Awarding local heros

Our awards ceremony recognised local achievers with the introduction of two awards, going to very worthy winners who both shared heart-felt and inspiring acceptance speeches.

The Mitchell Celantano Trade Award

The Mitchell Celantano Trade Award was created in 2021 to honour the memory of local student, Mitch, after his sudden passing in 2021. Mitch was an outstanding VCAL trade student from Essendon Keilor College who demonstrated great work ethic and gained an apprenticeship from his trade placement. Together, we would like to celebrate him by recognising and rewarding other students with similar attributes, with $500 towards their vocational career pathway.

The inaugural winner was Mount Alexander College VCAL student Roman who demonstrated extreme commitment despite the many challenges 2021 provided. Mount Alexander College said that he became a role model amongst his peers, with a 99% VCAL and 100% VET attendance. He secured a local work placement with Bayside Construction, and although the placement relocated once the local job was complete, he was determined to continue and travelled across Melbourne to each day.

“Roman is an absolute gun and would be an asset to any business” - host employer

We’d like to acknowledge the award supporters and sponsors for making this award possible, including the Celantano family, Mitch’s school Essendon Keilor College and Nelson Alexander Essendon.

The Sue Fowler Award

Established in 2021, the Sue Fowler Award honours the inaugural CEO of mmvllen from 2001 to 2015 who sadly passed soon after retiring. She established the organisation and it's identity as a caring, supportive and empowering force for local young people, especially those with barriers to education, training and employment. This award recognises those delivering upon the mmvllen vision of "young people are and on their way to confident, capable success in work and life", with the winner receiving $500 towards a program, project or professional developed linked to our vision.

The inaugural winner was Braybrook College with the award accepted by Principal Kelly Panousieris. Braybrook College offers wide variety of academic and vocational pathways for students, including a large number of VET subjects and VCAL courses. Beyond this, they demonstrated considerable resilience in the last year and engaged with a variety of stakeholders, including mmvllen, to help students remain engaged and achieving.

Inspiring Guest Speakers

Youth participant Michael shared his positive experience in the Youth Mentoring Career Pathways program and how it helped guide him on his career journey. He also spotted his previous school Principal in the crowd whilst presenting!
Minister Danny Pearson addressed the group and reinforced that a community thrives when it invests in its young people.
We heard from ex-AFL star Brad Johnson who shared tales of his younger years as a Son of The West and also insight on leadership, changing careers and entrepreneurship, with Zena.