Please scroll down for information about current events, conferences, grants and funding, news and programs
Pg Up
CURRENT NEWS
Bayside Youth Charter Launch
The BGK LLEN, along with its partner the Bayside City Council, is very pleased to announce the launch of the Bayside Youth Charter. The Charter was officially launched on November 26th by the Bayside City Council Mayor, Councillor James Long, and Dr Lucas Walsh, Director of Research at the Foundation for Young Australians. The Charter was developed through a series of forums and consultations across the municipality, which allowed a wide range of youth, education, welfare and community organizations, as well as young people, to input into its development.
The Bayside Youth Charter is underpinned by eight Collective Values, which seek to enhance the way in which organisations work with young people - accountability, advocacy, client-centred approach, collaboration, communication, ethical practice, evidence-based decision making, and professional skills and development.
A Steering Committee has now been established to guide the ongoing development of the Youth Charter, including a range of strategies identified by attendees at the community forums. The strategies are:
• Establish a sustainable regional steering group to lead the Bayside Youth Charter
• Enhance youth engagement in the wider community
• Collectively advocate for youth sector policy change at agency, local, state and federal levels
• Enhance service delivery arrangements between agencies to prevent young people slipping through the gaps to ensure quality of service delivery
• Build individual worker capacity
If you would like to learn more about the Bayside Youth Charter, join the Steering Committee or provide strategy support feel free to contact the BGK LLEN on 9598 5105 or the Bayside City Council Youth Services on 9599 4622.
Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance Launch New Website
The Victorian Youth Mentoring Alliance are very excited to be launching their new website - www.youthmentoringvic.org.au This site will be a one-stop shop for anyone who is interested in getting involved with youth mentoring including organisations that are running programs, referring agencies and potential supporters.
Schools First Program
Schools First is a national awards program designed to inspire and reward schools across Australia for developing partnerships in their communities that enhance the education experience for their students. Schools First is a joint initiative of the National Australia Bank, The Foundation for Young Australians and the Australian Council for Educational Research.
2009 was the first year of the program, and over 1500 entries were received Australia wide. Of those there were 68 Local Impact and 20 Seed Funding winners.
The program will be offered again in 2010. For more information visit the Schools First website.
Pg Up
CURRENT EVENTS
On Track Connect Briefing
On Track sub-regional briefings support the analysis and use of On Track data at the regional and local level. This briefing will be useful to inform local provision planning including school strategic planning undertaken as part of the School Accountability and Improvement Framework. At the briefing annual and time series destination data for early leavers and year 12 completers will be considered in the context of a range of regional and performance data. This event is important for Principals, Senior School Managers, Assistant Principals, Regional Network Leaders, LLENs, Careers, Pathways and Transition staff.
When: Wednesday 4th November (1pm - 4pm) Where: Dingley International Hotel, Dingley Cost: Free More information and registration: www.pd-online.com.au
Pg Up
CURRENT CONFERENCES
Career Education Assoc of Victoria Biennial Conference
The CEAV Biennial Conference's theme of ‘Dare to Challenge. Dare to Dream' will challenge careers practitioners and help to put career development at the forefront of discussions and action. The conference includes international speakers such as Prof. John Carey (University of Massachusetts) and Dr Janet Gale Lenz (Florida State University), as well as local speakers such as Peter Tatham (Executive Director, Career Industry Council of Australia), Sandra Stewart (Manager of Koorie Programs at Sunraysia TAFE) and Tim Fitzgerald (Director of Wannick Unit at Department of Education and Early Childhood Development).
When: 6th - 8th December, 2009 Where: Deakin University, Waurn Ponds Campus, Geelong Cost: between $66 - $600 More information and registration: CEAV conference website
Pg Up
CURRENT PROGRAMS
Work this Way
Youth Connect's ‘Work this Way' program is for young people who are unemployed and between the ages of 15 - 24 years. The program prepares young people for the world of work, providing them with general and industry specific skills. Youth Connect staff can assist both young people and employers waning to use the program to source young employees.
Young People. Taking part in this program will allow you to gain the skills and confidence you need to start work or take up an apprenticeship. You will:
• Become more work ready
• Complete some accredited industry specific training
• Receive one-on-one support to look for and apply for work
• Receive ongoing support while employed
Employers. If you are an employer experiencing difficulties in securing young and eager staff for an apprenticeship or for other full time work, the Work this Way program may be the answer. As an employer you will receive the following support from Youth Connect staff:
• Assistance with developing youth-oriented workplace induction processes
• Ongoing monitoring of the young person
• Assistance with implementing a mentor or buddy system in your workplace
More Information. Contact Jeremy Barren at Youth Connect on 9557 6233.
National Disability Coordination Officer Program
Funded by the Australian Government, the National Disability Coordination Officer (NDCO) program targets the barriers that people with a disability face in gaining access to, and successfully completing, post-school education. The program goals are to: improve transitions for people with a disability from their school or community into post-school education, training and subsequent employment; increase participation by people with a disability in higher education, vocational education and training and employment; and, establish better links between schools, universities, TAFEs, training providers and disability service providers so that they can work together to provide the best possible assistance for people with a disability.
Our local NDCO, Sally Bailey, can provide information, coordination and referral activities for people with a disability as well as:
• Assist local education providers to provide better services for people with a disability
• Provide information to individuals with a disability
• Link individuals and organisations to local support services
• Raise awareness amongst education providers and the general public of the issues facing people with a disability
For more information or support contact Sally Bailey on 9784 0400 / 0439 897 027 or sally@skillsplus.com.au
Tomorrows Leaders for Sustainability
Tomorrow's Leaders for Sustainability (TLfS) is a new program that helps young people understand and appreciate the key principles and issues of sustainability, while also gaining the knowledge and skills to become leaders in their future careers. The purpose of the program is to help young people understand the world around them, as well as helping them to develop the ability to think for themselves communicate their thoughts and feelings, act on their own beliefs and help others act in an ethical and socially responsible way. The TLfS program is proudly supported by the BGK LLEN and Bayside City Council in 2010.
After succesfully piloting the program in local secondary schools in 2009, in 2010 the TLfS program will be piloted in primary schools in the Bayside, Glen Eira and Kingston region. Teachers, Principals, Assistant Princiapls, Curriculum Coordinators and other staff are invited to a FREE workshop:
Date: Wednesday 10th March 2010
Time: 9am - 4pm
Venue: Hemisphere Conference Centre, 488 South Road, Moorabbin
RSVP: by 5th of March
Registration: Download the Workshop Flyer and Registration Form
For more information contact Fiona Waugh (BGK LLEN) on 9598 5105 or research@bgkllen.com.au
Schools First
Schools First is a new initiative that is about improving outcomes for young people, and is supported by Australia Cares, Foundation for Young Australians, Australian Council for Educational Research and the National Australia Bank. At its heart, Schools First is about bringing together students, teachers, parents and community members, to support each other and help improve student outcomes.
For more information and to register your interest visit Schools First
Youth Pathway Program Youth 21 Pg Up
CURRENT COMPETITIONS
National Song Writing Competition
Each year the Australian Children's Music Foundation (ACMF) conducts a National Song Writing Competition for all primary, secondary and specific purpose schools across Australia. Entry to the competition is free and entry forms are mailed to schools each year. The competition closes September 25th.
For further details and information about the categories and prizes go to the Australian Children's Music Foundation
Consumer Stuff Challenge Competition Consumer Stuff Competition
The Consumer Stuff Challenge Competition is an annual event run by Consumer Affairs Victoria to help young Victorians understand important consumer issues. The competition challenges students to create an information product that addresses a consumer or financial topic (e.g. selecting a mobile phone, buying a second hand car or managing credit). The contest is free to enter and open to all Victorian secondary schools and adult and community education settings. It's also a great way for students and schools to win some fantastic prizes, with over $8,000 up for grabs.
To enter, teachers should complete the on-line registration form and choose which version of the competition they wish to register for: VCAL or for students in Year 7-10, VELS.
Registration is now open. Entries for VCAL close at 4pm 24 July 2009, and entries for VELS close at 4pm 16 October 2009. For more information on this year's competition, contact Shane O'Connor on 8684 6042.
Pg Up
CURRENT FUNDING
SafeT1 Small Grants
Are your students ‘doing' OHS? Have they come up with some great ideas or produced some resources on workplace health and safety? Perhaps you expect they will come up with some great resources? Do they need a little help to finish their resource / product - some additional expertise, software or materials? The Victorian Applied Learning Association (VALA), as part of the SAFE-T1 project, is offering small grants (approx $500) to assist students (15 - 24 years) to take their ideas / resources to the next level.
By applying for the funding, students are likely to cover learning outcomes in Reading and Writing, Numeracy and Personal Development Skills units of VCAL. The development of the workplace health and safety products / resources can be:
• used to meet VCAL learning outcomes, particularly those from Work Related Skills and Personal Development Skills strands
• mapped to the Strands and Domains of VELS, particularly Interpersonal Development in the Physical, Personal and Social Learning Strand.
For more information visit the VALA website.
St Kilda Youth Service Arts Initiative
St.Kilda Youth Service is currently calling for young aspiring artists (aged between 15 - 25 years) across creative mediums to apply for first round grants through The Local Arts Initiative. The Local Arts Initiative is small grants program designed to support aspiring young artists who face disadvantage to achieve their creative dreams. Successful applicants will have access to brokerage funds to purchase ‘tools of the trade' and be matched with qualified creative mentoring support to work towards a public exhibition in July 2010.
Contact Sharni Macdonald at St.Kilda Youth Services on 9534 3685 for an application form or further information.
Kingston Bayside School Focused Youth Service SFYS Funding
SFYS is now conducting a funding round for new and creative projects. Schools and youth service agencies are encouraged to apply for small or large grants, up to around $10,000 to tackle some of the pressing problems or issues in school. The project needs to be new to Kingston/Bayside, a partnership between schools and a community agency, and focused on a group of students with issues around aggression, self esteem, attendance, self harm etc. Please download an application form and guidelines for further details.
For more information or to discuss your project ideas contact the SFYS Coordinator, Michele Clayton (based with Family Life) on 9598 2133. Applications can be sent to Michele at 197 Bluff Rd Sandringham 3191.
Glen Eira School Focused Youth Service SFYS Funding
Brokerage funding is now open for projects in the Glen Eira (as well as Stonnington and Port Phillip) region for 2007/2008. The Local Advisory Group aims to devote more funding to larger, sustainable partnerships between schools and agencies. Brokerage projects are expected to: decrease at-risk and self-harm behaviours in young people, enhance young people's connections, and facilitate collaborative structures and improve linkages between schools and community agencies to support ‘at risk' young people.
For more information or to discuss your project contact the SFYS Coordinator, Jennifer Torrance, on 8290 7029 or jtorrance@stonnington.vic.gov.au
Glen Eira City Council Foundation for Youth Excellence FFYE
The FFYE program recognises young people who have achieved excellence in fields of creative and performing arts, education, leadership or sport. Grants are awarded to young people, to help them pursue further success in their chosen field. Grants are given out on a quarterly basis.
For an application form, or further information, contact the Glen Eira City Council on 9579 7963.
Smart Kidz Program
The Bendigo Bank recently launched the Smart Kidz program. Initiated by the Highett branch of the Bendigo Bank and being managed by BAYCISS (Bayside Community Information and Support Service Inc.), Smart Kidz is a community fund that enables families to access financial assistance to support their child's education - books, uniforms, school camps. Applications for support must be made by primary/secondary schools or relevant community organisations, with the fund available to schools in our region. Community members can make donations to the fund by visiting the Highett Branch of the Bendigo Bank (322 - 324 Highett Road, Highett) through the Bendigo Bank Community Enterprise Foundation (Phone: 1300 304 541 or Website: www.communitybank.com.au/foundation ).
For more information on Smart Kidz contact Les Heimann on 95557284 or 0417 302412 or email heimann41@optusnet.com.au If you are an education provider you will need to contact BAYCISS on 9555 6560 in order to comply with the requirements that would enable your students to be eligible to obtain a benefit. Further information about the BAYCISS program can be found on their Education Support Program Brochure.
State Schools’ Relief Fund
The State Schools' Relief Fund was initiated to assist very needy students attending Victorian Government Primary, Special and Secondary Schools with clothing and footwear. Applications for assistance need to be forwarded to the State Schools' Relief Committee by the Principal of the school the student is attending.
For more information contact David Schmidt, Manager State Schools' Relief Committee Inc, on 9888 8722 or schmidt.david.p@edumail.vic.gov.au
Victorian Volunteer Small Grants Program
Funded by the Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD), non-profit organisations can apply for up to $5000 funding to attract new volunteers from diverse backgrounds and create new volunteering opportunities. Funding interest areas include youth, communities, local government, multicultural, seniors and women.
For more information or to access funding guidelines and an application form visit the DPCD website
Youth Programs – Grants and Funding
A number of trusts and foundations welcome funding applications for youth, education and related programs. Details of upcoming or ongoing funding opportunities with these are listed below:
IOOF Foundation
Priorities: Disadvantaged children and youth, disadvantaged families, aged care
Eligibility: Incorporated body, Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status
More information: IOOF Foundation
Application period: ongoing
The Andrews Trust
Priorities: Projects which are designed to enhance the educational and social needs of young people; designed to develop, test and implement creative solutions to persistent, difficult social and environmental needs and problems; requests for small Grants to enable smaller community organisations to begin or continue to make a positive difference in their communities; and Grants from applicants with a major number of volunteers from the community the applicant seeks to benefit.
Eligibility: Incorporated body, Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status
More information: Andrews Trust
Application period: First week in each of March, June and November
DOXA Youth Foundation
Priorities: Provides small grants to non-profit organisations and community groups that work with disadvantaged young people. Applications with a practical educational focus for young people aged 11-14 years are encouraged, as are organisations that have a volunteer support component.
Eligibility: Non-profit / community organisation
More information: DOXA Youth Foundation
Application period: Ongoing
Invergowrie Foundation
Priorities: Projects that encourage and support the educational opportunities of girls and women, particularly those who are disadvantaged.
Eligibility: Non-profit organisation
More information: Invergowrie Foundation
Application period: applications are considered in August, November, February and May each financial year. Preferably, applications should be received by the Foundation by the middle of the preceding month.
Newsboys Foundation
Priorities: Supports projects within the State of Victoria, of benefit to school age children and youth, through grants to youth clubs, incorporated community based organisations and agencies providing activities, care and support services for young people, and in particular the disadvantaged in the community.
Eligibility: Incorporated body, Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status
More information: Newsboys Foundation
Application period: Ongoing
Caledonia Foundation
Priorities: Support organisations that focus on the advancement, wellbeing and welfare of the children and youth of Australia - key areas of focus include education and training particularly in regards to social welfare, the arts and the environment.
Eligibility: Incorporated body, Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status
More information: Caledonia Foundation
Application period: enquiries for funding applications to be made by email to foundation@caledonia.com.au
Matana Foundation for Young People
Priorities: Provide assistance to disadvantaged young people throughout Australia in order to give them an opportunity to reach their full educational and social potential
Eligibility: Incorporated body, Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, Income Tax Exempt Charity (ITEC) status
More information: Matana Foundation
Application period: Ongoing
National Secondary School Computer Fund Round Two
