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Advance in Action

2004-07 Advance Evaluation
2008 Advance Survey
2009 Advance schools (Word 491 kb)
Community organisation list from 2008 projects (Word 499 kb)
The University High School
Westall English Language Centre
Yarrabah School
Archive

2004-07 Advance Evaluation

The Office for Youth contracted Victoria University to undertake the evaluation of the Advance program 2004-07 to review and report on the delivery, outputs, outcomes and good practice learning’s of the program.

The overall program evaluation findings can be accessed by viewing the Advance Program Achievements and Evaluation Summary 2004-07 (Word 63 kb). The findings include:

Significant growth in the number of young people, community agencies and schools in the program from 2004-07;
Improvements in some young people’s engagement in school and educational pathways through the experiential learning Advance provides;
Young people developing skills through learning activities that are challenging, fun and age appropriate;
Positive, respectful relationships formed between young people, supportive adults and the broader community whilst working together to contribute to their communities;
Increase in community recognition and celebration of the positive benefits of the program;
Increase in community organisations capacity to support young people’s engagement and participation; and
Development of supportive, flexible and responsive local partnerships.

The evaluation also provided an opportunity to reflect on key factors that make Advance successful and to develop Best Practice Principles to improve future program delivery.

2008 Advance Survey

To further validate the 2004-07 evaluation findings, the Office for Youth (OFY) invited young people, teachers and community organisations involved in Advance in 2008 to participate in pre and post program surveys to assess how the program contributes to young people’s personal development, skill development and community engagement.

A representative state-wide survey was administered by OFY that included 15% of schools, 5.4% of young people, 8.5% of teachers and 1.7% of community organisations that participated in Advance in 2008.
The survey findings from young people reported that they highly valued the opportunity presented by Advance to contribute to their personal development, skill development and community engagement.

The reported outcomes included:

Improved ability to take on new and challenging activities (74%);
Increased confidence in making decisions to solve problems (64%);
Improvement in overall school performance (55%); and
Opportunities to work in teams with other young people (79.6%).

Program Descriptions

Advance students and teachers share their school’s achievements every year through Advance Program Descriptions.

These stories, often written by students themselves, give a unique insight into the experiences, partnerships and the impact of Advance programs on participants’ lives.

Read a sample of fantastic Program Descriptions based on 8 themes of volunteering (Word 101 kb) from across Victoria.

In Profile

In Profile – The University High School

In 2008, young people worked in cross age team projects at three local primary schools and undertook community service at the Royal Children's Hospital. These mentoring and service roles emphasised values and positive behaviours, environmental awareness, community partnerships and social inclusion, whilst providing leadership and mentoring opportunities for students. The training that accompanied Advance consisted of workshops on effective team behaviour, communication skills and an exploration of the community context. Young people also participated in a Youth Leadership Training Day -Step to the Future, as well as completing their First Aid Training and obtaining a Food Handling Certificate.

Through a range of different opportunities in mentoring, community service and project coordination, students acquired skills to support their personal and social development in real life situations and appreciated the opportunity to learn beyond the school walls and relished the chance to make a difference.

Certificates were distributed to all students acknowledging their participation in Advance and specifically their successful completion of First Aid qualifications and food handling. Affirmation of the students was ongoing throughout the year and young people’s work was featured at assemblies and in newsletters. All Advance students were given a subsidised opportunity to attend a youth forum -Step to the Future, recognising their involvement and leadership in co-curricula projects. A celebratory afternoon excursion to the movies was another special activity in Term 4.

In Profile – Westall English Language Centre

The project undertaken by young people in 2008 was implemented in two parts, including designing and painting a mural with an Indigenous theme and a workshop on Indigenous culture at a school camp.

The learning outcomes and key skills obtained by young people included an increase in self confidence, enjoyment of physical and creative experiences, independence, team-building skills, personal skills such as decision making, leadership and organisation skills. Through consensus students were given the opportunity to decide on the design, colours and implementation process of the mural. A sub-group also decided on the format for celebrating the finished product.

Through learning about Indigenous culture and art and meeting and working with Indigenous artists, young people developed a better understanding of Indigenous Australians. The finished mural has positively impacted on the physical environment of the College. A special community event was held at school to unveil the mural and thank participants. An article in the local newspaper featuring four students also recognised their achievements.

In Profile – Yarrabah School

In 2008, young people were involved in revegetation of the Mordialloc Creek. As well as planting, they cleared litter and explored the quality of the water alongside young people from Mordialloc College and staff from Kingston City Council.

Through the project, young people learnt how to prepare the ground for planting, use equipment and handle plants. They also developed relationships with their peers in a mainstream school setting and made a positive contribution to their community by stabilising the bank by planting grasses along the creek and clearing litter to make the area more attractive.

Young people were also involved in decision making, including the continuation of the partnerships, project timelines and celebration activities. As a celebration and recognition of their achievements the students were invited to attend an overnight camp to the city and had an end of year BBQ with the Mordialloc College students.

Web Site Updates

DPCD's websites are progressively being updated to reflect the changes following the establishment of the department. This means you will continue to see some references to the Department for Victorian Communities (DVC) as changes are being made.

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