YEAR 11 PROGRAMS
The Ballarat Immersion Ref : IM1
The Ballarat Immersion gives boys a chance to learn in partnership with students from Ballarat Specialist School ( BSS ), a P-12 school for young people with mild to complex intellectual disabilities . The school has three campuses – including a Farm campus ( a working café , bakery and various vocational learning areas in a rural farm environment ). The goal of the immersion is to work in partnership with BSS students to achieve their goals in :
• Developing vocational skills
• Working towards students living independent lives
• Experiencing leadership opportunities ( in a world where young people with disabilities often don ’ t get that chance )
• Developing social skills ( in a world where young people with disabilities are sometimes socially isolated )
• Combatting some misunderstandings about people with disabilities , and
• Creating community connections for BSS students
Boys will learn independent living skills ( including cooking and budgeting ), program development skills and tutoring skills . In some activities , they will learn from the BSS students ( e . g . baking skills ). In other activities , boys will take leadership ( e . g . help with running a sports activity ). Learning opportunities in the farm-like environment include :
• Cooking / baking skills ( in a commercial kitchen / bakery )
• Car and bike maintenance skills
• Physiotherapy / hydrotherapy ( working as an aid in physical therapy work )
• Woodwork ( working on building projects with students
• Horticultural skills and working with animals , sport , art / music
Time commitment :
• Most Wednesday in Terms 1 , 2 and 3 : Designing a program to work towards a specific goal for the Ballarat students . They will also learn relevant skills ( e . g . food handling , first aid , budgeting skills , knowledge and skills relevant to working with people with disabilities )
• Sessions with E . motion21 , a notfor-profit organisation that provides dance and fitness programs for children and young adults with Down Syndrome . Through performancebased activities and community engagement , E . motion21 aims to enhance lives for people with Down Syndrome and change perceptions of Down Syndrome within society . This will allow the boys to develop a relationship with these young people as they assist the dance students .
• Four day camp in the last week of Term 3 : Camping for a week in cabins at the BIG4 Ballarat Windmill Holiday Park – involved with budgeting , cooking and caring for their own living space ( supervised by staff who are nearby )
Program Levy : $ 750
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