What do Geelong CATS, The Magistrates’ Court of Victoria, and CFA have in common?
All three were part of a team of agencies and organisations who helped make our Justice Education Program possible at North Geelong Secondary College (NGSC)!
Over the course of 10 interactive sessions, Year 11 VCAL students heard from a range of speakers on justice education topics and support for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse young people.
“The Justice Education Program has been hugely beneficial for students in Year 11 VCAL completing their outcomes in Personal Development Skills,” says Blake Fairchild, Year 11 VCAL teacher at NGSC.
“They have been given the opportunity to engage with members of the community in a range of different fields from Law Enforcement, Firefighters, Lawyers and members of the Geelong Cats Community. The students have learned a range of things that impact their day-to-day activities; from online safety, their rights and responsibilities as citizens, support for multicultural and diverse students and opportunities for future employment.”
Photos: NGSC Year 11 VCAL teacher Christopher Hosie with CatholicCare Victoria Prison Chaplains Aileen and Theresa.
For the last session of the Justice Education Program, students participated in a mock trial facilitated by Barwon Community Legal Service at the Geelong Magistrates’ Court, and were given certificates for their participation in the program.
"Everyone got to learn about different things like youth rights and child detention and lots of other different places like CFA. We also got to learn about lots of interesting facts, overall it was a fun and good experience," says Salwa Maalim, who participated in the program and is also a participant of our Settle Well program.
"Personally I would like every other class to go and experience the excursion too!"
Photo: Salwa Maalim, CatholicCare Victoria Geelong Settle Well client (left) receiving a certificate from Emma Cvitak, Lawyer from Barwon Community Legal Service, and Aravindan Trunavuckarasu, Operations Manager at Geelong Magistrates’ Court.
We thank NGSC and in particular Blake and Christopher Hosie for working collaboratively with us at CatholicCare Victoria to make the Justice Education Program a success!
We also thank Titit from the fOrT/City of Greater Geelong for organising transport and attending the weekly sessions, and a big thank you to our Justice Education Program partners: The Geelong Magistrates’ Court of Victoria; Geelong CATS; Deakin CATS Community Centre, Victorian Multicultural Commission; CFA District 7; CatholicCare Victoria’s Prison Chaplaincy team; Barwon Adolescent Task Force; VicPol Western Region Division 1; and Barwon Community Legal Service.
“The students have thoroughly enjoyed each session, excited with what they will be engaging with next and discussing this back at school and pondering their future pathways,” says Blake.
“A big thank you to all members involved in the running and organising of the program with special thanks to Nestor Estampa and Titit Nyak for their tireless work during the program.”
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