On 10 October at the Box Hill Town Hall, year 10, 11 and 12 Students from Box Hill Senior Secondary College partnered with Youth Employment Support Inc. (YES) to organise and present The YES Inc. Charity Event. More than 300 people attended the fashion parade and White Paper Couture Exhibition, which celebrated the students’ creativity with their presented collections. Students worked throughout their holidays and many attended workshops at the College to finish their artworks. The result was spectacular with paper being turned into ‘White Paper Couture’ that would make any Paris fashion house proud!
Graduate collections were individual and innovative showcasing Year 12 students’ talents. Recycling featured in the parade with upcycled denim jackets and jeans, white shirts were woven and embellished and Year 10 students wowed the audience with their Accidental Tourist Collection.
Students were keen to work in partnership with YES to improve the outcomes of disadvantaged students, to fund education support for young people in our community with low level literacy and numeracy skills. The event has raised enough money to give 60 disadvantaged students the opportunity to work with tutors paid by YES to improve their learning.
YES’s Patron Kay Macpherson (Magistrate Children’s Court of Victoria) opened the Fashion Show and MC for the evening was Cr Jake Keogh from the City of Knox. Also present were City of Whitehorse Mayor, Cr Denise Massoud, Councillors Bill Bennett, Raylene Carr, Andrew Munroe and Cr Tina Liu. Fashion awards were presented to students in five different categories, with Celine Somers being chosen as the winner of the White Paper Couture ‘Supreme Award’ of $1500 (pictured above). The $5000 award prize money was kindly donated by Paper Force APP and Direct Paper. Mr Larry Jackson donated $5000; the Whitehorse Community Chest donated $2500 and the City of Whitehorse donated the use of Box Hill Town Hall’s main hall for the event.