Milly Whitehead and her mother, Simone, presented on Day 1 of the Opening Opportunities conference along with Ros Kewley on the theme of Creating opportunities that start with the person.
About Milly Whitehead
In 2023, Milly was a student in Year 12 at Canberra College. Milly enjoyed school – her study, friendships with peers, and being an active member of her school community. She joined the Senior Leadership Group, which helped new Year 11 students on their first day of College. Along with her studies, Milly completed a long work experience. For the first two terms of 2023, she worked for half a day weekly in office administration. Milly hoped to find another work experience opportunity for the next term or two before the end of Year 12.
Outside of school, Milly explored her other interests, such as participating in a weekly Zookeeper program, having sewing lessons, and participating in a dance group and other social groups making friends and connections in the broader community.
In 2023, Milly was transitioning from school to work and was exploring options for further study and employment. She followed an informal discovery process, learning about her interests and opportunities through work experiences and extracurricular activities.
Milly and her mother, Simone, started a microenterprise called ‘Made By Miss Milly’. She sells her sewing and craft creations, including colourful scrunchies and felt ball Christmas tree decorations. Milly enjoys the process, and her microenterprise aligns very well with her creative and artistic side.
Milly is a daughter, sister, grand-daughter, committed niece and cousin, keen student, business owner, artist, dog lover and walker, zookeeper, dancer, seamstress, bike rider, swimmer, puzzle expert, Pokémon gamer, wordle competitor, Ed Sheeran/Guy Sebastian/Harry Styles fan, an avid viewer of comedy and ‘who done it’ tv shows and a good and loyal friend.
Our Discovery journey with Milly
Milly Whitehead, Simone Whitehead and Ros Kewley
Milly, Simone, and Ros spoke at the conference about
- how they learned about Customised Employment and started to apply it
- how they have prepared Milly for life after school
- their experience of the Discovery process and what they learned about Milly’s interests, conditions for successful employment, and potential contributions she can make to a business.
- how they set up Milly’s work experience in Office Administration, including on-the-job support and relationship development
- how they set up a Microenterprise named Made by Miss Milly and why it was such a good idea
- How the family and workplace discovered and met Milly’s conditions for successful employment. Milly
- works best in small groups where she feels comfortable and supported but from where she is also free/able to extend herself outside this immediate comfort zone
- prefers to learn without pressure or time constraints
- establishes structure and routine using lists and timetables
- prefers having a mix of routines and a variety of tasks
- likes knowing what to expect and preparing for the day ahead
- the challenges that aros and how they were overcome.
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