Sixteen disengaged teenagers have become the first graduates of a 10-week flexible learning program at Woodstock in west Logan.
The program, run by four local high schools – Yarrabilba State Secondary College, Park Ridge SHS, Flagstone Community College and Beaudesert SHS – at the Tamborine farm, helps disengaged students from local schools by teaching entrepreneurial skills, environmental projects, and personal development.
Head of Department for the program Arrian Hannebach said its goal was to teach students that “learning is a part of life”.
“The whole purpose is to try and re-engage them into learning and recognising social and emotional feelings,” he said.
“It is a holistic approach to just being a better human, a better you.”
The program has led to a 90% attendance rate with teenagers who Mr Hannebach says “are great kids, just not the best students”.
“Being here every day, you don’t always notice that 1% improvement, but external people have seen the changes,” he said.
“We’ve had parents say they’ve seen an increase in work ethic at home and improved relationships with their siblings.”
They also learned practical skills with students servicing lawnmowers, planting native trees and cooking thanks to support from local businesses and sponsors.
“It doesn’t sound like much, but for boys on the cusp of going down the wrong path, this can be life-changing,” Mr Hannebach said.
With their newly found cooking skills, students designed a menu and held some BBQ fundraisers to donate money back to the program.
“We wanted them to recognise their impact on others, make better decisions, and be able to vent their energy in positive ways,” said Mr Hannebach.
For Mr Hannebach, seeing the boys graduate with self-respect and self-worth was a proud moment in his teaching career.
“I can relate with these boys because I was obviously a teenager like them at some point in my life too,” he said.
“They were all smiling and they were all happy, so just knowing that you’re hitting the mark certainly brings a smile to our faces.”
