VU Academy for Social Change & Leadership

VU Academy for Social Change & Leadership enables students to learn leadership skills and achieve success, while making a positive impact on society and the environment.

At VU we believe in providing an educational experience that prepares students for life, helping them to make an impact by creating and working on real-world social and environmental projects. Working on these projects enables students to develop leadership, entrepreneurship and 21st Century skills that will help them in their future careers and their day-to-day lives.

The Academy is a place for students to explore and create ideas that can make the world a better place.

There has never been more of a need for good in the world. VU students are invited to activate their social conscience by taking part in our social impact programs.

These are a stream of programs that have been designed especially for VU students who are socially aware and want to make a difference. They include the international university program Enactus, and VU Space School.

By participating in a VU Academy social impact program, students will have an opportunity to develop skills in areas such as:

entrepreneurship
sustainability
teamwork
innovation
community building
design
engineering
business and marketing
technology.

Check out the programs below for more information, or propose your own idea.

EnactusVU

EnactusVU are student-lead projects where students create solutions for social and environmental problems in their own communities and around the world. EnactusVU is the Victoria University branch of Enactus, an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to inspiring students to improve the world through entreprenerial action.

Working as a team to tackle global issues - as defined by the United Nations Global Goals - students will be mentored by educators and business people to positively transform the lives of people in their community and around the world by developing and implementing solutions to real world problems.

As a member of EnactusVU you will:

be challenged and stimulated with hands-on experiential learning to develop the attributes and characteristics of a leader
build key skills that include inspiring and leading, building teams, critical thinking, effective communications and sustainability - skills that will increase your employability and "future-proof" your career
build confidence and enhance your problem-solving skills through real-world challenges
increase your social awareness as a citizen of the world and gain new perspectives
make a genuine contribution and a positive difference to the lives of people in communities that you will work in

Every year, Enactus University teams across Australia will compete for the ‘Best Social Enterprise Project’ award. The winning team will then have the opportunity to compete internationally against other Entactus teams from around the world in the Enactus World Cup.

If you have a desire to make a difference, to use entreprenerial action to empower people and improve their livelyhood in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable way, then the EnactusVU program is for you.

See project stories from Enactus participants around the world.

Time comitment for this program is approximately 2 -5 hours per week.

Visit our EnactusVU site for more information and to join.

VU Space School

Students from science, engineering and education are embarking the creation of VU Space School, a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) outreach program for high school students aimed at inspiring them about STEM and encouraging them to study STEM as a future career.

The VU Space School will be an activity-based program where student teams from different schools will compete in a series of challenges centred around a mission to Mars. Students will build rockets, program rovers, protect astronauts from the heat and cold extremes of space travel and create liveable habitats for humans.

If you have a passion for STEM, and want to be involved in VU Space School, register your interest. We are looking for students to help develop and deliver the program. Time commitment is approximately 2 - 4 hours per week.

Personal development programs

Success starts with having the right mindset to succeed, a clear purpose to lead, and the capability, grit and resilience to tackle the challenges. Occasionally, VU Academy runs personal development (PD) workshops that prepare you to achieve and lead as well as improve your abilities and performance.

Our workshops challenge you to take your performance to the next level and supercharge your abilities by understanding and unlocking your inner potential.

Register your interest to be informed of upcoming workshops.

Super Learning

Super Learning is a program that will empower you to learn anything faster and more effectively by teaching you the science and skills of learning.

Super Learning lets you take control of your study skills and cut down on your study time, while improving your comprehension and retention. This is a course that helps you to succeed in your studies and in life. Learn how to read faster, remember more and study more effectively.

Key development skills:

achieve more in less time
memorise numbers, facts and names easily
read everything faster
improve your study habits
apply these skills to your studies, new hobbies, or work.

The program is delivered as 3 workshops over 3 weeks.

Workshop 1: The science of learning (1.5 hours). Develop an understanding of learning, what happens to the brain, and how to use this knowledge to learn more effectively.
Workshop 2: Memory skills (2 hours). Learn how to memorise numbers, names and lists to help you with your studies and in everyday life.
Workshop 3: Speed reading and effective study skills (1.5 hours). Blitz through your text books and conquer the next test or exam.

Super Learning is open to all students. The workshops can be taken in sequence or separately.

Register your interest in the Super Learning program and stay informed about upcoming workshops.

Social Media & You

Social media is part of our everyday life. It pervades nearly every aspect of how we live, work, study and play. For many, it’s become the lens through which people see the world. In this workshop, you will learn about the effects of social media exposure on your mental health and productivity.

We will look at how social media impacts our lives and how you can take control of this technology and enhance your lives both at university and beyond.

This 2-hour workshop is a mixture of information and interactive activities. This workshop is open to all students.

Register your interest in the Social Media & You workshop and stay informed about upcoming workshops.

The success mindset

The Success Mindset program will build your personal and academic achievement capabilities.

The program will develop and enhance foundational positive psychology beliefs and practices, including the growth mindset, resilience and grit.

In this program you will:

learn about the foundational principles and theories related to growth mindset, resilience, and grit
learn practical and simple positive psychology practices
develop your capacity to apply these skills in your studies and your life
develop practical action plans that you can action during your studies.

This workshop consists of 3 x 2 hour workshops run over 3 weeks. This program is open to all students.

Previous participants have rated this program +95% satisfaction.

Register for the Success Mindset program.

Creative mindfulness

Do you feel like you have ideas but aren't sure how to put them down on paper, into print or into action?

Creative mindfulness may be the class for you. We are immersed in the information age, where the answer to every question is at our finger tips. However, what if all the best answers are locked away within you?

This class seeks to encourage participants to pause and get connected to the wisdom within. There are easy activities that you can adopt to take a more mindful and creative approach to study, life and the challenges you face. In creative mindfulness you will learn tools and habits to: