Edstart Achievement Awards - Notable Mention

Alessandra Campagna in Year 11 has been nationally recognised amongst her peers in other schools in the Edstart Achievement Awards, in which students individually applied. There were five finalists and four notable mentions in her area of Performing and Visual Arts.

Receiving a notable mention means Alessandra has received recognition and acclaim as achieving a high standard of performance in her chosen area across Australia. Alessandra’s considerations for entering the program have been achieved: she has gained greater confidence in performance; recognised the benefits of helping children; created a plan of performance videos for hospitals to entertain children and support children’s wellbeing whilst hospitalised.

We interviewed Alessandra about the details of her entry and the journey in planning her videos.

What was the inspiration behind the videos?

“It was an opportunity to give back to the community and contribute something good and helpful. When applying, I specified what field I was applying for (Performing Arts) and if I won, what I would do with the prize money. What I planned to do was draw inspiration from my job at Bop Till You Drop and my experiences in performing to produce high quality videos that could be sent to hospitals and generally reach out to help children’s wellbeing and to entertain them.”

What is your personal connection to your performance piece?

“I know how hard it can be, especially at such a young age, where you’re not entirely sure what is happening and why. I work with kids every week and I see how happy they are, simply by having someone there to entertain them and make them feel important. I wanted to spread that joy to those children who are deprived of that luxury.”

What was the preparation and process leading up to entering the competition?

“I was the entertainer and organiser of a special needs party. Upon discussions with the mother at that party, she expressed how this form of entertainment inspired the children and made them feel happy and good overall. Her comments made me think about children who miss out on events like this, wondering how they must feel and knowing that other children have such wonderful opportunities. I left the idea alone for a while, but then my mum saw the Edstart competition, and I thought that this was an opportune moment to apply and see where it goes.”

What is your take-home experience from this?

“Obviously I didn’t win, but it was a fun experience to plan a way to help entertain young children and improve their wellbeing.”