The Empowerment Challenge

    KAREN BROWN

    Karen Brown

    CO-FOUNDER & BOARD MEMBER

    Youth Mentor, Finance Manager,
    Diploma of Children’s Services,
    Diploma of Business Management,
    Certificate 4 in Community Services

    From the time Karen was a young girl she has always enjoyed helping and caring for others. As a teenager Karen began caring for children and helping out many families and continued to do this throughout her High School years. After successfully graduating from High School in 1993, Karen moved to Melbourne to formally pursue her child care interests in studying a Diploma in Children’s Services. Over the next few years Karen worked in a range of Children’s Services positions, including Kindergarten Teaching and Child Care Education, where she was responsible for educating and teaching children of various backgrounds and ages.

    After moving to Ballarat in 1998, Karen secured a position as Family Services Coordinator at the Ballarat City Council where she managed a range of services including Family Day Care, School Aged Programs and the Supported Respite Program. Karen especially enjoyed visiting families’ homes, providing them with support and arranging appropriate services to support them and their children. During this time Karen returned to study to complete a Diploma in Business Management and an Accounting Course and joined a range of volunteer committees advocating for Children’s Rights.

    In 2005 Karen and her husband Rodney started their own beautiful family, where Karen enjoyed being a full time mum to their two children. As their children grew older, Karen decided to join her husband in running their successful Graphic Design business which has studios in Torquay and Ballarat, Karen still works in this business daily.

    Karen’s passion for helping others has always continued and more recently she has volunteered in a range of Community Services such as Youth Mentoring Programs, School Council, School Parent Committees and her son’s Basketball Coaching, with Karen formally recognised for her volunteering work by receiving a Community Services Award.

    Karen’s experience and her passion for especially helping and supporting younger mums has lead her and her colleagues to the need and importance of The Empowerment Challenge. Karen believes that younger mums and their children need a safe, caring and non judgmental place where they can connect and thrive and she knows The Empowerment Challenge will offer them this.