Youth Education

RISE for Work

Co-designed with the Claymore community by Sydney Community Foundation and Whitelion, RISE – Re-engagement Initiative towards Supportive Education was a pilot program in 2015. RISE is a proven, powerful initiative. This year we are trialling ‘RISE for Work’ pilot with Whitelion in Sydney’s Cabramatta for local young people to increase their job readiness.

This nurturing alternative learning program supports secondary students suspended, expelled or chronically disengaged from school. These young people face overwhelming disadvantage . With expert wrap-around support 83% return to learning, vocational/ training opportunities, and pathways to work. 

ProjecT EDucate

At a local level we are seeing an increase in young people disengaged from education with no alternative options for them to re-engage. The consequences of youth disengagement from education are significant.

ProjecT EDucate run by Project Youth will allow disengaged students in year 9 and 10 to re-engage in learning within a supported alternative education setting in Sydney’s South.

A teacher, youth worker, and mentors will create flexible learning environment; with practical sessions and career development to support young people on further education and employment pathways.

Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure – Western Sydney

Statistically, 1 in 5 Australian children will be sexually harmed in some way before age 18.

‘Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure’ Personal Safety Program by Bravehearts is a live, interactive 1/2hr show with  song and easy-to-understand concepts, for children aged 3-8 years (5-8 for this project) with a free parent information session. Designed to combat not only sexual assault, it is reported to also reduce the incidence of schoolyard bullying and domestic violence. 

Ditto educates school-age children to protect themselves from sexual assault through empowering messages, recognising warning signs and seeking appropriate help.

Eat Up & Learn

1 in 5 Australian children go to school without food from home to fuel their growing bodies and minds. Eat Up is filling the lunchtime gap with more than 7,000 lunches every school week.

While Foodbank Australia runs a breakfast program, come lunchtime, children are going hungry. Missing meals leads to fatigue, poor concentration, and higher rates of school absences. Hungry kids fall behind their peers, contributing to the cycle of disadvantage. 

Eat up is a sustainable, collaborative model, where communities, schools and corporate groups are engaged to prepare sandwiches. 

Ready for School – Asylum Seekers

Encouraging inclusion and alleviating social isolation by equipping children with the basics so they don’t stand out and are less likely to be judged by classmates. 49 families and 120 school-aged children from 95 nationalities will benefit from the project.

The Ready for School project is designed to improve the health, well being and education of children of people seeking asylum. Newly arrived in Australia, Children have experienced disrupted schooling and trauma. Supporting equal access to education, the Asylum Seekers Centre helps families with little or no income with financial relief for school fees, uniforms, shoes, backpacks, and stationery.  

Let’s take it on the Road

Children in regional/remote areas have limited access to the arts and cultural experiences Sydneysiders take for granted. They are comparatively less engaged at school, and one quarter of young people living in regional/ remote Australia suffer from serious mental health issues.

The Children’s Report by Unicef in Australia, told us “children living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas spoke of feeling ‘worthless’, ‘irrelevant’ and “unappreciated’”. Provoking empathy, respect, imagination and understanding, Monkey Baa Theatre will run workshops across NSW, so students can see the world from different perspectives.