St Patrick's College has a new partner to help support its Indigenous students and work to improve their educational and life outcomes.
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It is the first non-government school in Victoria, and one of only a handful of schools, to adopt the Clontarf Foundation's Academy model which sees two foundation staff embedded in the school to directly support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
About 50 Indigenous St Pat's pupils, including 18 boarders from the Northern Territory, are part of the program which remove barriers to school, emphasises attendance and offers extracurricular activities and camps.
"Our commitment to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students has been in place since about the early 2000s ... and we have had some success doing great things but the experience and structure of the Clontarf Foundation and their program is something that was attractive to us," said St Patrick's College principal Steven O'Connor.
The Clontarf Foundation supports thousands of young Indigenous men in schools across Australia through in-school academies, though it has only recently expanded into Victoria.
"We believe education is pivotal," said Clontarf Foundation Victorian regional manager Ben Djuve.
"Our number one job is to get boys to school, to remove all barriers to them accessing education whether that's support with bus pick up, breakfast, uniforms, books or utensils they might need at school, and we want to keep them at school.
"We run jam-packed extra-curricular activities around the pillars of wellbeing, leadership, sport, education and employment ... that build the capabilities and skills of the boys and before you know it they are there enjoying school."
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They also support the boys through their post-school transition to further study or full-time work.
Two Clontarf staff work full time at the school. The school pays about a third of their salary and the foundation covers the rest through government grants and philanthropic support.
"One of the wonderful things about Clontarf Foundation is their experience in supporting Indigenous boys," Mr O'Connor said.
"It is specifically designed to support young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and boys at school; it's about getting them connected and involved in school program, they have a really strong focus on the importance of boys attending class and participate in class, and wonderful programs working with local businesses to provide workplace opportunities ... that allow the boy to become independent as they make their way through school."
