School zoning, lack of affordable transport and family problems are just some hurdles Melbourne’s disadvantaged youth face for their education.
In some of the Melbourne’s highest-earning suburbs, disadvantaged youths are falling behind their similar-aged peers as a lack of public schools, behavioural problems and a vast range of other issues have caused these young people to drop out of school for years at a time.
Angela Stathopoulos, director of Prahran Community Learning Centre (PCLC), runs an alternative education program which extends a helping hand to children who have fallen out of mainstream schools.
Ms Stathopulos says for many disadvantaged youths in the area, PCLC is their only option to get back into the education system. One reason is in the City of Stonnington, which includes South Yarra, Prahran and Windsor, there are no public secondary schools.
“So when a person finishes Year 6, it’s very difficult for them to a local school because there are none. They stop attending and it takes a couple of years for authorities to pick it up and to send them to an alternative program,” she says.
The nearest secondary school is the Elwood Secondary College, but young people with financial difficulties often find it difficult to find the money for public transport, and the college has recently taken to zoning, only allowing students from the immediate surrounding neighbourhoods to enroll.
Many of the 45 students currently enrolled in the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) and Youth Education for Life and Learning Access (YELLA) program live in the Horace Petty Estates in South Yarra. To spare students the cost of transport, PCLC educators run classes in the estates twice a week as well as in the nearby Grattan Gardens everyday.
“Our program at the estate is really only interested in re-engagement [with the education system] within the first term,” Ms Stathopoulos explains.
Re-engagement is important when many students have fallen behind in schooling for years at a time, and as such may have forgotten how to behave in a classroom setting. One of the youngest students currently enrolled, a 10-year-old girl, had never attended school.
Effie Tsanglis, Education Manager of PCLC, adds that while the alternative school teaches education basics like literacy, numeracy, science and art, the organisation’s main goal is to getting the students job-ready.
“It’s all real-life, applied learning. The reality is many of our young people don’t go to university, they get apprenticeships, jobs or further training and we aim to get them ready for those areas of industry,” she says.
“We provide the VCAL option, which is industry specific and teaches personal development skills. Alongside that, students can do a finishing apprenticeship, or a general certificate course.”
For PCLC students, coming into the program means everyone gets a fair go. But the program also aim to address problems that may have caused its students to drop out of school in the first place. Ms Stathopoulos explains the organisation try to direct students to resources they may have not been provided in their previous schools.
“In the intake assessment interview we work out what sort of things the young person needs or will be needing. So if they do present with a mental health issue we will pass on a referral to local service,” she says.
“I think schools do an amazing job, but unfortunately there are limited resources and it’s often difficult to facilitate sessions with a psychologist and such.”
By focusing on more hands-on teaching, PCLC aims to pave the way for a smooth transition into the workforce or back into mainstream education. Part of this, Ms Stathopoulos says, is done by encouraging students to take responsibility of their education and future.
“When students come in, we explain to them that this is not a mainstream school. We don’t have bells or uniforms and we try to encourage them to take ownership of their learning, because if they take ownership over it, it becomes theirs. When that happens, what I find is the young people really do take an active interest and they make an effort to attend and get some outcomes.”
By giving students a chance at making a change in their lives, schools like PCLC have are setting the foundation for a successful future for young people who have been dealt a difficult hand. And outcomes have been positive for students of PCLC. Students have graduated from the alternative school to go back into mainstream schools or continue on to do apprenticeships, study at TAFE institutions or gain full-time employment.