under 17 side, tutoring children from refugee backgrounds, and volunteering as a junior netball coach. Molly aspires to utilise her studies in Occupational Therapy to organise sport events and health and wellness workshops for regional and rural Victorian towns.

Alysian is from the Creswick area and attended school in Daylesford. Alysian’s notable achievements include a nomination for Young Person of the Year in Hepburn Shire in 2022. Looking forward, Alysian aspires to further their artistic journey by pursuing a course in Fine Arts or Media at RMIT in Melbourne. With a focus on education and meaningful conversation, Alysian envisions creating services that resonate with rural youth, utilising their artistic and creative talents to cultivate and enhance youth engagement.

Rural Chances scholarships are awarded to young rural and regional Victorians wishing to pursue vocational education, who demonstrate outstanding leadership capacity and commitment to their local communities.

The program aims to help fill skill shortages in rural and regional Victoria by enabling students to complete vocational training, to then return to their local communities with their new qualification.

The Rural Chances scholarship will allow Regan, from Smeaton, to pursue a Certificate IV in Agriculture at Longerenong College. Rhylan, who grew up in Creswick, will utilise the scholarship to complete a building apprenticeship.

Youthrive Victoria’s unique scholarship offering goes beyond financial support. Our ‘Wrap-Around Care’ program includes leadership & development, mentoring and Alumni programs, which can be life-changing for the young people engaged in our programs.

Youthrive Victoria extends gratitude to Community Bank Creswick & District for their generous support, enabling the largest number of scholarships in the program’s history and helping to address skill shortages in rural and regional Victoria. Without such community support, these opportunities would not be possible.

To find out more, visit https://www.youthrivevictoria.org.au/scholarships/