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Takysha’s Story – learning from the wise

As part of their Personal Development Skills unit, the Senior and Intermediate VCAL class at the Yarra Junction campus of YVCS have been visiting the Estia Nursing Home in Yarra Junction on a weekly basis. The following is Takysha’s story.


Elderly people can face a wide range of difficulties. They may be facing problems with their moods such as becoming depressed, experiencing the loss of loved ones, and also watching their friends need help and feeling helpless themselves.

For a 12-week period this year, I shared 2 hours each week with Florence, a resident from Estia Nursing Home in Yarra Junction. I learnt through conversations with Florence that a big thing that brought on depression was watching her friends slowly start to lose themselves and deteriorate medically. She said that she’s been with the Red Cross for decades and has always been able to help people and now she can barely help herself. It’s also the little things that can become overwhelming for the elderly, like for a passionate writer who with age loses the ability to write, a footballer who can no longer run. These are massive losses to people; to slowly start losing small components that help make who they are.

There might not be a cure for these symptoms but there is a massive way to help them and anyone can do it, and this is what our class has been doing this semester. We have been visiting the nursing home in Yarra Junction and spending time with the residents there. We don’t have to do much, just find some spare time to bring a smile to someone’s face, and just sit down with them, have a coffee and talk. We can gain knowledge from these people and they can learn from us too. As humans we are social creatures and this is imbedded in us all, but as we get older we lose our social network.

Throughout my whole experience with Estia Nursing Home and Florence I saw firsthand how life changes with age. I gained patience, learned to appreciate the value of teamwork, and most importantly I made a new friend. It was great sharing stories, looking at photos and laughing. I know that I will never forget my time with Florence. It was beautiful to see her eyes light up every time I walked into the room, to know I could talk to someone without getting judged. It was very rewarding to be a part of such a lovely program.

These are the types of programs that our VCAL students participate whilst studying at YVCS. For further information on our youth education services, click here.

More memorable moments from YVCS

From billy carts to hungry hippos – more memorable moments from YVCS

This year the entire Yarra Junction campus of Yarra Valley Community School (YVCS) have enjoyed many memorable moments, with two of the standout highlights being the Great Billy Cart Races in Warburton and the Human Hungry Hippos at St Joseph’s Primary School hall.

The Billy Cart Race began with a process of each year level designing and building a cart together for their class. OH&S issues were discussed and strategies implemented for both the building and racing phases. The building, planning and deployment of the races were all used as a part of the student’s learning requirements and outcomes for the Work Related Skills Strand.

When Race Day rolled around, so did the bad weather, but this did not deter the students. Their carts were all painted up with team racing colours, with some students donning gear to make them race faster and everyone was debriefed with the aim of the game: to beat the clock, not each other.

The weather created some slippery surfaces and a few rather hilarious stacks. Thankfully no one was injured, due to the protective gear that was compulsory to wear if the students wanted to give the carts a go. The teachers and staff were very pleased to see the students contributing to the various tasks such as pushing, carrying, supporting and, of course, laughing. Another great sight to see was everyone working well as a team.

A particular race day highlight was when student, Stephanie, unveiled her racing costume. Stephanie dressed as Mario from Super Mario Bros., complete with banana peel! Her first race ended in a stack, banana peel included, but she blitzed her second trial, winning her the title of fastest video game character of the Great Billy Cart Races of Warburton!

“This whole assessment was very enjoyable, including the planning and the building of the billy carts, and the culmination of racing them in the rain on Race Day. I’d say it was probably the most enjoyable assessment we’ve done all year!” Lachie McKenzie – Foundation VCAL student

The second memorable event held by YVCS was a game of Human Hungry Hippos. This event was held at St Joseph’s Primary School in Yarra Junction, who kindly offered the use of their hall to stage this human size game of the kids’ board game Hungry Hippos, yes that’s right human sized game.

YVCS students prepared for the game over the weeks leading up to the event, making trolleys, allocating roles and planning the running of the activity. They had to put into consideration any potential OH&S issues that might arise from the activity and work on strategies to minimise the risks associated with these potential issues.

On the day the students split into their teams, with some people lying tummy-down, helmets on, on the carts as the nominated ‘hungry hippo’, while others pushed the carts into the centre of the hall, where the ‘hippos’ could gather balls. The team members then hauled their ‘hippo’ and stash of balls back to their corner of the hall. The objective being the team that hauled the most balls back to their station won the game. This proved to be one of the most popular activities the kids participated in with loads of laughter and big smiles had by all.

If you don’t know what Human Hungry Hippos entails, have a look at the game being played on YouTube! Thank you to St Joseph’s Primary School for the use of their hall.

If you would like to know more about our youth education services and VCAL programs click here.

YVCS November was a big month

The Yarra Valley Community School had another great month. Lots of activity and some celebrations were the highlights of a very productive month.


Photo shoot for the new brochure

Image of the YVCS brochureBoth campuses got involved in a professional photo shoot for the official YVCS brochure. The students who participated were really enthusiastic and helped our marketing department by role playing scenarios that could be featured in the final artwork for the brochure. There were many laughs during the shoot, the students were able to do the odd ‘Blue Steel’ and other poses to make the occasion an enjoyable one.

A huge thanks to those who participated and thanks for the support from Lisa Angus Photography.

The brochure is now available at both YVCS campuses and reception at the community house in Yarra Junction and the Mt Evelyn office, so if you haven’t seen it be sure to pick one up on your next visit.


Congratulations Harley

Image of Hayley Lubeck with his awardYVCS student Harley Lubeck (middle) was recently awarded the Ian De La Rue Youth Initiative Award, along with four other outstanding young locals for his contribution to the community. The award was presented by the Warburton and Yarra Junction Community Banks and is named in honour of the late Ian Delarue, inaugural chairman of the Upper Yarra Community Enterprise (Warburton Community Bank). It is presented annually in the spirit of Ian’s commitment to our community and his passion for encouraging young people to strive for excellence and to be active in and contribute to their local community.

Harley, who was nominated by Tony Aulich of Yarra Junction Football Netball Club (YJFNC), has without exception demonstrated a maturity and clear passion for his area. Harley recently completed his VCAL at Yarra Valley Community School (YVCS) as well as actively participating recently in the Warburton Skate Park initiative and a co-organised fundraiser for war veterans.

Harley  assisted the YJFNC by taking on an array of responsibilities after the death of club stalwart Peter Wadsworth. Tony says, “Harley has stepped up and has continued the type of work that Peter did putting up his hand for anything that’s asked. He has never missed a night, or a day, and is reliability and initiative personified.” Harley also coaches the after-school kids football program through YJFNC.

Harley was recognised not only as a community leader but a role model to other young men, “He shows other youth they can do it,” said Tony.

Among the audience when the awards were presented was Tony Aulich and YVCS Yarra Junction VCAL Coordinator Karen Swankie, who are both extremely proud of Harley’s achievement.


Image of Karen Swankie and Liz NunnPositive outcomes with Anglicare

On Wednesday 18 November 2015, Anglicare – Linking Youth and Families Together (LYFT) and YVCS celebrated their collaborative working partnership. Students were recognised for making positive changes, setting goals and embracing life improvement skills. All staff were present to celebrate this partnership with a very delicious sponge cake that was enjoyed by all.

LYFT service is an element of the Substance Use Recovery (sURe) program that assists young people and their families experiencing difficulties associated with alcohol and drug use.

“Over the past two and half years I have had the privilege of working with the staff and students at YVCS. I worked at YVCS as their Drug and Alcohol Counsellor rachieving some successful outcomes.

YVCS has worked extensively with Anglicare to deliver programs and services to those at risk young people; to support their engagement in education and training, reduce anti-social, unhealthy behaviour, provide positive benefits to the community with very positive outcomes.

I am honoured to be part of such a fantastic youth program which is not only beneficial to the future of the lives of these youth people, but to the community of the Yarra Ranges.”
Elizabeth Nunn – Youth and Family Councillor – Anglicare 

“This has been a marvellous program and the students have participated enthusiastically. Liz has established a wonderful relationship with each of the students involved.”
Tony Aulich – YVCS Education Support


If you would like to know more about our youth education services and VCAL programs click here.

Keith’s Story – passing year 12

Prior to attending Yarra Valley Community School (YVCS) I was in mainstream schooling. At that school I only got along with three teachers and a handful of students. I used to get bullied there and the teachers wouldn’t help me when I asked.
In year 10 I came to YVCS, which gave me a chance to start over and grow. I was nervous at the start but what made it easier was that I had been doing my automotive certificate there so I already knew a couple of kids which was helpful.

In the beginning I lacked so much motivation and it wasn’t until the 2nd year that I realised that you can’t just mess around because the work won’t get done by itself.
I feel like I really matured at this point. YVCS helped me grow and it provided with a place to be safe and be away from the negative things that I encountered at mainstream school.

Around this time my dad kicked me out of his house and this school gave me all the support I needed.
This was the motivation I needed to make change in my life for the better. In making that change I passed year 12 which I think will make a huge impact on my life. I knuckled down and did so much work that I didn’t even believe I could achieve when I started. It was great to have my teachers believe in me and keep pushing me.
Even though I had a rough year, I think it’s one of the best years I have had at any school. I also feel like I have contributed to something. I thank the whole school for helping me grow. I learned things that I wouldn’t have learnt anywhere else. They gave me a place to be safe and to be myself.


Keith’s story is just one of many that the Yarra Valley Community School has inspired. If you would like to know more about our youth education services and VCAL programs click here.

YVCS is awash with plastic bag free enthusiasm

The Senior and Intermediate VCAL class at Yarra Valley Community School (YVCS) Yarra Junction campus, have been working on an ‘environmental awareness’ campaign focussing on a plastic bag free initiative as part of their Work Related Skills subject. The Upper Yarra region is supporting the Plastic Bag Free Warburton movement, which aims to make the township of Warburton plastic bag free.

The students have been busy designing, screen-printing, and selling reusable calico bags as a way to encourage the community to go ‘plastic-bag free.’ These bags are available from the Yarra Junction campus or from Village Greens Organic Store for $4.00 each. They have been very popular with limited stock now available, so call to secure yours now; however, don’t fear the students are prepared to produce more in order to help the cause.

Plastic Bag Free Warburton  was established in September 2013 and has consistently been raising awareness during 2015 with numerous events; including a film night in July, a bag making workshop as part of International Crochet Day, and the Sew Warburton group which have been creating and giving away reusable bags for locals at events such as ECOSS’s Spring Festival and Warburton Primary School’s Springfest.

The dedication of our students and this fabulous local group are making a brilliant impact on the way locals are shopping. Well done to all involved.


The following article was written by one of our Intermediate students, Bridgette Cronin, who encourages you to think about the impact that plastic has on the environment.

YVCS Students encourage you to go plastic-bag free!

Plastic has been a significant part of our lives since the 1950s; globally we use over 260 million tons of plastic yearly. Seeing a plastic bag fluttering around in the wind is a site that we’ve all become used to. And while we know, to a degree, about the impact this has on our environment, I’m not sure that some of us actually know how serious this ‘plastic plague’ is getting. Did you know plastic isn’t biodegradable? It photo-degrades; which means that the plastic just breaks up into smaller pieces littering the environment around it.

We all know that the majority of marine debris is made up of plastic, but do you know exactly how much? 80%! That’s right, 80% of all marine debris is, in fact, made up entirely of plastic debris. Ever heard of the Pacific Trash Vortex? Well, it is an area the size of Texas and comprises garbage, dead animals (that have been choked or poisoned by plastic) and plastic, which makes up 90% of the trash vortex. And the horrific part is that it’s not the only trash vortex, just the biggest one.

This is why some of the students here at YVCS are trying valiantly to raise awareness about the harm that plastic bags do to our environment. We hope to encourage the community to get rid of this plastic menace by purchasing reusable canvas bags that some of the students have personally designed and painted. These bags are only $4 each and available at YVCS campus and at the Village Greens Organic store in Yarra Junction. Help us rid the environment of this plastic threat for good!


To find out more about UYCH youth education services click here or call 1300 835 235

Letter of appreciation for making a difference

If you have been following our blog you will already know about the hard work our VCAL students did to ensure the Milking Cow and Goat Project (run by the Rotary Club of Healesville) was a success. By raising over $1000 they were able to pay for 5 acres of maize seed to be planted and grown, ensuring that the Kenyan children have a regular supply of food. If you missed the previous articles be sure to click the link below to bring yourself up to date with all the good work the kids have been doing.

This week our CEO, Gus Seremetis received a thank you letter from Wilma Best (Project Manager – Rotary Club of Healesville) and we thought it would be nice to share with the community their appreciation.

I am writing to thank the Foundation VCAL students for their outstanding achievement, having raised $1018.00 to support orphans and needy village children at a primary school in Kariakomo Parish, Chogoria, Meru, Kenya. The orphans and poor village children have little or nothing and this Rotary humanitarian project is striving to feed and nurture the children using sustainable farming methods.

I came and presented slides and provided information to the students, in the presence of their teachers and I really felt the empathy for these Kenyan children from these VCAL students. My visit was as a result of meeting Tony at a meeting of my club in Healesville. Now the funds raised by the students are already helping the children.

There is a 30 acre plot watered from a river and as Manager I am attempting to raise enough funds to plant the remaining 15 acres in seed and bananas to reduce hunger and help the children achieve at school. The VCAL funds were enough to buy Maize seed to plant five (5) acres. Maize is a staple food and when available it is eaten all year round.

I sincerely hope you will pass on this message of thanks to the student group as I really admire what they achieved with the encouragement of their teachers.

Yours sincerely
Wilma Best

Other articles of interest
YVCS Students making a difference – posted 17-09-2015
YVCS Students making a difference – posted 08/07/2015

To find out more about UYCH youth education services click here or call 1300 835 235

YVCS Students making a difference part 2

You may have read our blog  “Students making a difference” posted 08/07/205 about our two VCAL Foundation classes at the Yarra Junction campus of Yarra Valley Community School raising money to support orphans and primary school children in Kariakomo Orphanage in Kenya through the Milking Cow & Goat Project run by the Rotary Club of Healesville.

The students managed the project with one goal, raise as much money as possible to make a difference. The main fundraisers that took place were a sausage sizzle and raffling off a trailer load of wood. They drew the crowds in with the smell of a BBQ and once a sausage had been sold, they tempted the public with a chance to win firewood to keep them warm during winter.

Originally it was hoped that the students would raise enough money to buy a goat or two for the community, but with the money raised they have been able to pay for 5 acres of maize seed to be planted and grown, ensuring that the Kenyan children have a regular supply of food.

The students of YVCS raised over $1000 which is a great achievement and showcases their dedication to this project. To say thank you for all their hard work they were invited to celebratory BBQ hosted by Healesville Rotary, with club members Wilma, Bruce and Don providing a lovely lunch to be enjoyed any all in attendance.

YVCS students enjoyed bacon and egg rolls and sausages and onion on the BBQ. Once the food was all gone, Wilma Best, Project Manager for the Milking Cow & Goat Project, presented the students with a framed certificate of achievement and appreciation.

“The fundraising project has been a great experience for the students, teaching them not only entrepreneurial skills, but helping them to build their social conscience in reaching out to other children in the world, not just in their own backyard.” Willa Vale –  VCAL Foundation Teacher

Well done to all involved! 

To find out more about UYCH youth education services click here or call 1300 835 235

Student art for all to see

At the start of the year, the Yarra Valley Community School was offered 3 projects that they could work on for their personal development skills unit. Graffiti Art was one of the projects which ran for six months. Graffiti artist Brad Colling lead the project team with Kelly Charman (YVCS Teacher) which covered a wide range of graffiti skills that included; t-shirt screen printing, canvasses and the star attraction the Men’s Shed sign.

The project wasn’t just making works of art, the students also learnt about the effects of graffiti in the community and graffiti removal. Sessions on this topic were conducted by Mark and Julie Hanman (Yarra Ranges Council Youth Services Officer) which saw the kids get involved with graffiti removal and helped them gain an understanding of the difference between street art and vandalism.

The main project was the sign for Ben’s Shed in Yarra Junction, this being the star attraction the students got out amongst the community to gather feedback and listen to suggestions. The first step was to have a meeting with the Ben’s Shed committee to discuss the history of Ben’s shed, and what they would like to see on the sign. This consultative approach was driven by the students who met frequently with shed members to ensure the project was on track and to their liking. They researched the history of Yarra Junction and spoke to local business to get approval for the sign as well as spending many hours planning and designing the sign. Drafts of final design were presented to Ben’s Shed on regular basis to get approval after which they came back with suggestions.  Once the sign got final approval the students started the big task of sanding, painting, stencilling and spraying the sign.

O’Shannassy Ward councillor Jim Child officially opened the sign launch and thanked the students and everyone involved for all their hard work.  Takysha Gammon (Student -YVCS VCAL Senior) did a great job presenting to the crowd about the project and the steps taken to create the artwork piece. Other speakers included, Leigh Hardy (Ben’s Shed), Julie Hanman (master of ceremonies), Brad Colling and Kate Kite (Ben’s Shed Treasurer) who presented certificates of appreciation. Many people attended this event to celebrate a project that set about connecting young people with older members of the community.  The final result complements Ben’s Shed with additional signs still to be erected over the coming months that aim to add colour and fun to the main street of Yarra Junction.

“The highlights for me was seeing it all come together. Months of planning really paid off and students benefited from the interaction with other community members”. Kelly Charman YVCS Teacher

“Linking young people with the community for me was the main highlight. The students were eager to learn and put in the hard work to get a positive result”. Brad Colling Graffiti Artist

“Graffiti vandalism (tagging) is a problem within our community. The students took a known problem and made it into an art form to be appreciated”. Julie Hanamn (Yarra Ranges Council Youth Services Officer)

A big thank you to Julie Hanman and Mark from the Shires, Brad Collings, Ben’s shed committee members and Karen Swankie (YVCS VCAL Coordinator).

Overall the project was a huge success with the community benefiting from having a new sign at no cost to them and having the opportunity to engage with young people.

For further information on Ben’s shed visit their Facebook page or to learn more about our youth education services click here.

YVCS Students gain skills on mental health

Yarra Valley Community School was successful in obtaining funding via Yarra Ranges Youth Services Resilience funding program. Using this grant we sourced and implemented a training program with all the Yarra Junction campus VCAL students. The training was called teen Mental Health First Aid (teen MHFA) which  was conducted in term 2 this year.

The course consisted of three full sessions of facilitated workshops which gives students the skills they need to recognise and help with mental health problems and the signs to look for in friends, and how to get the help of an adult quickly. Young people often help each other when they are feeling upset or stressed. The course gave attendees the tools needed to seek help and not take on the problems that a friend may be experiencing alone. Similar to the well-known physical First Aid the course covers the basics of mental health disorders which includes; how to recognise symptoms to help and when to call for external supports. At the completion of the three components the students were issued with a certificate which comes with international recognition.

The essence of the course is for the students to familiarise themselves with mental health language, supports and processes for referral within the broader community. The aim was to destigmatise mental health labels and increase the individual student’s mental health literacy.

To celebrate their efforts in undertaking this at times confronting training, the students were treated to a warm homemade lunch each week followed by a game of basketball to unwind at the Yarra Centre in Yarra Junction.

“The students really enjoyed the course and gained skills that will assist them well into their futures which is what our education programs strive to do. Proud to have participated and warmed all those student belly’s”. Kerry Ditcham YVCS Student Wellbeing Officer

Huge warm and wonderful thanks to Denise Warmington for running this brilliant program.

Congratulations to the students who achieved their certificates. 

To find out more about our VCAL program click here or call 03 5967 1776 Yarra Junction and 03 9736 1457 Mt Evelyn.

YVCS Students making a difference

The Milking Cow and Goat Project – YVCS students raising money for orphanage in Kenya.

Foundation VCAL Students from the Yarra Junction Campus at YVCS are currently working with the Healesville Rotary Club to raise money for The Milking Cow and Goat Project which supports orphans and primary school children in Kariakomo Orphanage in Kenya. These children live in extreme poverty, dying of starvation and diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Malaria. 300 orphans and poor children attend school and their daily intake of food consists of some beans and maize and ¾ glass of milk. Once a week they get one egg and a banana so as you can see they really need our support. The students have developed fundraising projects to support the purchase of cows and goats that will provide more milk for the children.

As a part of this project the students came up with some great ideas on how to raise the funds needed to make sure their milk supply doesn’t run out. The first initiative was to run a raffle, being winter a decision to make the prize a trailer full of fire wood was a winner. So off they went making a flyer and putting them up in local businesses to spread the word. They took to main street of Yarra Junction with their trailer full of wood to promote and sell tickets. Their entrepreneurial  skills didn’t stop there as they held a sausage sizzle at the same time, so customers could purchase a ticket while waiting for their banger in bread, good thinking on their part. Their hard work has paid off as they have raised over $1000 and they still have more ideas up their sleeve, so be sure to keep an eye on our website and blog for more fundraising activities to take part in.

If you’d like to support this fantastic fundraising activity come into UYCH Main Office – 2463 Warburton Hwy in Yarra Junction to purchase your raffle tickets – $2 each or 3 for $5. The raffle will be drawn Wednesday 5th of August so there is plenty of time to purchase a ticket or three.

For more information on The Milking Cow and Goat Project visit www.cowsandgoatsproject.org.au

If you would like to know more about our youth education programs click here.