CQUniversity's Support of Choices
In 2010, Choices was the inaugural winner of the CQUniversity Opal Award for Engaged Teaching and Learning demonstrating its alignment with CQUniversity's mission, vision and strategy in the important area of community engagement. CQUniversity provides many in-kind resources to this project including theatre space and technical equipment, as well as academic and administrative support from staff within the Creative and Performing Arts discipline area. Each year, CQUniversity sponsors the students through reduced student accommodation costs for the duration of their performance tour. The students themselves give up their time to do the performance tour voluntarily, and this occurs in the two weeks after the conclusion of their study year.
The Friends of the Conservatorium Mackay Inc, a volunteer group of individuals who fund-raise for the students in the CQUniversity music and theatre programs, as well as provide pastoral support to the students during their course of study, also play an important role in sponsoring each Choices performer financially during the performance tour. They manage and distribute any funds donated to the Choices program by community or government organisations. Without their assistance in this financial management role, the student performers would be unable to access the financial support that they need to complete their performance tour of Choices.
