SA Projects
Reach your Dreams Project
SA is committed to increasing the number of disadvantaged young people accessing the Award. Reach Your Dreams is an initiative the Award and provides funding to disadvantaged young people to participate in the Award..jpg)
2007-08 funding for Reach Your Dreams provided support for the involvement of 732 disadvantaged young people in the Award.
The disadvantaged young people provided with grants included:
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39% living in remote or regional areas
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24% identified as indigenous
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20% identified as having a disability
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9% identified as being culturally or linguistically diverse
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22% identified as disengaged from education
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5% were under the Guardianship of the Minister.
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2% identified as suffering housing stress
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2% identified as carers
During 2008/09 an additional $100,000 of Reach Your Dreams funding will be provided for disadvantaged young people.
Disability Access
In South Australia, there are a number of schools that engage young people with a disability in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The needs and disabilities of these young people are varied. Some have physical disabilities affecting their mobility while others experience varying degrees of intellectual disabilities
The fundamental premise of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Disability Initiative was to employ, on a casual basis, a young person involved in the Award, who has identified as having a disability, to assist with conducting promotions to schools, supporting participants with a disability to fulfil their Award requirements and to provide advice to the Office for Youth on specific access and equity strategies.
The initial plan was for the Office for Youth to offer four Dukes participants having a disability, a three month employment placement for up to four hours per week. These placements were to be linked to school terms. The Office for Youth was to select a core group of schools for these young people to work with while being supported and mentored by Rob Oliphant.
Having four separate placements would enable the Office for Youth to target casual employees with different skills and understandings of the broad range of disabilities that current Dukes participants possess.
At the end of their three month placement they were to develop a report for the Office for Youth with recommendations on how the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award program can better engage young people with disabilities. These recommendations would be shared with the NAA.
Some of the things The Duke Of Edinburgh’s Award Disabilities Initiative would do are:
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positively impact on the engagement and completion rates of young people with disabilities in the Award.
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increase the diversity within the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
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provide young people with disabilities with increased opportunities to make decisions that contribute to both personal development and community decision making.
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actively facilitate the creation of support clusters between organisations that work with young people with disabilities who are engaged in the Award
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utures Connect .jpg)
Figures indicate that across the South Australia schooling system the absentee rate is about 8%. Year 10 and 11 absentee rates were notably higher than other year levels. In disadvantaged high schools absentee rates were as high as 45%.
Year 12 retention rates were also of significant concern. Statistics indicate that in one in four high schools less than half the students complete year 12 and, in 5% of the schools only 3 out of 10 students complete year 12.
The Government’s Department of Education and Children’s Services Futures Connect strategy will support all South Australian government school students to complete year 12 (or its vocational equivalent) and successfully negotiate their transition to adult life.
The strategy recognises that every young person should receive an education that equips them with the skills which are valued by the community and reinforces their status as valuable members of their community. Future Connect supports young people’s greater connection with their local community.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award compliments the Futures Connect strategy and will build the capacity of the young people they are working with to enhance their future employment opportunities and transition as valued members within their communities.
New Arrivals Project
The New Arrivals Initiative (NAI) was designed to empower recently arrived young people from northern Africa through their participation in a locally delivered , locally supported program of activities. Young people’s participation in the initiative assisted in the development of their self esteem, their integration into the community and develop their leadership qualities through a program of personal discovery.
The new arrivals initiative
Since it’s commencement the program has expanded into new areas resulted in engaging new participants who were arrivals from Vietnam and Cambodia. Outcomes have been very positive with high completion rates and many progressing to Silver and Gold.
Young people not only receive the recognition for completing their Award but also gain South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) accreditation. For some new arrivals they can complete the requirements of Stage 1 of SACE.
Check out an article on the 2 day camp some of them took part in!
http://www.afc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/4417/newsid/88819/default.aspx