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