Farewell from Bridget – Engagement Officer & Acting Manager

Message from Bridget:

To all Western Sydney Recovery College students,

It is with a heavy heart that I write to you today to tell you that I have resigned from my role at the Western Sydney Recovery College. I have worked at the college since July 2017 and was the Engagement Officer and also co-designed and co-delivered workshops as a Peer Educator. Since late last year, I have stepped up to assist in managing the college and have continued to fulfil my other roles with the support of my fantastic team. It has been a wonderful and wild ride working for the recovery college, but now is the time for me to step aside so that I can focus my efforts on completing my social work masters degree.

Working at the recovery college has provided me with a vast new expanse of skills and experiences. Some days were dull: I answered emails and printed student workbooks. Some days were intensely thrilling: I ran community events and formed new partnerships with community members and organisations. And some days I was met with both extremes and everything in-between all at once. One of my favourite things to do was to take enquiries from new students who didn’t know anything about a recovery college but wanted to know what it was all about, and I also loved organising events, people, workshops, and meetings. I worked tirelessly behind the scenes so that each and every one of you could be a part of the recovery college as we grew and expanded our suite of programs across Western Sydney.

But my most favourite thing of all was meeting with, hearing from, and learning from all of YOU, our students. You are the reason that I got out of bed each day and travelled an hour and a half to get to work. You are the reason that I worked tirelessly to address every single detail of the delivery of the recovery college service. You exemplify what a recovery college is: a place where people from all walks of life can come together to learn from one another and be empowered to move forward in life.

Every student that I have met has their own unique story of strength and courage. Your stories, your diversity, and your strength energised me. I felt exuberant during and after delivering each workshop. You shared your stories with me and showed me your amazing ability to overcome adversity. These stories inspired me and will continue to inspire me. Your strength and the very fact that you showed up has helped me realise that I, too, have value. You are all valuable and I wish each and every one of you the very best for your future, wherever you want it to take you.

Live long and prosper (had to slip in a Star Trek reference!)

Cheers,

Bridget