A small group of young people from Yass High School have once again been given the opportunity to access the program that provides learning opportunities and support services to assist them to remain or re-engage with education or training, or transition to employment.
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The program is Links to Learning and thanks to the Programs Facilitator from the Southern Region Business Enterprise centre Susan Fagan, students have already began enjoying some hands on experience implemented by the the program.
Funded by the NSW Government and administered by the NSW Department of Education, the program aims to enhance the development of students' self-esteem, confidence and resilience, improve their ability to manage themselves and their relationships with others, help them develop a sense of purpose and aspirations for their future.
The Southern Region Business Enterprise Centre (BEC) delivers the program to the students at Boorowa Central, Yass, Young and Crookwell High schools one day a week.
“It’s great to be able to provide alternate ways of education and see the students engage and be excited about learning,” Ms Fagan said.
“Last year I had students that rarely attended school look forward to coming in and engaging in class material.
“The real focus is on the students and figuring out what they enjoy and using that as a gateway into further education. We are also able to engage closely with many community groups and people which not only gives the students a chance to learn different skills, it also teaches them valuable communication skills, these include the ability to start a conversation and continue it, and to read body language.”
This year the students have already undertaken a training with some of the Yass Valley senior citizens, their task was to teach them how to save contacts, sending text messages and taking photos.
“I think they were a little hesitant at the start, both the students and the people being taught. It didn’t take long before they relaxed and started to enjoy each others company,” she continued.
The students also undertook a Team Tower Building project. The project was aimed at group development and skills development, when faced with the near impossible task of building the tallest tower that must be still standing after recess.
“The catch was that it could only be built from marshmallows and dry spaghetti sticks,” Ms Fagan explained.
“The boys had to work in teams of four to achieve the task. With great enthusiasm the students jumped in but this method resulted in collapsed towers. With their second chance the teams took different approaches; developing social skills, such as the ability to work as a team, asking and listening to team members ideas.
“They became forward thinkers as they could see the signs of falling towers, they saw the need for planning, as they built strong foundations.”
The students were able to improve their problem solving skills through this process as they came up with solutions on how to stop the towers falling down.
“Through this challenge some of the groups realised their strength and interests in building and construction,” she said.
Although Ms Fagan said that this years projects have not yet been confirmed, she is always looking for different and practical ideas for her small group.
“I find that most of the time it is when they are working to help create something they can give back to the community, they are most engaged. I am always looking to hear from the communities that I work in about projects we can be involved in,” she said.
To find out more about Links to Learning or to provide any ideas for future projects you can contact Susan Fagan at susan@srbec.com.au.
