J&S Room Southee 4

EVENT PROGRAM SYDNEY, 23 - 24 JUNE 2004

VENUE MAP SYDNEY SHOWGROUND SOUTHEE COMPLEX

The Learning Choices Expo is the place to be if you have a passion for creating learning environments in which young people of secondary school age can thrive and learn whatever their abilities, backgrounds, or personal circumstances.

1 Showground Road, Homebush Bay NSW 2127 Tel: (02) 9704 1244 Fax: (02) 9704 1173

THANK YOU Dusseldorp Skills Forum would like to thank all of the presenters who have taken the time and effort to contribute to the Expo along with the following individuals and organisations: Expo Reference Group Janine Debenham Alan Grasset Murray van der Veer and Janet Cousens National WRAPS - Suellen Taylor Northern Sydney Institute of TAFE Hornsby Campus Riverina Institute of TAFE - Albury Campus - Dave O'Donnell

South West Sydney Institute of TAFE Granville Campus The HOON GOONZ - UWS Professional Experience 3 students Moree East Primary School The Beach School Silverhair - The Band Verbal Essence

Dusseldorp Skills Forum (DSF) 1 Glebe Street, Glebe NSW 2037, Australia ph: 02 9571 8347 fax: 02 9571 9703 www.dsf.org.au

www.dsf.org.au/learningchoices

WEDNESDAY 23RD JUNE If at first you don't succeed, don't try skydiving. Try learning options. That's the message from more than 60 youth participants at the Learning Choices Expo.

While drawn from areas as disparate as Cape York, Sydney's Eastern Suburbs and Manurewa in New Zealand's North Island, the youth participants share a knowledge that while all major life changes are The attendance of these young people gives this stressful, the alternative to change is a rut, a trap, a event its human dimension. While delegates consider brick wall. Most people take the easy option and the technical strategies involved inproviding effective avoid risking change. The courage of these youngsters learning options outside the classroom setting, the in pioneering alternative learning options is an Expo also plays host to program participants who are example to all. the proof of the pudding. They are the real pioneers of an alternative learning culture that will benefit tens Their Sydney itinerary includes Outward Bound of thousands of others ... and they don't need any activities aimed at creating team-building skills, plus a convincing that it works. chance to participate in vocational skills workshops. They can choose to attend a WRAPS workshop in The program participants are here not only to beauty, hairdressing, retail and floristry, or a Granville demonstrate initiatives that are helping them TAFE workshop in painting and decorating, brick reconnect with educational and skills training laying, welding or photography. pathways, but to swap notes on their own frustrations, hurdles, experiences and successes, and At Learning Choices Expo, they will share ideas and to pick up skills that will assist them inside and experiences, share a pride in presenting their own outside their individual learning environments. successful programs, benefit from vocational skills,

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 8.00 – 9.00 am

Registration. Tea and coffee on arrival.

9.00 am

Introductions & Welcome. Colin James (MC) Colin James is one of Australia's leading Corporate Trainers, working extensively throughout Australasia and the Asia Pacific region consulting, designing, implementing and delivering training programs across a diverse range of subjects. Welcome to Country. Allen Madden, Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council Opening Address. Jack Dusseldorp, Dusseldorp Skills Forum

9.40 am

YOUTH PARTICIPANTS PROVIDE THE HUMAN DIMENSION

Not back to the 70’s!!! Good practice in learning alternatives. Roger Holdsworth, Australian Youth Research Centre, University of Melbourne Roger discards the flares and funky music and argues learning alternatives meet contemporary learning needs. But what have we learnt over the past 30 years or have we come full circle? Why are alternatives still needed and what are the ingredients for success?

Parallel to the Expo Program is a lively Youth Program that provides motivation and self-development workshops and conducts team building activities. The Youth Program is conducted by Dave O'Donnell, a psychologist and senior counsellor attached to NSW TAFE’s Riverina Institute. Dave has conducted a number of professional development programs for TAFE, and will be assisted in the Expo Youth Program by Hoon Goonz - a team of trainee teachers from the Education Faculty of the University of Western Sydney who will be mentors for the young participants.

10.10 am

Initiating the Expo Communiqué. Eric Sidoti, Strategic Options and the Dusseldorp Skills Forum

10.20 am

Expo Showcase - Session A. Teams of young people from 20 programs around Australia and New Zealand will strut their stuff. The teams represent innovation in real learning and engagement by young people.

Part of the agenda is a performance by Brainstorm Productions - a theatre group which produces in-school performances about issues confronting young people. Titled Cheap Thrills, the show focuses on that split second when we find ourselves at a crossroad and need to make a choice or take a risk that could change our lives forever. It's about taking responsibility for the choice we make, and using the consequences in a positive way.

motivation and self-development workshops and team building activities, plus enjoy the rewards of their hard work - the trip to Sydney, a first for many, dining out in Chinatown, an IMAX movie, and a night tour of Sydney.

It will have particular relevance to young participants who are living by a decision to extend their education in a form to which they can more easily relate, and who have achieved conspicuous success in being selected to present their program from around 60 programs considered for the Expo.

Delegates may - or may not - leave Learning Choices Expo unanimous in the value of providing alternative education options, but the youth participants involved in showcasing their programs will have the value of their decision to seek alternative education well and truly reinforced.

Someone once said there's not a single pressing need in today's society that skilled professionals can't immediately respond to with a conference.

Please attend the Showcase that you are registered for, as per the accompanying schedule. Balga Senior High School Young Parents + No Dole Drama, WA BEE Strong Program (Burnside Engaging Education), Campbelltown, NSW City East @ Randwick College, TAFE NSW Sydney Institute, NSW Enterprise Education: School’s Bazaar, QLD FLAME: SFF Skills for the Future, Noosa Youth Service, QLD Healthy Active Resilient Kids (HARK) - Sorell School, TAS Optimal Learning, Ballarat, VIC SMART POEMS Program, Beenleigh Area Youth Services, Eagleby, QLD Studentworks, Launceston Student Workshop Inc, TAS Switching on Learning through Audio - SYN FM, Melbourne, VIC

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 11.20 am

Morning Tea.

11.45 am

Expo Showcase - Session B. Please attend the Showcase that you are registered for, as per the accompanying schedule. Adelaide Hills Vocational College, Mount Barker High School, SA Birribi and Spanners- Brooks High School, TAS Boys from the Bush, Cape York Partnerships/Cape York Land Council, QLD Centre Education Programme, Logan City, QLD Cessnock District Learning Centre, Cessnock, NSW Northside High School Student Support Centre, Canberra, ACT SYC's (Service to Youth Council Inc) Transition Programs, Adelaide, SA Taonga Education Centre, Manukau City, New Zealand The Island, Collingwood College, North Fitzroy, VIC Key College, Youth off the streets, Surry Hills, NSW

12.45pm

Lunch.

1.45 pm

Expo Showcase - Session C.

2.45 pm

Discussion and Afternoon Tea. Special Interest Meeting Points.

SHOWCASE PROGRAMS

WEDNESDAY 23RD JUNE

Adelaide Hills Vocational College [SA] Jennifer Cook [email protected] STUDENTS Benson Hunt Ashleigh Bryan Ben Standing

STUDENTS Shardae Maxwell Leanne Greenough Siobhan & Jackson McDonagh Chelsey & Zachariah King Nakita & Tommy Stephens Amber & Roshaan McClintock

STUDENTS Tara Taylor Andrew Moulang Monica Biel

An opportunity for people from like-minded programs to meet and exchange ideas. 3.15 pm

Expo Showcase - Session D.

4.15 pm

Brainstorm Productions present: Cheap Thrills. Cheap Thrills, with humour and a touch of drama, explores how young people make sense of the contradictions and mixed messages of the worlds of adults. Is life really about "do as I say, not do as I do"?

5.15 pm

Close.

6.30 pm

Expo Dinner – Novotel Hotel, Sydney Olympic Park.

STUDENTS Abia (Casper) Ingui Kirri Blarrey Godfrey Kerry

iNsiDe tHe eXPo - Movie Challenge Graeme Bottomley Jim Dastler

Josh Thompson Josh Seymor Annalei O’Connor

Move over Spielberg, as the Mount Beauty Secondary College film crew document the trials, triumphs and tribulations of the student teams at the Expo. Check out the film on the Learning Choices website post Expo.

STUDENTS Joshua Nielson Bobby Tieman Caitlin Viney

Adelaide Hills Vocational College combines SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education) with TAFE courses, work experience and community programs. Most lessons are taught at Mount Barker TAFE. A range of local community agencies and organisations provide support. There are no bells, no yard duties, no detention or time-out, no boundaries at recess or lunch and no uniforms. Balga High School – Young Parents and ‘No Dole’ Drama program [WA] Jackie Fatnowna [email protected] Christina Parry [email protected] The Balga Senior High School Young Parents program meets each individual’s needs with a holistic approach to support them to become strong well-rounded parents and invaluable members of their community. ‘No Dole’ Drama uses a range of structured workshops and performance tasks to explore conflict resolution and mediation, public speaking, impromptu speech making, breathing and relaxation, body language, status and improvisation. BEE Strong Program [NSW] Nicole Salmon-Seivers [email protected] The UnitingCare Burnside / Links to Learning Program targets Year 7 & 8 students and adheres to principles of strength-based practice where students recognise and mobilise their strengths and resources toward solutions to life difficulties. This learning environment enables young people to be educated while participating in everyday life activities, such as budgeting, shopping and goal setting. Boys from the Bush [QLD] Milton James [email protected] The Boys from the Bush program is a social enterprise program for young Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders living on Cape York Peninsula between the ages of 12 and 18 years. The program uses the production and sale of native oils and related products to help young participants break the cycle. It helps in the transition from boyhood to manhood, play to work and provides pre-employment skills. Birribi & Spanners – Flexible Programs, Brooks High School [TAS] Robert Fleming [email protected] A whole-school approach - students are involved with car restoration, motorcycle rebuilding and sales, BMX bike rebuilds and sales, murals, Aboriginal craft, multiple art genres, equipment maintenance, antique restoration, basic landscaping, a gifted and talented art program, leadership training and many individualised programs supporting the ongoing social development of all students involved.

STUDENTS Daniel Grahame Renee Marshall Taurian Nain

Operating for 18 years, the Centre Education Programme (CEP) provides educational pathways for young people who cannot access mainstream education. CEP educates in the following areas; literacy, numeracy, SOSE, outdoor/environmental education, technology and arts. Attendees are encouraged to make a commitment to the following principles; Respect, Safe and Legal, Participation and being fair dinkum. Cessnock District Learning Centre Inc. [NSW] Anne-Marie Doolan [email protected]

STUDENTS Kate Taylor Chris Parkinson Bo Margin

This Links to Learning / Students at Risk program aims to develop skills, experience and confidence in their students. Around 40 students in the Cessnock LGA attend this off-site program each year. The programs include Literacy, Numeracy, Certificate 1. Computers, Physical Education, Senior First Aid Certificate, Life Saving and a demanding adventure/camping program. CityEast@Randwick College [NSW] Josephyne Oliveri [email protected]

STUDENTS Greer Ewing Apostalia Mauris Victor Condogeorges

Teachers work with and alongside students in an adult learning environment. The relationship between staff and students is extremely positive with shared respect and concern for the individual. Through negotiation with staff each student has their learning program custom built. It operates in an adult environment and offers academic, vocation and social skill development programs for 16-19 year olds. The program aims to link each student into an industry of their choice. Enterprise Education: School’s Bazaar [QLD] Louise Earnshaw [email protected]

STUDENTS Bianca Anderson-Adams Tiffany Sims Kara Sweetman

At Enterprise Ed: School’s Bazaar students develop new ventures from a passion or opportunity by constructively using their maverick behaviour. Through the process of business development the need for literacy, numeracy, technology and interpersonal skills is apparent; leading to relevant, rewarding learning and career alternatives.

SHOWCASE PROGRAMS

SHOWCASE PROGRAMS

Centre Education Programme [QLD] Dale Murray [email protected]

HARK (Healthy Active Resilient Kids) [TAS] Steve Jenner [email protected] STUDENTS Anna Gordon Dannica Pridmore David Hutchinson

Northside High School Student Support Centre [ACT] Colleen Meadley [email protected] STUDENTS Jess Smith Scott Fitzgerald Philip O'Hara

The Flexible Learning and Alternative Mobile Education (FLAME) programme is negotiated with students who choose activities and projects of interest to them. Students over a period of a term are challenged about the way in which they interact with peers, family members and community. Specifically, relationships with significant people in their lives are examined and discussed.

NHSSC works for 8 high schools who partly fund its operation and is staffed by a teacher and youth worker in a youth centre. In a flexible, supportive environment the students are provided with an educational program that is tailored to their individual needs and addresses academic and social skills. To ensure that all students benefit from individual attention, enrolments don’t tend to rise above six students. Optimal Learning [VIC] Graeme Brooks

STUDENTS Trista Johnson Ashley Robison Casey Hetherington Renee Dover

[email protected]

Optimal Learning, an RTO, provides accredited training in an environment where young people are given responsibility for the culture, the leadership and the code of honour by which they operate. Optimal Learning uses its own unique methodology, part of which comes from Spiral Dynamics and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Every participant in Optimal Learning contributes their skills and qualities to create a stimulating learning culture that respects differences in values and learning styles. SMART POEMS Program [QLD] Michelle Hildebrand [email protected]

STUDENTS Ryan Izatt Samantha Brook Glenn Burrows

FLAME – Noosa Youth Service [QLD] Steve Coolican [email protected] STUDENTS Matt Weston Jamie Franklin Koree Hazlegrove

HARK is based on the belief that alienated youth can develop positive attitudes towards learning and community participation if they are able to develop a strong personal relationship with a significant adult. The restoration and repair of Mini Minors, Mokes and other motor vehicles, catering (through our Hard Rock Café), gardening, boat repair, computer access, Physical Education, woodworking and metalworking are among the particular interests catered for at HARK.

SMART POEMS is a holistic program that works on the issues that are important to most young people. It operates on the premise that young people are the change agents in their own lives. It supports them on their journey through education, employment, personal development and the creative ways that they experience these. A distance education curriculumis used and youth workers support the students. SMART POEMS is voluntary and hands back responsibility and control of planning to the young person. Studentworks [TAS] Linda Farrington

STUDENTS Amber Coleman Ashley Roberts Dean Richardson

[email protected]

Studentworks, an incorporated body, enables students to achieve nationally accredited work-related competencies as well as increased confidence in their own ability by working alongside experienced qualified trade instructors in the manufacture of products to commercial standards. In short, Studentworks is a small competitive manufacturing business that enables students to learn about the world of work by working in such an environment on alternate weeks of the school year.

SHOWCASE PROGRAMS

THURSDAY 24TH JUNE

SYC’s Transition Programs [SA] Sarah Bishop [email protected] STUDENTS Michael Danieli Jessica Cameron Joel Monier

SYC’s Transition Programs offer young people aged 14-21 years a range of accredited and non accredited programs that focus on recreation and adventure, personal development, managing emotions, literacy, numeracy, work readiness and life skills. Community volunteers, sporting personalities and the police are engaged as mentors, providing additional support and role modelling to young people. SYN FM - Switching on the Learning through audio [VIC] Simon Goodrich [email protected]

STUDENTS Dominic Evans Esther Hurley Kera Ropley

90.7 SYN FM is a full time community radio broadcaster dedicated to the youth of Melbourne. With at least half the presenters being under 18, SYN FM provides an alternative classroom and publication point to engage young people of all abilities. It is the only radio station of its kind in the world. Since last January, over 1000 students from 60 educational providers have presented live-to-air pieces.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 7.30 – 8.30 am

Registration. Tea and coffee on arrival.

8.30 am

Welcome back and the day ahead. Colin James (MC)

8.45 am

Reflections on Day One: Comments from rapporteurs. Rob Long, Australian Catholic University, ACT Roger Holdsworth, Youth Research Centre, University of Melbourne Rob and Roger will pull together the lessons from the student showcase and present the key challenges for participants on the final day of the Expo.

9:15 am

Taonga Education Centre [NZ] Erana Doolan [email protected] STUDENTS Marjorie Rogers Ane Halahingano Fetokai Eileen Te Hairuku Davis

Taonga Education Centre is a teenage mothers' programme run from a Tikanga Maori (indigenous) perspective. The mums complete secondary education level whilst learning parenting and life-skills, including gaining their driver’s licence and completing first aid courses. Babies are catered for on-site and interactive parent-child programmes are included in the curriculum. The Island [VIC] Anne Broadribb

STUDENTS Beau Macklin Jason Dearing Pierre Apii

[email protected]

For around 30 years The Island has provided hands on training for young people. Students work in trade-based workshops to gain skills to get them apprenticeships/further training. All workshops work as mini-businesses to complete projects for customers. Students can choose hospitality, automotive, construction, engineering, horticulture or furniture making. Students are enrolled in Certificate II in their chosen field and in Victorian Certificate and Applied Learning (VCAL). No teachers are employed in the program. The workshop instructors are tradesmen experienced in their particular field. Youth Off The Streets – Key College [NSW] Bernadette Eviston [email protected]

STUDENTS Quang Tri Tran Annielea Veness Nicole Diamond

Key College is a small accredited high school in Surry Hills set up to cater for 8–10 homeless youth offering education for Years 7–12 and also support students to gain School Certificate and HSC. Key College takes a holistic approach to education, offering individual learning programs to help students overcome barriers such as drug addiction, crime and homelessness to lead positive and healthy lives.

Learning Alternatives: Keys to opportunity. Rev. Bill Crews, The Exodus Foundation, Sydney Bill Crews argues for learning alternatives as powerful pathways for young people facing multiple barriers to learning. By combining innovative approaches to learning and addressing other needs, young people have the opportunity to develop skills and become confident about themselves and their future.

9:30 am

Workshop - Session One. Please attend the Workshop that you are registered for, as per the accompanying schedule. Tackling Risk: a challenging program in profile. Amanda Webster, WAYS Youth Services, NSW Jo Poynter, Salvation Army OASIS Youth Support Network, NSW A program meeting the learning needs of young people on the edge, emotionally, physically and socially. Here’s how they do it. United We Stand: building a community of practice in New Zealand & Australia. Isopo Samu (Samu), Alternative Education Whangerei – Co-ordinator, NZ Alternative education is thriving in New Zealand. There is an impressive range of exciting programs and approaches, innovative ideas, and a particularly strong tradition in indigenous education. The New Zealand Government is backing practitioners with policy recognition as well as explicit encouragement and support for networking and development among practitioners themselves. This workshop offers some tantalizing food for thought from our trans-Tasman cousins and an opportunity to discuss ideas, actions and the development of an Australian Community of Practice.

THURSDAY 24TH JUNE

THURSDAY 24TH JUNE

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Metamorphosis: when a school becomes the alternative. Merv Hammond, Balga High School, WA Christina Parry, Balga High School, WA Warren Pill, Brooks High School, TAS It is possible for a whole school to learn from the individual programs it develops. When it does, new opportunities emerge to the benefit of all: students, staff and their own community. In this workshop, practitioners from two high schools at the opposite ends of our wide country tell their stories, share their insights and offer suggestions for those who dare to imagine schools doing it differently. The pros and cons of an alternative program being part of the system: VCAL / SACE / ACE. Arden Joseph, Victorian Qualifications Authority Rod Bauer, Senior Secondary Assessment Board of South Australia Delia Bradshaw, TEXTCRAFT Educational Consultancy, VIC The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning, the South Australian Certificate of Education and the Adult and Community Education sector are challenging the notions of 'mainstream' and 'alternative'. But can our education systems reformthemselves or are alternatives experiencing a new way of being marginalised? Policy-makers and practitioners will discuss what is happening and what the possibilities are. Poetry in motion: the POEM pilots two years on. Gerri Walker, Youth Education Centre, SA Paul Altschwager, Youth Education Centre, SA Greg Bryant, Department of Education, Science and Training, ACT Andrew Williamson, TOTeM, Victoria University Established as a result of Footprints to the Future (May 2001), the Commonwealth Government's POEMs (Partnership Outreach Education Models) initiative was aimed at connecting disengaged young people to flexible and accredited education and training and tackling the barriers hindering their ability to succeed in the mainstream. The work shop will include an overview of POEMs and present the results from two projects - the Youth Education Centre (Adelaide) POEM which has a strong focus on young people in juvenile justice and TOTeM, at Victoria University (western Melbourne), which uses an intensive social and community engagement framework. Real Learning Real Futures Bob Phillips, Derwent Valley, Department of Education, TAS Graham Speight, Rosetta High School, TAS Ten schools in Tasmania’s Derwent Valley are working together in a ground-breaking project to re-engage students through collaboration, partnership and authentic learning. This workshop focuses on successes to date and the challenges ahead. 10.30 am

Discussion and Morning Tea. Special Interest Meeting Points. An opportunity for people from like-minded programs to meet and exchange ideas.

11.00 am

Who doesn’t have real choice? John Ainley, ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research), VIC

To what extent are young people who are compelled to be at school actually there? What is the level of truancy, and school exclusions, suspensions and expulsions in Australia? Using the latest data John Ainley, the head of research at ACER, will look at what is reported and what is not, and test the policy implications. 11.25 am

Panel discussion: How can learning alternatives succeed? Viv White, Victorian Schools Innovation Commission Graham Speight, Rosetta High School, TAS Kaye Schofield, Kaye Schofield and Associates, NSW Leading educationalists discuss how learning alternatives can succeed for students and communities.

12.05 am

Have we got what it takes? The skills, rewards and recognition needed for teachers, youth workers and others in learning alternatives. Christine Owen, Australian National Schools Network, ACT In a workshop format, Christine will engage Expo participants in an extended conversation about the skills required to provide young people with authentic learning opportunities. Together participants will address ways to deal with practitioner burn-out and renew the practitioner workforce. How can we improve the status and recognition of those involved in the delivery of learning alternatives?

12.50 am

Lunch.

1.30 pm

Workshop - Session Two. Please attend the workshop that you are registered for, as per the accompanying schedule. Educational rights are worth more than the paper they’re written on: advocacy skills and know-how. Simon Moran, Public Interest Advocacy Centre, NSW Eric Sidoti, Strategic Options and the Dusseldorp Skills Forum State Governments rely heavily on a legislated obligation for young people to attend school with several States now raising the school-leaving age as a key plank in their school retention strategies. But just what obligations do these Governments have to provide a quality education? That’s the question we put to PIAC (the Public Interest Advocacy Centre). This workshop offers you the opportunity to consider the key findings of this important new report and to use those findings as a vehicle for honing your advocacy skills. Working the web. Lisa Kuhne, Central Gippsland TAFE, VIC Internet based learning is proving to be successful with students, not only engaging them in learning but teaching basic computer skills as well. Lisa Kuhne will share some great websites and programs that have proven successful with their students.

THURSDAY 24TH JUNE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS What makes a sustainable program: lessons from Victoria. Peter Cole, PTR Consulting, VIC The Victorian government has recently examined the alternative learning sector in that state: who do the alternatives cater for, what are students actually learning, what are the critical success factors, and what is needed to ensure learning alternatives are viable. Peter Cole speaks about what the sector thinks, is doing and what the possibilities are.

Australia is not an island: learning from international experience. Dale Murray, Centre Education Programme, QLD Russell Kerr, Hands on Learning, VIC Dale Murray and Russell Kerr are alternative educators whose practice is being shaped by recent visits to learning alternatives overseas. Schools and programs with innovative pedagogy, curricula and confronting ideas in the United States, Italy, Britain and New Zealand will be showcased in a discussion about what Australian practitioners can learn from overseas. What Works: issues around learning and training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Cindy Hales, Learning and Engagement Centre, Education, QLD Muriel Eddleston, Indigenous Education & Training Alliance, QLD What Works is a nationwide program based on research regarding outcomes for indigenous students. It looks at an action strategy to improve these outcomes and works across age groups from early years to vocational pathways. This workshop looks at issues around learning and training for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students focusing on awareness, forming partner ships and sharing good practice. Cindy will share examples of the What Works program from the far northern districts of Queensland. 2.30 pm

Plenary Session. Key messages from the Expo including the communiqué

3.00 pm

Message from the students. Concluding remarks. Jack Dusseldorp, Dusseldorp Skills Forum

3.30 pm

Expo finishes.

Jack Dusseldorp, Dusseldorp Skills Forum Jack is currently Chairman of the Dusseldorp Skills Forum. In 1999, he was elected President of WorldSkills (reelected in 2003), the International Vocational Training Organisation. He was Founder, Executive Director, and Chairman and is still a Board Member of the WorldSkills Australia Foundation (previously WorkSkill) a national not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to raise the status and standards of vocational training and work skills. Jack has Degrees in both Social Science and Law and his working life has included time with the Law Foundation, the Evatt Foundation and heading up the Office of Youth Affairs in the Prime Ministers Department in 1985. Roger Holdsworth, Australian Youth Research Centre, University of Melbourne Roger Holdsworth is a Senior Research Fellow at the Youth Research Centre. He was a secondary teacher for many years, has extensive experience in the community youth affairs sector, and is particularly interested in the development of programs to support youth and student participation, particularly in schools. Roger also teaches within the Education Policy, Schools and Society subject. He is editor and publisher of Connect (the newsletter of youth participation in education). Eric Sidoti, Strategic Options and Dusseldorp Skills Forum Eric has extensive experience in public policy development, analysis, strategic planning and communications. He established Strategic Options, a small consultancy, in 1992. Since then he has developed long-term relationships with a small number of clients, principally the Dusseldorp Skills Forum. Rob Long, Australian Catholic University Rob has been a teacher for more than 30 years at every level in the education sector. He has taught across South Australia country regions, Sydney Met West and in the ACT in government and non-government schools, TAFE and University. Rob currently lectures in Research Methods, Management and Leadership and the Master in Youth Studies program with ACU National. He also consults in education, training and development for the WorkWise Group and SafeMAP. Rev Bill Crews, The Exodus Foundation Bill became Director of the Crisis Centre at the Wayside Chapel in 1972. He established the first type of modem youth refuge in Australia. Early in 1978 he became involved along with the Rev. Ted Noffs in creating the Life Education Centre which are now all over Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand, New Zealand, England and America. In 1986 he was ordained the Minister of the Ashfield Uniting Church there he created the Exodus Foundation to assist homeless and abandoned youth and other people in need. Rev. Crews was included in the National Trust's 100 "National Living Treasures" in 1998 and was awarded an Order of Australia (AM) in 1999.

PRESENTERS BIOGRAPHIES

Mentors, mentors everywhere but what difference do they make? Megan Moore, Marist Transition School, VIC Jan Noake, Plan-It Youth, NSW Mentoring programs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but some programs still stand out from the crowd. Join some of the country’s more experienced mentoring program practitioners who will not only present their own programs but will open discussion on the place of mentoring as a particularly effective element in a broader support strategy for individual young people.

Colin James (MC) Altmore International Colin James is one of Australia's leading Corporate Trainers, working extensively throughout Australasia and the Asia Pacific region consulting, designing, implementing and delivering training programs across a diverse range of subjects. He is Managing Director and Principal Trainer of Altmore International, the training company he established in 1989.

John Ainley, ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research) John Ainley is Deputy CEO of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and Research Director of its National and International Surveys Program. Dr Ainley is currently involved in the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth, which studies the progress of young people in Australia through school, post-secondary education, training and work. He has conducted major research studies of the social development of young Australians, the development of literacy over the first five years of school and socioeconomic status and school education. In the area of post-compulsory education, Dr Ainley has conducted national surveys of subject choice and reports on work-based learning programs for senior students and the course experiences of university students.

Graham Speight, Rosetta High School, Tasmania Graham Speight is the Principal of Rosetta High School, a comprehensive co-educational school in Hobart’s northern suburbs. Graham has been the principal of a number of schools and has been active as an author and consultant over a number of years. This is Graham’s third year at Rosetta High School where he is leading a significant change process. He also leads the Real Learning/Real Futures Project which is centred on the ten secondary schools of the Derwent District. Kaye Schofield, Kaye Schofield and Associates Kaye is one of Australia's leading independent commentators, researchers and policy analysts in the field of adult and vocational education. Kaye chairs the NSW Board of Adult and Community Education and the South Australian TAFE Board and is an ex officio member of the NSW TAFE Board. She is also a Trustee of the Dusseldorp Skills Forum and of the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust. Christine Owen, Australian National Schools Network Christine Owen is National Coordinator of the Australian National Schools Network (ANSN), a position she has held since early 2002. With previous experience as National Project Manager at the Australian College of Educators and more than thirty years experience as a secondary teacher, curriculum consultant and professional development coordinator (ACT and NSW), Christine brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to national and local projects in teaching and learning.

PRESENTERS BIOGRAPHIES

Viv White, Victorian Schools Innovation Commission Former National Coordinator of the Australian National Schools Network, Viv White, is now the Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Schools Innovation Commission (VSIC). With more than thirty years experience in both the education and policy-making sector, Viv is renowned for her innovative thinking and challenging perspective. Viv is committed to working closely with teachers and school communities to build collective knowledge about the education practice. She believes that only through systematically sharing professional knowledge and practice will real improvement for students be possible.

WORKSHOPS

Paul Altschwager

Arden Joseph

Warren Pill

Rod Bauer

Russell Kerr

Jo Poynter

Delia Bradshaw

Lisa Kuhne

Isopo Samu

Greg Bryant

Megan Moore

Gerri Walker

Peter Cole

Simon Moran

Amanda Webster

Muriel Eddleston

Dale Murray

Andrew Williamson

Cindy Hales

Jan Noake

Merv Hammond

Bob Phillips