Challenges for rural students in the Upper Hunter during the COVID-19 pandemic

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 has significantly impacted many aspects of lives – from the ‘Work from Home’ approach, mass job losses, emptied supermarket shelves, to the implementation of social distancing measures. For many university students, they have had to also transition their studies from face-to-face classes, to the digital learning environment.

Undeniably, there are many students who have thrived in the online teaching and learning environment, and there are also several students who have struggled to cope with these changes. Sarah Dart (pic), currently enrolled in Bachelor of Science at the University of Newcastle, said that the past several months had been an interesting experience, particularly as this was her first year at university. She admitted that ‘study from home’ had been quite challenging at first, however, by applying self-motivation, self-discipline and time management, she had overcome obstacles and managed to catch up with her studies as a result.

Living in a rural area just outside Muswellbrook, Sarah shared that a lack of decent internet access in the area posed challenges for her online study amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She expressed that she was grateful to be able to access the University’s Wi-Fi and facilities at UON Upper Hunter, particularly when she was also provided with a quiet study area where she could focus on her assignments, online lectures and tutorials, rather than sharing a family study room with her siblings at home.

Sarah says that while COVID-19 has surely transformed the student experience overall, she is proud to be a student of the University of Newcastle where essential support services to students are a top priority, and efforts are made to ensure not only students but also guests, contractors and visitors are made to feel safe and comfortable when visiting University campuses.

Click here to find more information for University of Newcastle students, including details about our approach to travel and health...

Updates on the Healthy Town Challenge

The Healthy Town Challenge is a joint initiative of the NSW Office of Preventive Health and the Heart Foundation NSW. The challenge supports regional and rural communities to facilitate healthy living activities to improve the wellbeing of their community members. Muswellbrook & Denman were 1 of 5 towns chosen to compete in this year’s challenge.

Although the activities originally planned have been impacted by Covid-19 restrictions, the Challenge is still working towards implementing a number of strategies to help promote healthy lifestyle behaviours in our local area.

A water refill station has been purchased which will be made available to community groups and organisations to lease from the Muswellbrook Shire Council Sustainability Team to help promote water consumption at events and community activities.

40 pedometers have also been purchased for Muswellbrook and Denman libraries to loan out to residents to help track their physical activity and encourage people to be more active.

The project team are also wrapping up another 10,000 steps community challenge which has seen nine teams successfully complete the virtual tour from Port Douglas to Hobart, equivalent to 3.8 million steps. As part of this initiative they are planning to promote local walking tracks with 10,000 steps signage to help motivate people to walk more.

NSW Health provides a free information and coaching service that can provide residents with support and motivation to reach their own healthy lifestyle goals. Residents can sign up for free and receive up to 10 confidential coaching calls over six months. To register or find out more visit the Get Healthy NSW website.

To find out more about the Challenge, please contact Carly, Local Coordinator for Muswellbrook Healthy & Well on 0438 264 610 or email carly.hughes@newcastle.edu.au.

Find out more about Muswellbrook Healthy & Well...

Youth Connectors Workshop

• Date: 9 July 2020
• Time: 4PM -6PM
• Delivery mode: Online
• Tickets: FREE to attend, but registration is essential

The Act-Belong-Commit Youth Connectors program engages ‘Connectors’ between the ages of 16 and 25 in the Act-Belong-Commit principles for good mental health, upskilling you to be able to assist and encourage your peers to engage in mentally healthy activities.

Young people interested in becoming a Youth Connector are invited to attend this fun interactive two-hour workshop where you can meet like-minded people and learn more about what it is to be a Youth Connector.

RSVP: email Carly Hughes at youthconnectors@newcastle.edu.au or Facebook messenger or text/call on 0438 264 610

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Leadership and Management in Education

Develop your capacity in educational leadership and management to improve the lives and learning of all students.

• Start Date: 5 August 2020
• Duration: 4 weeks per course (3 courses in program)
• Effort: 8-10 hours per week

FREE - Professional Certificate. Learn more...