Through school to work
Despite a decade of prosperity, too many young people in Australia remain unable to move smoothly through school to work and independence and so are vulnerable to social exclusion. The number at risk is likely to increase with the economic downturn. Our research objective is to build a strong case for improved models of support for disadvantaged young people and to advocate policy reform for an inclusive education and training system. Current projects about this life transition include:
Youth Connections evaluation
Contact: Sharon Bond sbond@nullbsl.org.au
Youth Connections is a national program that aims to provide flexible, individual support to young people at risk of disengaging from education and training and therefore not attaining Year 12 or equivalent. The Brotherhood, together with Taskforce, delivers the program in the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula region.
Using the Peninsula Youth Connections program as a case study, this evaluation will assess the effectiveness of Youth Connections by examining how the program responds to young people’s education, training, employment and social needs to ensure their inclusion in society.
Report and summary of stage 1
Sharon Bond 2011, Overcoming barriers to education: Peninsula Youth Connections evaluation stage 1 report (PDF file, 522 KB) Summary (PDF file, 136 KB)
Integrated youth services
This project examined youth hubs and local youth services that respond to the needs of the whole person by ‘joining up’ services and programs, and considers supportive policy frameworks. Learning from models in the UK, the US and Australia, the findings will inform Brotherhood of St Laurence service delivery in Frankston and elsewhere.
Report
Sharon Bond 2010, Integrated service delivery for young people: a literature review (PDF file, 378 KB)
Life Chances Study
Contact: Janet Taylor jtaylor@nullbsl.org.au
The Life Chances Study is a unique longitudinal study that explores the impacts of family income and associated social and economic factors on the lives of children over time. The study began with 167 children born in inner Melbourne in 1990 and has followed them and their families since. The families are very diverse, including high and low-income families and a range of ethnic groups.
The Life Chances Study has reached a wide audience including policy makers, service planners, academics, social workers and educators.
Funding has been received from government and charitable sources over the years. The recent stages have received generous support from the Bokhara Foundation, the Myer Foundation, the estate of S R Jope, the Hector Waldron Pride Charitable Trust managed by ANZ Trustees, the JM Harrison Charitable Trust and the Edith Kemp Memorial Trust Fund administered by Equity Trustees.
DVD
The Life Chances: turning 13, turning 18 DVD features participants in the Life Chances study. They reflect on their lives, hopes and plans for the future as they turn 13 and again at 18. This is a valuable audio-visual resource for educators, policy makers, students, researchers, service providers and others interested in
the experiences of young people from diverse backgrounds growing up in Australia.
Copies of the DVD may be obtained from the distributors using
the order form (PDF file, 203 KB). For further information, contact Film Projects by phone (02) 8521 7350 or by email info@nullfilmprojects.com.au.
Conference presentation
Janet Taylor 2011, Can life stories inform policy in a complex world? (PDF file, 75 KB)
presentation to Australian Social Policy Conference, Sydney, 6–8July.
Report from Stage 9
Janet Taylor and Nina Gee 2010, Turning 18: pathways and plans (PDF file, 444 KB)
Turning 18 summary (PDF file, 137 KB)
The Life Chances Study participants turned 18 in 2008. This report examines their Year 12 completion and ENTER scores, and their experiences of the key transition from school to university, TAFE, apprenticeships, work and, for some, unemployment.
Report from stage 8½ (17-year-olds)
Janet Taylor 2009, Stories of early school leaving: pointers for policy and practice (PDF file, 329 KB)
The stories of eight young people who left school early, interviewed when aged 17 for Stage 8½ of the Life Chances Study, illustrate their complex lives as they consider employment, training and other facets of their future. Their experience leads to recommendations for policies to ensure that young people are not excluded from appropriate opportunities.
Sections may also be downloaded separately:
Part 1 of Stories of early school leaving (PDF file, 178 KB) includes the method, findings, discussion and references.
Part 2 of Stories of early school leaving (PDF file, 265 KB) presents the eight young people's stories at length.
Earlier stages of the Life Chances Study
Education costs for low-income families
Contact: Sharon Bond sbond@nullbsl.org.au
This research builds on the Brotherhood’s 2007 Education Costs Survey. The initial Counting the cost report provided a snapshot of the difficulties faced by low-income Victorian families in providing for their children, particularly in paying the costs of education. Recent work focuses on analysis of the actual education costs faced by families, and the transfer of education costs from government to individuals and the community sector through the provision of emergency education relief.
The results will be used by the Equity in Education Alliance which has been formed by the Brotherhood and colleague organisations to gather evidence on the impact of financial hardship on participation in education and to advocate for policy reforms.
Reports
Sharon Bond and Michael Horn 2007, Counting the cost: parental experiences of education expenses: Results from the 2007 Education Costs Survey (PDF file, 126 KB)
Sharon Bond and Michael Horn 2009, The cost of a free education: cost as a barrier to Australian public education (PDF file, 311 KB)
Sharon Bond 2009, Cost shifting in education: implications for government, the community sector and low-income families (PDF file, 226 KB)
School–Parent Education Engagement Program (SPEEP) review
Contact: Sharon Bond sbond@nullbsl.org.au
The Brotherhood's SPEEP pilot program employed and trained community-based bilingual facilitators to strengthen understanding between schools and families in order to improve children’s educational connection and achievement. The evaluation documented the model, sought evidence of the benefit for families and schools on the Atherton Gardens estate and explored the potential for further development.
Community education and support (VCAL) evaluation
Contact: Michael Horn mhorn@nullbsl.org.au
The Brotherhood is developing a community education and support project for young people to be based at the High Street Centre in Frankston. Students will be able to gain the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) in a community setting. The evaluation is intended to provide a sound evidence base to explore possibilities and constraints of applied learning opportunities for young people as an alternative to mainstream schools.
A 'taster' course was offered in 2009 to young people who were alienated from secondary school and were considering the Community VCAL course for 2010. A report of the first year of the CVCAL course was completed in 2011.
Reports
George Myconos 2010, A taste for learning: evaluating a pre-Community VCAL program (PDF file, 251 KB)
George Myconos 2011, A path to re-engagement: evaluating the first year of a Community VCAL education program for young people (PDF file, 558 KB) Summary (PDF file, 136 KB)
Seminar
The Brotherhood and DEECD hosted a professional development seimar Disengagement from secondary education in the Frankston Mornington Peninsula Region in November 2010.
Making a Difference
Contact: Janet Taylor jtaylor@nullbsl.org.au
The main aim of this three-year Australian Research Council–funded project, led by the Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales, is to understand how young people (aged 11–17) experience economic adversity, what it means to them in terms of social exclusion, and what assistance can make a difference. About 90 young people have been interviewed in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Parents, teachers and service providers have been asked how education and other community services can be made more sensitive to these young people’s needs. The Brotherhood is one of the research partners.
Learning support programs
Contact: Sharon Bond sbond@nullbsl.org.au
Out-of-school-hours learning support programs (LSPs) can provide valuable assistance with homework, increase student interest in learning and ease student transitions from primary to secondary school and into tertiary study or the workplace. This research examined the role of community-based LSPs (including the Brotherhood’s Homework Centre in Fitzroy) in helping to engage disadvantaged young people who face obstacles such as limited parental support or lack of study facilities at home, and made policy recommendations.
The Brotherhood and Melbourne Citymission hosted a forum to discuss the role of learning support programs in overcoming educational disadvantage, and how they can best be supported.
Reports
Sharon Bond 2009, Learning support programs: education reform beyond the school (PDF file, 347 KB)
Anne Pate and Sharon Bond 2010, Partnering to learn: the role of community organisations in supporting disadvantaged students summary of forum 19 November 2009 (PDF file, 260 KB)
Community Service Leadership Program evaluation
Contact: Michael Horn mhorn@nullbsl.org.au
The Brotherhood, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Melbourne, developed a model of community service learning to provide an opportunity for disadvantaged young people in schools to identify, plan, implement and evaluate meaningful projects to benefit their local community. The aim of this Community Service Leadership Program was to help these young people contribute positively to the community and enhance their own skills and personal development.
Our evaluation of the pilot at Collingwood Alternative School and in the Young Adult Migrant Education Course at NMIT gathered qualitative data from students, teachers, program staff, volunteers and community organisations through focus groups, interviews and observation.
Report
Martina Boese 2010, From participation to leadership: evaluation of the Community Service Leadership Program (PDF file, 450 KB)
Improving educational and housing outcomes
The Education Development Project was a two-year pilot project designed to improve educational engagement, provide stable housing and enhance support for children experiencing homelessness in two locations in Melbourne's south-eastern suburbs. Hanover Welfare Services managed the project with assistance from the Brotherhood and the Foundation for Young Australians. An evaluation report was published by Hanover.
Report
Hanover Welfare Services 2010, Education Development Project: improving educational and housing outcomes for children experiencing homelessness(PDF file, 1.3 MB)