The model is intended to change the notion that education only happens when students assemble for instruction in a collection of special buildings. Education should become an inter-relational experience encouraging intellectual exploration, interaction and learning with a community focus to create an environment for learning to provide young people with solid foundations for lifelong learning.
The City Links program approach conceptually integrates many different collaborative partnerships between the school, local government, community agencies, business and other education institutions. Thus, the varied and various links form part of a coherent strategy. Partnership activities include programs with:
- SA Police: the ACTIVE8 Youth Challenge, 2 year Youth Leadership and Citizenship Program;
- Adelaide City Council providing an active voice in Youth Forums and youth input to the CBD Redevelopment, Environment Trails, mentoring of Primary students and supporting their involvement in City Link Programs, Peer Support Training for senior students and other projects;
- TAFE: VET Languages, Hospitality and Electronics;
- Centre for Performing Arts: Dame Roma Mitchell Dance Program the VET Entertainment Certificate;
- CBD business: work placements, Young Achievement Australia, Youth Export @mbassadors ;
- Inner Northern Adelaide Partnership: VET viticulture, music, architecture, automotive, childcare, hospitality, retail and construction;
- Technology School of the Future: Notepaq technology, laboratory school;
- Old Scholars: cricket mentors and career pathways mentors;
- SA Museum: Computer Palm Pilot project developing electronic guided trails;
- Multi-Cultural Education Department: Human Rights Forum.
Inara Gehling who coordinates many of these activities, points out that linking these varied activities into a single educationally consistent philosophy of experiential learning counters the feeling of fragmentation which sometimes accompanies moves to open schooling out along all these disparate lines. The virtue in students gaining a sense of their community is that many of these students – even though they go to school in the CBD – did not know what the City had to offer, nor whether they would be welcome to take up some of the options and opportunities even if they did know. As one student said of the Police Studies Camp:
We were told we would learn much during these three days, but none of us could have imagined all the wonders we experienced. The camp, like the year’s course, was unpredictable and amusing…a great success.
SOURCES:
Interview with Inara Gehling, Coordinator Enterprise and Vocational Education at Adelaide High School, March 2003 and written materials supplied by her and updated April 2004.