Achieving greatness togetherSUPPORTER NEWSLE T TER DECEMBER 2018

DOXA PARTNERS WITH VIC GOV’S LXRA PROJECT TO OFFER FUTURE INSIGHTS STUDENTS INTERNSHIPS

Doxa have partnered with the Victorian Government’s Level Crossing Removal Authority (LXRA) infrastructure project. The project aims to see the elimination of all level crossings in Victoria and is a complex, technical and long-term project with a range of employment opportunities available.

We are delighted to partner with LXRA, who are seeking to place interns from a diverse range of backgrounds. After an interview process, internship opportunities were offered to some of our 2018 cohort of Future Insights students and we are proud to announce that six of our young people were granted this internship with LXRA. These Future Insights students were looking for work placement opportunities through our Employment Pathways programs at the beginning of the year and it is incredibly rewarding to see them take part in this opportunity.

LETTER FROM CEO

What a great deal of change there has been at Doxa Youth Foundation in the past few months; the start of the 2018/19 financial year has heralded new beginnings here at Doxa. First of all, we said a fond farewell to departing Board Members – Chair, Graeme Johnson and Director, Richard Smith – who resigned at the 2018 AGM; as well as Anna Kennedy, Raelene Murphy, Terri Mandler, and Board Observer, Julie Andrews, who left us in May this year. Their input into Doxa’s direction and governance has been much appreciated. We therefore, welcome a new Board of Directors – Denise Clarke, James Barber, Michael McIntyre, John Pearce, Justin Cooney and Joe Marchio – who will be joining Dana Bentley and Founder (and new Chairman), Father Joe Giacobbe, on the Doxa Board. I look forward to working with the Doxa team and the newly constituted Board to continue to achieve great outcomes for disadvantaged young people in Victoria.

In operations, I’m pleased to say that we supported more young people than ever before – 8,177 in FY 17/18. A huge achievement. Of this, we supported:

• 6,718 through our Positive Life Experiences programming across Malmsbury and City Camps

• 1,213 through our Education Opportunities portfolio of in-school programs

• 254 through our Employment Pathways programs in the tertiary education space

Our Annual Report is available via the Doxa website for those who would like to read about our programs, outcomes, and stories of achieving greatness from program participants.

In other news, I was honoured to participate in the NFP CEO Study Tour to Stanford University, funded by Perpetual, in September. This was a great opportunity, at no cost to Doxa, to represent the organisation amongst a group of NFP CEOs from across Australia including Royal Flying Doctor Service, World Wildlife Fund and Youngcare. Collectively we discussed social innovation, strategy and NFP management and I will be bringing these learnings to the Doxa Youth Foundation.

In more recent times, I was delighted to experience one of our Journey Programs in Kooyoora State Park, run by our outdoor education experts from the Malmsbury Camp. I accompanied a group from Braybrook College out on their multi-day trekking experience, where the young people develop skills in teamwork, resilience and build a connection to country, as well as to teachers and peers.

In fact, there is much great news and many inspiring stories to share from across our suite of programs: Positive Life Experiences, Education Opportunities and Employment Pathways. We hope you enjoy reading about these in this newsletter. Please do get in touch if there’s anything else you’d like to be hearing about. As always, I appreciate and value feedback from our Members and supporters.

Steve Clifford, CEO

In this newsletter Bush Adventure Therapy P.2Demand for Education Pathways P.3Doxa Community Club P.4

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Above CEO Steve Clifford (front centre) on Journey Program with students from Braybrook Secondary College

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BUSH ADVENTURE THERAPY FOR OUT-OF-HOME CARE STUDENTS LAUNCHES

MAKING MALMSBURY MORE SUSTAINABLE

Our latest initiative is to create a camp veggie patch. All of the food grown will be used in the kitchen to create nutritious meals for our young people. We have planted our summer veggies and fruits at Malmsbury Camp, with tomatoes, beans and strawberries coming to the camp menu soon.

CITY CAMPERS COMPOSE MUSIC AT ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE

City Campers continue to enjoy the ever popular “Into the Music Composition” workshop hosted by Arts Centre Melbourne. Running out of the Channel at Hamer Hall, the 1.5 hour workshop enables students to explore the technology and techniques used to create the music they hear every day. Students are given instructions and opportunities to use ACID Music Studio software to create their own tracks using their own voices and loop-based music production. All tracks are then saved and emailed onto the schools at the completion of the workshop. Bringing something new to the City Camp Program, this workshop is always a hit, as Campers bring together creativity, technical skills and try something they haven’t done before.

Partnering with the Create Foundation for our first Bush Adventure Therapy program for out-of-home care students.

Growing fruit and veg at Malmsbury Camp

Students from Stevensville Primary School studying music composition at the Arts Centre Melbourne

“All the young people are staying in touch with each other and supporting each other. [They] have been catching up in “real life” and developing a really close friendship - the carers have also met and have been chatting.” Create Foundation Staff Member

“What an experience and adventure with a solid crew of young legends! You supported and encouraged each other. Your can-do attitudes, the leadership skills you have and willingness to give new things a go and push yourselves! Be proud! Remember what you achieved! Remember that attitude of putting in that little bit extra when things get tough (makes all the difference) and remind yourself what you are capable of! Carry that with you wherever you go!“ Create Foundation Staff Member

We launched our first Bush Adventure Therapy Camp in conjunction with the Create Foundation in October.

Twelve young people who are in out-of-home care attended the 5-day program which included an on-site session at our Malmsbury Camp and 4 days bush walking in Kooyoora State Park.

Our second Bush Adventure Therapy program will be running in April and we’re all looking forward to the next stage of this rewarding and impactful program.

Bush Adventure Therapy focuses on building positive relationships between young people who have had traumatic upbringings and encourages connections they wouldn’t otherwise have. Confidence, communication skills and opportunities to share their personal stories in a safe space are key features of the program. Young people are supported by trained counsellors throughout the program.

Positive Life Experiences

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LEARNING LEADERSHIP SKILLS AT FUTURE FOCUS

The transition from primary to secondary school can be a challenge. For disadvantaged students there are even more barriers. That’s why we run Future Focus for Years 7s and 8s, to help enable young people to make positive decisions for their future, encourage a connection to education and teach them the leadership skills for them to be positive role models in their communities.

DEMAND FOR EDUCATION PATHWAYS PROGRAM GROWS

The demand for our new Education Pathways workshop program for students from a refugee/newly arrived background continues to grow, especially in English Language Schools who rarely have a Careers Practitioner. The program assists this very disadvantaged cohort of young people with the career options available to them and the necessary steps to get there. Many young people who settled in Australia from war-torn countries have had disrupted education, suffered trauma and bereavement and then face further challenges on arrival in Australia where they have to understand and navigate new systems, language and culture.

The original target of 60 participants was achieved quickly, with the final numbers for the 17/18 financial year at 241 participants. We have received considerable funding from Trusts & Foundations for this program including: Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, Matana Foundation, Bennelong Foundation and Flora & Frank Leith Trust.

UPP STUDENTS VISIT METRO TUNNEL PROJECT TO LEARN ABOUT CAREERS

Our University Pathways Program is a four-year program that de-mystifies the world of work, builds students professional, personal and employment skills so that transitioning to university is easier.

A group of our University Pathways Program students recently visited the Victorian Government’s Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. The purpose of the visit was to get an insight into the world of work and inspire and inform the students’ own career paths. They met professionals from the prestigious Metro Tunnel Project and put into practice the art of making a good first impression, asking questions and meeting people in a professional environment.

For many students from challenging life circumstances, the University Pathways Program is a game-changer that provides a helping hand just when they need it. We help young people to get to where they need to be. This year, 84% of our Year 12 UPP graduates enrolled at university.

University Pathways Program students participate in workplace and university visits within Melbourne CBD

Our next steps are building a Vocational Pathways program to address a growing need for industry-focussed outcomes and TAFE options.

A recent report published by the Mitchell Institute – ‘Connecting the worlds of learning and work: Prioritising school-industry partnerships in Australia’s education system’ (July 2018) – examines the role that industry partnerships play in school education and the need for organisations such as Doxa to act as an intermediary between education and vocational employment. That’s why we’re providing more programs.

This report states that “the role of intermediaries is critical…for connecting individual schools that lack networks, connections and resources to find industry partners”. It also states that “Teachers play a central role in school-industry partnerships, yet many lack the time and expertise to form partnerships with industry and integrate partnership activities with teaching the school curriculum”. Moreover, “Disadvantaged learners have the most to gain from industry exposure, yet too often, school-industry partnerships rely on the social and professional connections that exist within the school community – which risks leaving many disadvantaged students even further behind.”

We see the value in this very quickly, as this testimonial from a parent demonstrates:

“I wanted to say a big thank you for including [our child] as part of the wonderful program. The camp program, and now this Leadership workshop, is an incredible opportunity for kids in developing awareness and key life skills. [They] seem to have taken on board quite a few lessons and we are most grateful.” – Future Focus parent from Essendon Keilor College (Niddrie)

We hosted four Future Focus graduation ceremonies throughout June – August. These were for our graduating Year 8 Future Focus students and in total, we celebrated 118 students completing the program. These presentations were hosted at the Western Bulldogs Football Club facilities, as part of an ongoing partnership with the organisation.

Danielle Wightman, Transitions Coordinator, Noble Park English Language School.

“Programs like the Doxa Education and Careers Pathways program are essential for young people moving to Australia to achieve and aspire in their new country and to take advantage of the opportunities ahead of them.”

Education Opportunities

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands and waters where we work and liveContact T (03) 9046 8200 E info@doxa.org.au

FEATURED CADETSHIP SPONSOR: DOXA COMMUNITY CLUB

Our Cadetship Program relies on our corporate program partners to support a young person by providing a work placement throughout their degree. It’s an invaluable experience that equips the student with the employment skills to ease the transition into the workplace. One of our long-standing Cadetship partners, and major funder, is the Doxa Community Club. We spoke to Mike Ejigu, who has been a Mentor to many young people for over a decade now, including his current Cadet, Robert.

“I have been a Mentor at Doxa Community Club for just over 10 Years. During this time, I have mentored several Cadets and thoroughly enjoyed seeing their growth during the mentorship period. It has been particularly rewarding to see them acquire new skills, become socially confident and apply the tips I give them. Robert, one of my current mentees, is finishing his Cadetship this year. The highlight has been having him working as a replacement staff in the finance team, because of his technical skills and high sense of responsibility. It has also been a pleasure guiding and supporting him in his journey of making a career change. Overall, it has been an honour and a pleasure to have been a mentor for the Doxa Cadetship program. I would highly recommend the experience and am excited to see Robert strive and succeed in his new profession.” Mike Ejigu, Doxa Community Club Mentor

Doxa Community Club’s Mike Ejigu with his mentee and Doxa Cadet, Robert

CAMPS & OUTDOOR EDUCATION IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING

A new study by the Outdoor Youth Programs Research Alliance (OYPRA) developed and conducted over nine years has shown camps and outdoor education programs can lead to improved mental health and wellbeing in young people.

The world-first research of 335 Year 9 students (aged 14-16) found that those suffering from higher levels of anxiety were less anxious and more resilient after school camp. Of those who participated in the research program, 16% of students suffered higher levels of anxiety, however were significantly less anxious after the 5-day outdoor program. Improved confidence after attending camp was another key outcome, and particularly their self-efficacy: belief in their ability to achieve goals. They found that 11% of students surveyed had low levels of self-efficacy; however, following a 5-day school camp their confidence levels were significantly boosted.

We’ve known this for many years, so it’s great to have some world-first research backing up what we do at Doxa.

Thank you letter from student from Ardeer Primary School

Students enjoying the great outdoors at Malmsbury Camp

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Find us online to discover more about our wonderful programs that offer positive life experiences, education opportunities, and employment pathways to young people experiencing disadvantage. Doxa is committed to the physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing of every child and young person that accesses our programs. See more at www.doxa.org.au/childsafestandards.

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Make a donation today to support disadvantaged children in Victoria and help change young lives: www.doxa.org.au/donate T 03 9046 8200