Berry Street Web Docs Annual Report 2008 | Page 13

Why aren’t all kids having a good childhood - what are we doing doing about it? A: By connecting children and young people to education A combination of the impact of violence and neglect on children’s capacity to learn and schools’ inability to engage them, means that many young people have either dropped out of, or been excluded from, school. now feels much calmer and more confident and that he is a “nice person” who can do things. Our commitment to education continues to grow. It is now 7% of our budget and the largest area subsidised by Berry Street’s independent income. While our committed staff play an essential role in connecting young people – and will continue to do this for as long as it’s needed – ideally we want all our children and young people to have other positive role models in their lives. Seventy-five young people were enrolled in our independent school, which has campuses in Noble Park and Morwell. We provided educational and pre-employment programs for an additional 700(plus) young people in Morwell, Shepparton, Seymour and the South Eastern and North & West Regions. A second chance Jack dropped out of school in Year 8. His family had moved frequently and Jack’s intellectual disability, low self-esteem and constant bullying, meant that he had no positive connection to school. He was becoming increasingly isolated and depressed. Our case worker’s first task was to engage with Jack and his family to find something that Jack might be prepared to try and convince him to give it a go. Jack agreed to enrol in a Certificate I in Transition course. With a lot of support, Jack successfully completed this program – his first ever “award”! Six months later, Jack is completing a Certificate I in General Education for Adults, has one day a week work experience and is now talking about doing his VCE. Jack The value of mentoring Matching a volunteer mentor with a young person adds a special dimension and offers relationships which may become lifelong friendships. The story of Maree and Sally shows how powerful this can be. Maree (18) had moved to Gippsland with her step-father two years ago. Her father had died when Maree was five and her mother died three years ago. Maree was isolated, depressed and anxious. Berry Street had helped Sally with her kids some years ago and she wanted to “put something back”. Through their friendship, Maree has blossomed. Having a trusted female mentor in her life enabled Maree to talk about things she didn’t feel able to discuss with her step-father. Maree’s dream is to become an author and, with Sally’s encouragement, she has returned to school, has gained part-time work and volunteers at the local library. Through our Road-2-Safety driving program, Sally is also helping Maree gain her licence, which will open up even more opportunities for Maree. Berry Street Annual Report 2008 13