TOM Colcott was born in Mornington and grew up in Rosebud on the Mornington Peninsula.
He moved to the North East to live in Yackandandah two years ago with a shift to Wooragee six months ago.
What's your job?
I work at the Social Enterprise Academy (SEA) based in the Old Beechworth Gaol.
My role is learning coordinator for the Social Enterprise Schools program which means helping teachers to implement enterprise learning with their students.
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The program also has a social cause as a focus so students donate their profits to a charity they choose.
What brought you to this role?
Leading up to this role I have been a classroom teacher and working in other teaching roles outside of the traditional classroom environment including at school camps and the zoo.
Moving up to the North East, I was looking for something different that was really engaging for young people so this job was an amazing fit.
What do you love about your job?
I love that I work with people who are in interested in the bigger picture for improving issues in our communities.
SEA is also a global organisation so I get to chat with our staff from all over the world on a regular basis.
What do you do in the community?
We have a daughter who started school in 2021 at Wooragee Primary School so I have been involved in various activities around the school including being on the school council.
What's the most important current community issue for you?
As an educator I see just how critical it is to get young people engaged in their learning and excited to be back to face–to–face learning when the dust starts to settle on COVID.
Teachers also need support after what has been a tough few years of shifting sands for them.
What would you do to solve, change or improve that situation?
I'm a big advocate for programs that get students to take the lead and do the thinking to solve real world issues.
It's amazing how they step up when given the chance and it does wonders for their motivation to seek new information and ideas.
What's the most important current world issue for you?
The environmental issues we are currently facing is something I am passionate about.
When we moved to the North East we saw it as a great opportunity to be more sustainable as we had read about some of the fantastic initiatives happening in this part of the state.
If the person you would most like to meet came to Indigo, or was already here, who would that be and what would you show them?
Costa from Gardening Australia because he's a passionate human and loves gardening and the environment.
I would love to show him the bush around Wooragee and I'm sure he would appreciate a visit to Beechworth Berries.
Why would you show him that?
I think Costa would get super excited about our local bush and probably be able to teach me lots about it too.
Beechworth Berries is a fantastic local business that has great sustainable values.
What book are you reading?
I was just lent a whole stack of books about amazing cabins around the world and I would love to build something up in the bush at our place one day.
