Community Archives

Lend a Hand and UYCH

20-06-2016/0 Comments/in Cire Children's Services, Cire News, Community Projects, Information, People in the community/by Cire

Lend a Hand is a not-for-profit (NFP) organisation that provides opportunities for unemployed people to build strong community partnerships by undertaking projects in their community to benefit their community.

Recently UYCH and Lend a Hand embarked on a joint project for the UYCH Family and Children’s Services’ (FACs) Mt Evelyn campus to upgrade a playground. This means that the children who attend the centre will benefit from the work of Lend a Hand volunteers and the volunteers themselves will gain transferable skills to take into employment. The project will take six months to complete and will provide opportunities for a team of ten volunteers to learn new skills and work in their community.

The children at FaCS Mt Evelyn are very happy to see how their playground is shaping up and the Lend a Hand volunteers are happy to have enthusiastic onlookers.

About Lend a Hand
They bring together skilled trades people and the enthusiasm of participants to run projects that allow people to learn and gain valuable experiences whilst making a difference to the community.

Lend a Hand is a Victorian and Queensland based NFP organisation delivering a variety of community projects for the benefit of the public. These projects assist providers to keep case-loaded job seekers safe, create sustainable employment opportunities along with additional Work for the Dole (WFD) openings for jobseekers.

How they operate
They support jobseekers by giving them an opportunity to gain skills and experience with on the job training. Safety is paramount so the provision of appropriate equipment and safety gear is also provided to maintain OH&S requirements.

Now for the best bit, job creation
Offering this service allows Lend a Hand to have a unique point of difference for jobactive providers, by developing sustainable entry level jobs for jobseekers along with added single or group based WFD opportunities as a by-product of using our service. They will up skill newly employed workers with industry recognised accreditations and certificates moving them on to partner employers to generate additional entry level openings. Many jobseekers have gained the skills required and through this program have gone on to secure permanent employment.

For further information about Lend a Hand call Penny Houben – 0434 003 751 or email penny.houben@lendahand.org.au or simply visit their website.

Community programs – getting students involved

20-06-2016/0 Comments/in Cire Community School, Cire Good news stories, Community Projects, Community Support, People in the community/by Cire

Community programs are an important part of our Yarra Valley Community School’s (YVCS) curriculum. Students gain transferable skills that can help them in the future and also play a part of giving back to the community they live in. Last year the Senior and Intermediate students from YVCS polished up their entrepreneurial skills by creating and running several social enterprise projects. The students developed their own small businesses which they ran in the local community. Money was raised which was then donated to causes that they felt could use their support. These social enterprises included:

School canteen
Car wash ‘Oh my gosh it’s a car wash’
Making and selling beauty products
Growing garden seedlings for selling
Teaching basic computer skills to grade 6 Steiner School students
Providing a landscaping service that included mowing and gardening for elderly and disabled members of the community
Native animals mentoring project – students helped build boxes for the animals with boys from the Mt Evelyn Primary school

These businesses proved to be a great success with funds being raised to help orphans in Bali and a donation to Anchor to support young people dealing with homelessness. They also used some of the funds to pay for their own year 12 graduation dinner.

On Monday 22nd of February they had a visit from Heidi Tucker (CEO) and Lisa Stockheim from Anchor. The students were presented with a certificate of appreciation and a thank you letter for our donation. Lisa had a great discussion with the students about the causes of homelessness and the services that Anchor provides. They also asked how the students would like the money spent. By engaging with the students and having them take part in the decision making it was decided that the money would be spent on food. The students felt that food was the best choice as it would benefit the most number of people. Several of the students were quite disappointed that the funding around homelessness is so inadequate and said they wanted to help more in the future.

“What an inspiration these students are, most coming from disadvantaged backgrounds themselves and their main goal is to help others – we are very grateful for being a part of the 2015 program and look forward to 2016, keep up the great work” Heidi Tucker – CEO Anchor

“The students felt great about being able to help people in need and gained a lot of skills that they can add to their resumes and help them get employment.” Mark Hunt – YVCS Coordinator

“This is totally awesome being able to donate to these great causes.” Sean – VCAL student (in image above)
The experiences gained through these community programs have helped the students prepare the projects for 2016. Due to the success of last year’s social enterprises some of the same projects will make a return along with some new ideas.

The Social Enterprise Project is supported by the Victorian Government.

This isn’t the first time the students have raised money for people in need, check out what they did to raise funds for a Kenya orphanage last year.
YVCS Students making a difference
YVCS Students making a difference part 2

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

Study tips to help you succeed…

04-02-2016/0 Comments/in Cire Training, Tips/by Cire_Admin

Study tips

It’s a big step to make the decision to get back into study when you haven’t studied in a while… it can be overwhelming.

It can make you start to doubt yourself and question whether it’s all worthwhile, but we can assure you that it is.

You may experience challenges and have some fears about studying again, but there are many ways to overcome them. The key is to be organised so here are some tips to help you successfully gain the qualification of your choice.

1. Make the Time
You need to make time to study, add it to your schedule. Allow this time to focus on your study.

2. Schedule Everything
Include school dates in your appointment/diary including when assignments are due. If using electronic devices schedule reminders to ensure deadline and commitments are met.

3. Make Your Situation Known
Discuss at the start of the course any barriers you may have to completing the qualification. Come up with a plan to achieve your goal with your trainer.

4. Use the Buddy System
Study buddies are a great idea, because you’re accountable to someone other than yourself. They can also give you someone to discuss what has been covered in class.

5. Make Study Time a Family Event
Make a time where everyone is doing their homework. You can lead by example and show them how important it is to study.

We hope these tips are helpful and remember trainers are here to assist so if there are any road blocks that need addressing, talk to your trainer who will be happy to assist you.

For further information on UYCH Community College Nationally recognised training courses click here.

Takysha’s Story – learning from the wise

22-12-2015/0 Comments/in Cire Community School, Cire Good news stories, Cire News, Cire Youth Services, Community News, People in the community/by Cire_Admin

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

18-12-2015/0 Comments/in Cire Community School, Cire News, Cire Youth Services/by Cire_Admin

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

07-12-2015/0 Comments/in Cire Community School, Cire Good news stories, Cire News, Cire Youth Services, Community Projects, Community Support, People in the community/by Cire_Admin

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

Both 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

YVCS 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.

Positive 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.

YVCS is awash with plastic bag free enthusiasm

11-11-2015/0 Comments/in Cire Community School, Cire News, Cire Youth Services, Community News, Community Projects, Community Support, People in the community/by Cire_Admin

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

Little green thumbs having loads of fun

28-10-2015/0 Comments/in Cire Children's Services, Cire Good news stories/by Cire_Admin

During the recent school holidays, our kinder aged children were encouraged to try out their green thumbs at out Mt Evelyn Children’s Centre. With the help of their educators they planted alfalfa seeds on wet paper in little cups, and beans and peas in pots and in our garden. When our kinder teacher came back at the start of term they had already sprouted, and the children were delighted to see the little seedlings get taller each day.

It didn’t stop there, last week they de-seeded the dried sunflower heads that they had grown last summer in preparation to plant. The children enjoyed getting their gloves on and pouring potting mix into the egg cartons that had been collected. Each having a go at planting some of the little seeds. They also planted broad beans a few months ago, and these are now growing beautifully in the tyres in our yard. They are flowering at the moment and the children hope to get some beans from them soon.

Using books, pictures and posters they discussed the life cycle of the sunflower, as well as other plant life-cycles at group time. The children have also enjoyed using these same materials to research, discuss different plants, and eventually they will decide what they will be planting in our plot in the community garden next door.

These activities all have connections to our Early Years Learning Framework, which is our guide in curriculum and programming. The areas this is described as incorporating are:

Community – exploring the relationships between living things and notice the changes that occur to them.
Learning – making connections between the processes of planting and having enthusiasm and confidence to take part.
Communication – contributing their ideas to the discussions. Overall it is getting children in touch with nature, and the joy of seeing and hopefully eating what they’ve grown.

UYCH Early Childhood Education and Care services have proven to be an excellent choice in the valley. Recently our Yarra Junction Children’s Centre received an accreditation of Exceeding by the Department of Education and Training. If you would like to know more about the accreditation and our services click the links below.

UYCH Children’s Centre – exceeds expectations
UYCH Family and Children’s Centre

Cerini Centre inspires a vision

21-10-2015/0 Comments/in Community News, Community Projects, Community Support/by Cire_Admin

At UYCH we are always looking to further support disadvantaged youth in the Upper Yarra.

We are currently undertaking a “Research Evaluation Project for Disadvantaged Youth in the Outer East”, funded by the Warburton and Yarra Junction Community Bank branches, which focuses on educational and social needs for youth aged 12 – 15 years who are at risk of disengaging.

The Cerini Centre had been used by UYCH for its VCAL and “Step Ahead” program students for eight years and the project will conduct a needs-based research evaluation of this cohort, in consultation with other stakeholders such as Yarra Ranges Council and Anchor.

“There is definitely a gap in the services available for youth in this age group” said CEO Gus Seremetis, “UYCH wants to change this to ensure these young people don’t slip through the cracks simply because they can’t access the educational programs to support them.”

The research project will review and evaluate existing provisions. The outcomes will identify and determine the strategic direction and service model UYCH will implement to develop a viable and sustainable program.

Geoff Vickers, Executive Officer of the Upper Yarra Community Enterprise, who operate the Warburton and Yarra Junction Community bank branches says, “ This project is integral to the future prospects for young people in our towns, and for the wellbeing and prosperity of our whole community.”

It is estimated that 120 – 150 local youth will benefit from this initiative along with their immediate and extended families.

Plans are underway to utilise facilities in the catchment and the Cerini Centre in Warburton is being considered. Father Charles Cerini was a passionate and tireless community member, who had a strong focus on community education, so as a legacy to his memory the Cerini complex is a fitting tribute.

If you would like to participate in a quick 5 minute survey that will assist this valuable project, click here.

Letter of appreciation for making a difference

29-09-2015/0 Comments/in Cire Community School, Cire Good news stories, Cire News, People in the community/by Cire_Admin

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