The new on-line Journal of Student Wellbeing may be of interest to both researchers and practitioners.
Read about the KIDSCAN initiative from the National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) This encourages children and young people to take responsibility for developing their own communities, learn how to relate well to each other, understand how to access support and inhibit intergenerational violence and abuse.
Article by Peta Blood of CircleSpeak on Restorative Practices.
Article by Alison Soutter of the NSW Department of Community Services on Mentoring
Article by Robyn Hromek on Planting the Peace Virus
The Calwell Cluster in Canberra has been supported by the Values Initiative in developing an emotional literacy curriculum. This has been underpinned by a focus on restorative practices and Circle Time is used as the pedagogical approach.
Other work of note is the Peer Support in Townsville Central and the Tribes initiative in Albany School in Western Australia.
Southside Education is a new secondary education model. Southside is a Community Access School staffed by a multi-disciplinary team of teachers, counsellor, youth workers and family workers. Southside Ed students are young women, many of whom share these characteristics:
* Alienation from families and from the mainstream education system
* Victims of sexual and physical abuse
* Poor socio-economic circumstances
* Poor levels of Health and Nutrition
* Early involvement with the Juvenile Justice System
* In Care and Protection
* 50% identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
Southside aims to re-engage young people in a small school community and in the wider community. Students learn about democratic processes by practising citizenship skills at school and at community level. Students share in collaborative decision making in the school, are encouraged to participate in community/youth forums and to become involved in community projects.
The school now has a Vocational Education Co-ordinator to assist young people to access further training at Southside and at other training sites.
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