Education, Training & Employment
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Overview |
| Too many of the young people with whom we work are either excluded from, or have dropped out of, school. We run an independent school with a number of campuses, and an extensive range of other education support and training programs. We strive to:- maintain the participation of those who are at risk of disengaging from mainstream school; re-engage young people who are excluded from education or training; and promote pathways for young people into employment. |
Educational Programs |
| The Berry Street School, known as the BEST Centre, caters for young people aged 12 to 16 years who have become disengaged from mainstream education. The school currently has three campuses - the BEST Centre at Noble Park as part of the South Eastern Metro Region and BEST at the Shed in Morwell, Gippsland Region and the campus in Shepparton, Hume Region. Each campus has an enrolment of approximately 30 students, and delivers a trauma-informed education model. |
| Leaps and Bounds is an alternative education program in the Hume Region which supports disengaged young people in the area in collaboration with mainstream schools. Berry Street works in partnership with the Pavilion School, a DEECD school in the North & West Metro Region that provides an education setting for young people who are disengaged from education and/or training. |
| Young people are also able to access educational opportunities through a VCAL program in the Gippsland Region and a range of community based accredited and pre-accredited programs that are responsive to community needs. |
Case study |
| Barry dropped out of school when he was in Year 8. Although a very capable student, his chaotic home life made it difficult for him to attend regularly. Rather than ‘fail’, Barry withdrew and started using marijuana regularly. Three years later, Barry was referred to the BEST Centre in Morwell. He was living with his two siblings in a rundown house on the outskirts of town. When we couldn’t contact him, we drove to his home and eventually persuaded him to ‘give it a go’. Our teachers were impressed by Barry’s obvious desire to learn, despite the enormous challenges of his living circumstances and gaps in his education. Through one to one contact and small group work, Barry started to make up lost ground and his confidence grew. He joined a local football club, found part-time work and successfully completed the Year 11 Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning. Without our reaching out and the skills of our education staff, Barry has acknowledged that his life trajectory would have been very different. He now looks forward to a positive future. |
