College move gives students a boost

Forty-five teenagers are being inspired by positive projections of their futures with Craig Davis College's move to the UOW Innovation Campus.

Not-for-profit organisation Youth Off The Streets, which runs the special assistance high school, celebrated the relocation last month of the college from what was once a juvenile detention centre in Cordeaux Heights.

College principal Aaron McDonald said the students could see opportunities in their new surroundings and start building connections. 

“You can't be what you can’t see – here, our young people have an opportunity to experience the university campus many years before they normally would,” he said.

The co-educational college supports students in Years 9 to 12 who are at risk of, or have already experienced, trauma or complex disadvantage, including homelessness. The school's foundation is built on the understanding that mainstream education doesn't work for everyone.

Youth Off The Streets CEO Judy Barraclough said not all young people received the support they needed to thrive in a mainstream school. 

"We provide trauma-informed and tailored education that supports these students as unique individuals,'' Judy says. ''And with this move, we're able to offer even more children and young people in Wollongong that specialised education.

"Our presence at University of Wollongong's Innovation campus will be a life-changing experience for them – it'll help them see what's possible with the talent, perseverance and creativity they already have. 

"I know that the spark that's within our young people, and their determination, resilience, and resourcefulness, will rub off on this place." 

The school moves away from the traditional classroom environment to offer a therapeutic web of support through which teachers work with students, not talk down to them. Supported by a multi-disciplinary team and a high staff-to-student ratio, students are equipped with passionate teachers, psychologists, counsellors and youth workers available on-site. The school aims to provide the stability and support necessary for students to reach their own ideas of success.

"What we endeavour to do is make sure that we don't try and fix the same problem with the same solution,” Aaron says.

“We really approach education in a different way. Our young people don’t have to go sit in a traditional classroom. They can experience opportunities that they wouldn’t normally get through high school in an environment that’s built for them.” 

The move to the Innovation Campus is central to the school's aim to ensure “every young person is defined by their potential, not their circumstances”, Aaron says.

Being embedded in a higher education environment provides students with exposure to a wide variety of pathways and careers. Students have the opportunity to gain work experience close to their support network and access opportunities in familiar campus settings. 

CDC has already established connections with various on-site facilities, including UOW College, the iAccelerate business incubator, on-site cafes and businesses, the 24-hour fitness centre and Woolyungah Indigenous Centre. 

"The opportunity is here for our young people to be in a really nice environment surrounded by places like iAccelerate,” Aaron says. ''The partnerships that the university is already giving our young people provides the opportunity for them to actually see what can become of their life and what they might be able to do in the future.''

Collaborative partners were present for the opening celebration, including UOW deputy vice-chancellor Professor Helen Partridge and Cunningham MP Alison Byrnes, who said she was "absolutely blown away" by the success stories she had heard about CDC students.

''All these things come together to make a really great start in life for so many people who have overcome such adversity in their lives. I am so proud of all of you for being here today," she said.

Craig Davis College supports 45 students and plans to expand to 65 students over the next 18 months. The intentional cap on enrolments will ensure the quality of the tailored support provided.

“We don't want to be a big school. We don't want 100 or 200 students,” Aaron says.

“We want to be able to make sure that our tailored support really helps our young people.”

Aaron thanked the staff, the UOW infrastructure team and the students for their collaboration and perseverance during the 18-month moving process.

"This space belongs to you," Judy told the students at the opening. "I really believe that us being here will make a magnificent and positive difference to this community".