MELBOURNE INDIGENOUS TRANSITION SCHOOL

Excerpts from The Age Sunday 17 March include:  "Over the last three years, 56 remote and regional Indigenous boys and girls have undertaken year 7 studies at the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS) before moving on to undertake the rest of their schooling at partner schools.

Currently, girls who finish the year 7 program are either sent to boarding school or to host families. The new girls-only alumni boarding house will enable students to remain with the MITS after year 7, allowing them to maintain cultural ties and continue the relationships formed in the first year of the program.

Boys who complete the year 7 program go on to study at schools including St Kevin's College and Brighton Grammar. 

Year 7 students at the MITS use classrooms inside Richmond Football Club's Punt Road facility to prepare for further studies at a range of government, Catholic and independent schools.

Students at MITS have come from 16 Top End communities and three regional Victorian communities, the majority of whom speak English as an additional language or dialect.

Donna Nadjamerrek, from Gunbalanya in Western Arnhem Land, said MITS made her children "feel good because they are surrounded by other Indigenous people – their culture is strong."

"MITS gives our kids the best of both worlds. Giving kids the best chance in life means going to school regularly, achieving a good school education and moving onto further education or employment," she said.

Richmond CEO Brendon Gale said we have seen first-hand the power of MITS to change lives. "To have their learning space embedded at Richmond Football Club is a privilege, and the support announced today reflects our shared vision to drive change through education and opportunity,”  he said."


Share this with your friends