Building character strengths
BEN ’ s Story
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Neither of Ben ’ s parents want anything to do with him . At 16 , he was known to the Police because of his offending and was seriously misusing alcohol and drugs . Ben had been rejected from every education option . After months of work , we persuaded him to enrol in our Berry Street School . There have been many rocky times and Ben still has major gaps in his learning and basic skills . But Ben himself acknowledges that he has learned a lot about himself , how to regulate his behaviour and to persist when things get difficult . Through our dedicated teachers and focussing on his character strengths of Prudence , Forgiveness and Gratitude – has given Ben new tools and hope that his life can be different .
SERVICES
Originally developed with the University of Melbourne , Youth Research Centre , the Berry Street Model of Education continues to evolve with greater depth and practice application through our Trauma-Informed Positive Education approach . This teaching approach focuses on five areas for the ‘ classroom as therapeutic milieu ’: body , stamina , engagement , character , and relationships .
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In addition to our School , we helped 506 young people through other education programs
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We are very disappointed that the Federal Government is not refunding Youth Connections , which we have run for five years in Gippsland , Hume and the North . This important program specifically targets vulnerable young people and we have had considerable success in reengaging 766 young people into education , employment or further education
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The development of the Rewind program in our Noble Park School campus , which helps students who can ’ t yet cope with a full school program
“ No one has ever seen me the way you see me . No one has ever noticed that I ’ m good at something and that ’ s humour . And no one has ever tried to make me better by focusing on my strength ”.