School: Wesley College (VIC)
Partner: Fitzroy Valley Community
Wesley College is a large, co-educational, independent school that has around 3000 students over three campuses in Melbourne, covering pre-school, primary and secondary year levels. The school also provides outdoor education programs in Gippsland, Healesville and Portland.
In early 2004 the Principal of Wesley College was invited to visit the Kimberley Language Resource Centre in Fitzroy Crossing to see if the College could assist in a project focused on preserving Aboriginal languages. From this initial meeting a partnership has been formed between the Fitzroy Valley Community and Wesley College that is designed to enrich the learning experiences of the two communities and foster greater cross cultural understanding. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed and the partnership was officially launched in 2005.
The Fitzroy Valley is an area rich in culture and is home to some 20 Aboriginal communities. The communities there face many social problems and few children from the area complete secondary education.
The partnership has resulted in a number of initiatives, including primary school language and culture curriculum materials that emphasise a model of ‘learning on country’ in Aboriginal Bunuba and Walmajarri languages and culture, highlighting an innovative approach to learning that demonstrated the value of working beyond traditional classroom structures.
In the most recent initiative, for which a Seed Funding Award was sought, the partnership has focused on providing a pathway for Aboriginal students to complete Year 12 through the development of a studio school on Leopold Downs Cattle Station. The Yiramalay Studio School will be opened in 2010. Students from Wesley College will join local Aboriginal students for the educational program offered at the studio school, and the school will also provide training opportunities and work-based readiness programs for adults in the wider community of the Fitzroy Valley.
Partnership activities are reviewed regularly and feedback from the Aboriginal communities and Wesley College staff and students indicates the partnership is bringing genuinely rich learning opportunities for individuals in each school community.
