Seat at The Table with MaryJane Amos
Quite a few years ago, MaryJane was passing through Southern Cross Station on her way to university, when an older woman asked her for directions to Travellers Aid. Having never heard of Travellers Aid, MaryJane asked station staff who organised for the buggy to assist the woman. Despite being impressed that this service existed, she headed off to uni and didn’t think of Travellers Aid again.
Many years later, MaryJane learned about a pilot program for young women while browsing LinkedIn. Intrigued, she applied for the Seat at the Table program. The innovative program encourages the participation of young women of refugee and migrant background to pursue leadership; enabling women to gain real life experience and exposure to leadership roles. Reviewing a list of organisations that were participating, she spotted Travellers Aid. Upon seeing the familiar name, she requested to be placed with Travellers Aid and was excited to learn more about the organisation.
MaryJane participated in the pilot program with the support of Travellers Aid during 2022. Throughout the year, she was invited to sit in at Board level to observe and gain an insight into the roles and expectations of members. MaryJane’s experience with the Travellers Aid Board provided real life exposure which complimented external educational sessions, presentations and feedback from young women undertaking the program with other organisations, providing a well-rounded experience.
“If you see opportunities to involve yourself in leadership and if that is something you want to pursue in your future, take whatever you can from that experience. It’s what you make of it.”
“Travellers Aid, I really commend you for being involved. I really commend you for your transparency and proactiveness in supporting young women from migrant communities to allow them an opportunity to sit at the table. It’s not common. In my community not a lot of young women are given the opportunity to lead. There needs to be representation.”
MaryJane is an ambitious woman with a passion for learning and we look forward to seeing her in more leadership roles throughout her career.
MaryJane is the Founder of Muvebox, created in 2021 from personal experience struggling with effective and sustainable packaging when moving houses. Muvebox uses repurposed recycled plastics to produce durable moving boxes. She is a driven young woman who believes that representation matters and that leadership opportunities should be offered to everyone regardless of gender or culture.
Her advice to other young women “Take the opportunity! Learning is lifelong and through this opportunity I learnt so much and was able to challenge myself in a way that I had never really thought about. I was able to literally sit at the table where important decisions are being made.”