Vojislav Kablar – Get Involved!
Photo of Vojislav Kablar
I was born in 1982 in Croatia.
When I was eight, the civil war in former Yugoslavia started. My family left Croatia and moved to Serbia. In Belgrade, Serbia I completed high school and could not afford to go to university and I had to work in order to support my family.
After 14 years in Serbia, I arrived in Australia (Melbourne) in June 2004. The first year was very difficult because my sister, who is a medical doctor stayed back in Serbia (she arrived to Australia in October 2005).
Due to the fact that my parents could not speak English I had to advocate on their behalf and rearrange my life and goals at the same time.
Lil, my teacher at AMEP was very helpful. She believed that I would be better off studying English in the city with international students.
While I was studying I was also making friendships and had a very active social life – going to various concerts, festivals, galleries and performances.
After I finished with English classes, I completed Certificate III in Community Services, a Diploma of Community Services – Welfare Studies and a Certificate in Case Management at Chisholm Institute in Dandenong.
Six months after my arrival in Australia, I volunteered to assist other students with English and computers. In addition to that, I currently work as a community guide and the Case Coordinator Support Worker.
My goals for the future are to go to university to study political or social science and to work in the policy field.