FREMANTLE Dockers AFLW player Lara Filocamo will mentor primary school students by sharing her personal challenges during her schooling years.
Filocamo will mentor more than 100 students from Balga, North Balga, Boyare and Koondoola primary schools this year, as part of her role as an ambassador for charity organisation 12 Buckets.
12 Buckets events and partnerships manager Nicki McKenzie welcomed the Docker to 12 Buckets at the club’s headquarters in Cockburn.
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READ NOWFilocamo said she fought mental illness and suffered from panic attacks when she was in school.
“When I met some of these kids and talked to their mentors, I found that I could really relate to many of their stories because it often brought back memories of my own time at school,” she said.
“It’s not always easy being a kid, especially when there’s circumstances beyond your control that you carry with you into the school yard each day.
“To have a mentor – someone a kid can really talk – is such a fantastic idea and something that, having had the chance to work with 12 Buckets, I can see really makes a difference.”
Filocamo said having a shared experience was vital in forming connections with children.
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