A Will & A Way: Transforming Lives through Education

1. A Will & A Way - Origins Louise Lawler – Executive Officer

2. A Will & A Way - Origins • Grew from noticing local Aboriginal kids were not transitioning ‘across the fence’ to CSU • 2004 – research identified discrepancies between HSC graduates • Commenced in 2005 in Dubbo College Senior Campus • Federal funding in 2007, 08, 09 then stopped. • Research base – proved it worked… well!

3. What is the Program? • External to State School system – on purpose • Federally funded & aligned to gov targets • Functions to “Close the Gap” ideology (fed this process) • Locally designed to suit local situation • Places a ‘significant adult’ into lives of children at risk • Whole-of-life approach includes home, family, social, cultural, emotional, health and welfare aspects as well as education.

4. What does it aim to do? • To rescue Kids at Risk (KAR) and either re- engage them in school or move them to the workforce • Provide an alternative for management of KARs • Liaise between school, family, community and local business community • Provide “de-facto parenting” at school • Support teaching staff with difficult & disruptive students. • To provide the lynch pin for kids, a stable, dependable base

5. Aims to… • To improve the life outcomes for KARs • To provide support and encouragement for kids to access work. • To improve behaviour and enhance learning and maturity • To assist every kid reach their potential • To ensure all kids are employable • To improve lifelong health, wealth & wisdom

6. Kids at Risk… • Generally have poor control over their own identity, security, belonging, love, freedom, fun and ultimately survival. • KARs look as though they are living ideal, carefree life but usually is anything but… • KARs appear to have too much personal freedom but in fact are severely restrained by own social situation • The only thing they can gain some control over - power. • If their personal power is challenged / threatened - they fight to protect it! • When they give up fighting they are lost…! • Demoralisation of these kids is very easy

7. Common Perceptions of AWAW • Reward bad behaviour • Remove kids from lesson and therefore away from learning • Pamper poor achievers • Is a soft touch and enable kids to get away with bad behaviour • Is an escape route for kids who don’t want to be in class. • We don’t understand school/classroom needs

8. Evidence Based Practice… • Program is evidence based – Close the Gap, Indigenous Disadvantage and Social Justice and Control Theory. • Kids have basic needs - • Survival • POWER • Love • Belonging • Freedom • Fun • But all are not equal… 95% of all discipline problems are misguided efforts of kids trying to get or hang on to personal POWER. • And most teachers have not been taught to share it…

9. Evidence base…The Gap • Six targets to address disadvantage faced by Indigenous Australians. They are: • close the gap in life expectancy within a generation (by 2031); • halve the gap in mortality rates for Indigenous children under five by 2018; • ensure access to early childhood education for all Indigenous four year olds in remote communities by 2013; • halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy achievements for children by 2018; • halve the gap for Indigenous students in Year 12 (or equivalent) attainment rates by 2020; and • halve the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and other Australians by 2018.

10. The Gap…Indigenous Disadvantage • It is no coincidence that Get Real works on 3 of the 6 • An additional one is soon to appear which addresses school attendance (Yr 1-10) … it is needed • The new report on Indigenous disadvantage will add this • It will also concentrate on, teacher quality, school engagement, juvenile diversions (School action areas) • AWAW is directly in-line to assist DET to achieve these • We need to and will work with all external agencies to achieve it.

11. AWAW offers kids… • Understanding • Encouragement • Time Out • A different way of behaving • Resilience building • Self-esteem building • A positive future in which they may be able to participate equally • Alternate source of ‘parental support’

12. AWAW offers teachers… • Assistance with bad behaviour • Assistance with poor learning • Somewhere to send problem students • Alternative to suspension • Help with classroom management • Tutorial support / catch up assistance • Family contact

13. Track record… • Works - Dubbo Wellington, Nyngan & Warren (3 -5 yrs and 700 kids) • Research – 15-55 unemployment cost $21 mil each • Made definitive difference for 39 young kids • = $819 million dollars savings to tax payers • Community supportive and involved- families felt supported and included • Business - larger employee pool • Juvenile crime rates dropped – 28% • Truancy rates dropped from 26% to 2% • School Happy!!! Teachers grew to be supportive

14. Managing difficult behaviour Sharing Power • Support • Encourage • Listen • Accept • Trust • Respect • Negotiate Difference External Control • Criticize • Blame • Complain • Nag • Threaten • Punish • Bribe (reward to control)

15. Managing behaviour… Don’t be part of the problem… • The only behaviour we control is our own • All we can give another is information • Our past IS what and who we are - but we can only deal with the now • All we do is behave • All behaviour is chosen - to deal with the now • All long lasting psychological problems are relationship problems

16. Managing teachers… • Practice sharing power with students • Don’t manage classes in a power draining way • Sharing power does not = relinquishing control • Exercising external control destroys relationships • This results is disconnection from teacher & therefore learning • Being disconnected is the source of almost all human mental issues including learning problems, addictions, violence, crime, academic/vocational failure and spouse and child abuse.