Redkite and Coles Dare to Dream Scholarship
Apply for a Dare to Dream scholarship today to help you reach your goals
We believe that cancer shouldn’t get in the way of achieving your goals.
In 2013, Coles joined forces with Redkite, to support children and young people affected by cancer, and their families. During the last eight years, Coles has raised over $40 million to help thousands of Redkite families, enabling essential practical, financial, emotional and mental health support to be provided during their cancer experience.
The Redkite and Coles Dare to Dream Scholarship was established to inspire young people affected by cancer to achieve their goals and ambitions. This scholarship, funded by Coles, helps young people build their future. The possibilities that the Dare to Dream Scholarship creates for young Australians are life-changing.
Together, Redkite and Coles have awarded 294 scholarships since 2013 worth over $651,350.
Who can apply?
The Dare to Dream Scholarship is open to any young person (13-18 years old) in Australia who has cancer or has had cancer at any point in their life.
Applications open again in 2022.
What can the scholarship be used for?
You can receive up to $5,000 to achieve your goal.
Tutoring, coaching, classes or courses
Improving emotional or physical wellbeing
Pursuing a personal interest or skill
Purchasing materials and equipment such as laptops, craft supplies and sports chairs
Practical learning experiences
Travelling to further your study or career ambitions
A Dare to Dream Scholarship has given me a newfound confidence in both myself and also my attitude towards life. I struggled a lot emotionally through my experience with cancer and this scholarship will really help me to do what I love. Not only will this scholarship make a significant impact on my own life, but I hope to be able to continue to support Redkite’s Dare to Dream Scholarships so that it can impact so many other truly deserving individuals all around Australia.
Past recipients
Stories from inspiring young people who Dared to Dream
Joshua was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left leg when he was 12 years old. At the time of his diagnosis he had been playing piano for eight years and continued to play through two relapses: one in November 2018, when the tumour moved to his right lung, and one in August 2019, when the tumour moved to his spine.
“Cancer has, undoubtedly, prevented me from reaching my full potential in music. Due to all my surgeries, my movement has been quite limited, and piano is one of the only remaining things that I enjoy that I can still do. I also really like the sound of the piano,” Joshua said.
With his scholarship, Joshua upgraded his piano so he could continue to improve his skills. When asked about how the piano would change his life, he said, “The piano that I have now is over half a century old and the sustain pedal (right pedal) doesn’t work anymore. With this [upgraded] piano, I will be able to fully express myself and play more challenging pieces.” Joshua, now 18, is currently studying at university and dreams of one day becoming a professional pianist and composer.
Thomas was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in January 2020. “Throughout my nine months of treatment, I’ve had very little energy and I’ve been in a lot of pain. I’ve had to isolate, not only because of COVID-19, but mainly due to my low blood counts. Cancer has also caused me to lose a lot of my strength and endurance,” Thomas said.
Thomas’ dream is to one day become a firefighter for Fire and Rescue New South Wales, a dream that comes from his father, who served as a volunteer firefighter for the NSW Rural Fire Service and passed away from lymphoma when Thomas was just nine years old.
Now off-treatment, but still undergoing regular check-ups, Thomas said that the $5,000 scholarship will help him complete the physical and emotional prerequisites he needs to join Fire and Rescue NSW and improve his overall happiness. Since receiving his scholarship, Thomas, now 18, has continued with his studies, gained his drivers license, been going to the gym five days a week and is feeling a lot fitter and healthier.
Teah, who was diagnosed with medullabastoma when she was just two years old, is passionate about photography, especially taking snaps of pets. When Teah was diagnosed, she felt constantly angry as she believed most of her childhood was taken away because of cancer.
“It really sucked because of all the side effects from having cancer reminded me every day that I had cancer – I was still ‘The Cancer Kid’. I got over it and I’m now on the road to doing something that I love. Finding out that I’d won a Redkite and Coles Dare to Dream Scholarship made my year. It has given my confidence a massive boost and it’s encouraged me to apply for the TAFE course I’m interested in and to purchase the new laptop that I want. It will make the whole process of editing and uploading pet photos so much easier,” Teah said.
When James was diagnosed with osteosarcoma when he was 12 years old, he was subjected to more than 30 rounds of chemotherapy, scans, multiple surgeries, and constant doctors’ appointments.
During treatment, James began to think about what it would be like to see the world from a different perspective – from thousands of feet in the air. In 2016, James was able to fly high above the clouds in a P51 Mustang, which began his dream of becoming a pilot.
Since turning 15, James has worked casual jobs while in school to help pay for his flying lessons, working for McDonald’s and more recently, Coles. His Dare to Dream Scholarship helped him cover significant costs for his lessons. James, now 18 and in remission, is living life to its fullest and studying hard at university with one goal in mind: to become a pilot.
Since Madison took her first dance class at the age of seven, she dreamed of becoming a theatrical dancer. During high school, challenges at home interrupted her dancing, but she never lost sight of her dream. Unable to afford to study dance full-time after finishing school, Madison decided to work and take evening dance classes.
Weeks before term started in 2016, Madison was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. It was a major blow, but Madison was determined not to let her diagnosis stand in the way of her dreams. During treatment, Madison often lacked the energy to participate in classes and could only watch. She struggled financially with medical costs and the regular travel to and from hospital but Redkite was there to help provide emotional and financial support.
Madison’s treatment finished in June 2016, and she is now free of cancer. However, following her expensive cancer treatment, she struggled to pay her course fees, and worried about her future. Madison applied for the Redkite and Coles Dare to Dream Scholarship and was the national winner. The scholarship helped pay her fees and pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a theatrical dancer.
How to apply
You will be able to apply via a link on this page when applications open again in 2022. Here is the information we ask you to submit.
Your response to these questions can either be written or shared as a video.
Keen to apply in 2022?
That’s Great!
Sign up below and we will be in touch with you when applications open in 2022.
Frequently asked questions
The below FAQs cover what you should do before you apply, your application, our requirements, and what happens if you receive a scholarship.
If you have any questions that aren’t covered, please contact us at 1800 733 548 or scholarships@redkite.org.au.
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