Posts

Student art for all to see

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , /by

At the start of the year, the Yarra Valley Community School was offered 3 projects that they could work on for their personal development skills unit. Graffiti Art was one of the projects which ran for six months. Graffiti artist Brad Colling lead the project team with Kelly Charman (YVCS Teacher) which covered a wide range of graffiti skills that included; t-shirt screen printing, canvasses and the star attraction the Men’s Shed sign.

The project wasn’t just making works of art, the students also learnt about the effects of graffiti in the community and graffiti removal. Sessions on this topic were conducted by Mark and Julie Hanman (Yarra Ranges Council Youth Services Officer) which saw the kids get involved with graffiti removal and helped them gain an understanding of the difference between street art and vandalism.

The main project was the sign for Ben’s Shed in Yarra Junction, this being the star attraction the students got out amongst the community to gather feedback and listen to suggestions. The first step was to have a meeting with the Ben’s Shed committee to discuss the history of Ben’s shed, and what they would like to see on the sign. This consultative approach was driven by the students who met frequently with shed members to ensure the project was on track and to their liking. They researched the history of Yarra Junction and spoke to local business to get approval for the sign as well as spending many hours planning and designing the sign. Drafts of final design were presented to Ben’s Shed on regular basis to get approval after which they came back with suggestions.  Once the sign got final approval the students started the big task of sanding, painting, stencilling and spraying the sign.

O’Shannassy Ward councillor Jim Child officially opened the sign launch and thanked the students and everyone involved for all their hard work.  Takysha Gammon (Student -YVCS VCAL Senior) did a great job presenting to the crowd about the project and the steps taken to create the artwork piece. Other speakers included, Leigh Hardy (Ben’s Shed), Julie Hanman (master of ceremonies), Brad Colling and Kate Kite (Ben’s Shed Treasurer) who presented certificates of appreciation. Many people attended this event to celebrate a project that set about connecting young people with older members of the community.  The final result complements Ben’s Shed with additional signs still to be erected over the coming months that aim to add colour and fun to the main street of Yarra Junction.

“The highlights for me was seeing it all come together. Months of planning really paid off and students benefited from the interaction with other community members”. Kelly Charman YVCS Teacher

“Linking young people with the community for me was the main highlight. The students were eager to learn and put in the hard work to get a positive result”. Brad Colling Graffiti Artist

“Graffiti vandalism (tagging) is a problem within our community. The students took a known problem and made it into an art form to be appreciated”. Julie Hanamn (Yarra Ranges Council Youth Services Officer)

A big thank you to Julie Hanman and Mark from the Shires, Brad Collings, Ben’s shed committee members and Karen Swankie (YVCS VCAL Coordinator).

Overall the project was a huge success with the community benefiting from having a new sign at no cost to them and having the opportunity to engage with young people.

For further information on Ben’s shed visit their Facebook page or to learn more about our youth education services click here.

Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project
Image of YVCS Graffiti Art Project

Renos and revamps for the Children’s Centre

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

You could recently mistake the UYCH Family and Children’s Services Mt Evelyn centre for being like a scene from the Block with all the renos and revamps occurring.

After recently being lucky enough to receive a grant from the Yarra Ranges Council to renovate the main bathroom facility for our toddlers and kinder children, works were well under-way throughout June to revamp, freshen up and re-create a new, more functional bathroom and change room. This particular bathroom had been in serious need of remodelling for a while now, so the council came out, got our ideas and hopes, and created a bathroom with their tradesmen that educators and children alike are loving. The new look and extra storage have already got educators making plans on how to make the most of what we have been given.

UYCH and the staff at the Mt Evelyn children’s centre would like to thank the Yarra Ranges Council for their generous contributions and Urban Maintenance Systems for their practical knowledge in helping us get a new bathroom facility, making our centre even more fantastic.

Our garden and play area also received a revamp with fresh new soft-fall being installed in the bottom area of the yard. As many parents with children in the older rooms know, it had been getting steadily muddier out there for a while. Now while mud play is great for children, under climbing equipment we need the soft-fall to meet regulations and keep everyone safe.

We had over 20 metres of dirt and mud removed by bobcat driver Simon from Dinkin Dirt and replaced with lovely new soft-fall, making the garden area feel so much more fresh and renewed. Shane was quite the attraction while he was there, the children were fascinated with his machinery and his work. Even the builders going in and out for the bathroom renovation didn’t get as much attention as the bobcat digging out the yard. When Shane started in the morning, children were trying to get a look out of our sleep room windows just to check out the new garden area. As the older children moved to their rooms they wanted to be outside at the fence watching. Shane did a very good job and had it finished before lunch, which meant more time for our children to check it out and play. Thank you to UYCH management, maintenance and Shane from Dinkin Dirt for re-creating our lovely yard area.

If you’re looking for a fantastic local children’s centre for long day care or kinder, visit click here for more information or contact 9736 1918 for more information.

Image of the bathroom renovations for the UYCH Children's Centre
Image of the bathroom renovations for the UYCH Children's Centre
Image of the play yard renovations for the UYCH Children's Centre
Image of the play yard renovations for the UYCH Children's Centre
Image of the bathroom renovations for the UYCH Children's Centre
Image of the bathroom renovations for the UYCH Children's Centre
Image of the play yard renovations for the UYCH Children's Centre
Image of the play yard renovations for the UYCH Children's Centre
Image of the play yard renovations for the UYCH Children's Centre
Image of the play yard renovations for the UYCH Children's Centre
Image of the play yard renovations for the UYCH Children's Centre
Image of the play yard renovations for the UYCH Children's Centre

YVCS Students making a difference

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

The Milking Cow and Goat Project – YVCS students raising money for orphanage in Kenya.

Foundation VCAL Students from the Yarra Junction Campus at YVCS are currently working with the Healesville Rotary Club to raise money for The Milking Cow and Goat Project which supports orphans and primary school children in Kariakomo Orphanage in Kenya. These children live in extreme poverty, dying of starvation and diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Malaria. 300 orphans and poor children attend school and their daily intake of food consists of some beans and maize and ¾ glass of milk. Once a week they get one egg and a banana so as you can see they really need our support. The students have developed fundraising projects to support the purchase of cows and goats that will provide more milk for the children.

As a part of this project the students came up with some great ideas on how to raise the funds needed to make sure their milk supply doesn’t run out. The first initiative was to run a raffle, being winter a decision to make the prize a trailer full of fire wood was a winner. So off they went making a flyer and putting them up in local businesses to spread the word. They took to main street of Yarra Junction with their trailer full of wood to promote and sell tickets. Their entrepreneurial  skills didn’t stop there as they held a sausage sizzle at the same time, so customers could purchase a ticket while waiting for their banger in bread, good thinking on their part. Their hard work has paid off as they have raised over $1000 and they still have more ideas up their sleeve, so be sure to keep an eye on our website and blog for more fundraising activities to take part in.

If you’d like to support this fantastic fundraising activity come into UYCH Main Office – 2463 Warburton Hwy in Yarra Junction to purchase your raffle tickets – $2 each or 3 for $5. The raffle will be drawn Wednesday 5th of August so there is plenty of time to purchase a ticket or three.

For more information on The Milking Cow and Goat Project visit www.cowsandgoatsproject.org.au

If you would like to know more about our youth education programs click here.

Aged care, the new booming industry

/0 Comments/in , , /by

The aged care sector is one of the largest growing industries because we have an ageing population. Statistics show that the percentage of the people over 65 years old is predicted to increase by 18 per cent in the next five years. Based on this information you can confidently say that this industry is on the rise, which means more jobs for qualified aged care providers.

Trevor Carr (CEO – Leading Age Services Australia – Victoria LASA) said that “In the next 10 years we are talking about 60,000 more residential care places and infrastructure investment of $30 billion. An additional 30,000 home care places will be required, and when combined with residential growth this will create more than 80,000 additional jobs,”

We have already witnessed an increase of students this year and new aged care facilities being built to accommodate the growing ageing population.

As unemployment rises, people are looking for new career choices which offer job stability and satisfaction. One of the main reasons people decide to enter this profession is due to flexibility is hours and knowing that their contribution has helped people in going about their daily lives.

UYCH Community College and Newly Professional Carers have partnered together to maximise employment outcomes for graduates. Graduates who complete Certificate III in Aged Care and Home and Community Care CHC30212/CHC30312 will have access to to Newly services.

“Newly is very excited to work with UYCH in providing exciting career pathways for those looking to enter the aged care workforce, or even update their skill set.” Tony Pedroso – Newly Communications Manager.

“Once our students graduate they will have the option to meet with Newly who will help them with the next step, finding employment. This means UYCH can offer a complete pathway in this growing industry.” Alison Forbes – UYCH Community College Education and Family Services Manager 

Image of Alison - UYCH Education and Family Services Manager with Linda - Newly General Manager

Linda Meagher (Newly) and Alison Forbes (UYCH)

Our students were given a presentation by Linda Meagher (Newly – General Manager) on the services they provide and feedback we received was very positive. Many students commented on how hard it is to gain employment so having a service that will assist them in this area is a huge benefit.

This is an exciting time for UYCH and our students. Our aim is to provide the best in education and with Newly helping our graduates find employment our aged care pathway is complete.

If you would like to know more about our education services in aged and community care, click here.

UYCH Continues their support for Nepal

/0 Comments/in , , /by
Image of the Free Dress day fundraiser flyer

Last month we posted a blog article to raise funds for people of Nepal. The earthquakes have had a massive impact on the region and many organisations have come up with ways to help. UYCH has done just that by having a ‘Free Dress’ day for all staff and volunteers.

All UYCH sites got involved and even the students at the Yarra Valley Community School got in on the act. What started out as a ‘Free Dress’ day ended up for some as a ‘Wacky Dress’ day, as you can see from the image above. Teachers and students got really creative which had people talking about their outfits and more importantly building awareness about the need for donations and support. We asked participants what they liked most about the day and and what it meant to them, this what they had to say.

“Was great to be able to come to work in casual clothes and know that you’re raising money for a great cause too. It’s good to break up the office wear sometimes, and makes it more worthwhile when you’re contributing to helping others and donating money.” Amy, Corporate Services – Mt Evelyn

The kids really enjoyed seeing all us teachers dressed up. Plenty of laughs were had throughout the day and the money raised went to a people who really need it, overall it was a success and lets hope we have more.” Karen, Yarra Valley Community School – Yarra Junction campus

“We are happy to support such a worthwhile cause by raising money for the people of Nepal” Kat, Family and Children’s Centre – Mt Evelyn 

“Seeing everyone dressed up made my day”. Lachie, VCAL student – Yarra Valley Community School – Yarra Junction campus

“We really feel for the Nepalese people and anything we can do to help and contribute is great”. Toula, Family and Children’s Centre – Yarra Junction

In all we raised a total of $191.15 which will be donated the the Atticus Nepal Trust (ANT) which aims to provide ongoing support to the people of Nepal by purchasing medical equipment and health supplies. For further information on this fundraiser read our previous blog article ‘Help the people of Nepal‘ posted 19th May 2015.

A big thank you to all the people that made a donation and contributed to the success of the day. If you didn’t get a chance to donate you still can by clicking here.

Community houses working together

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

SWEY Project – Community Houses Partnering together to provide more learning opportunities in the Yarra Valley.

The Seville Community House, Woori Community House and the Upper Yarra Community House recently received funding from ACFE (Adult, Community and Further Education) to explore the possibility of developing a partnership. One of the aims of the group is to be able to deliver more courses to people who live up and down the Warburton Highway.

The project name, SWEY, is a play on words, coming from the individual Community House locations, Seville, Woori, Mt Evelyn and Yarra Junction, SWEY.

The UYCH Mt Evelyn campus recently held a workshop which included representatives from each of the three community houses and was facilitated by Sue Gold, who is an independent business advisor. The workshop focused on the values of the Community Houses and how they support learners within each of their communities.

There is a second workshop planned in the coming months in order to decide on the type of partnership that could work for the three Community Houses. So watch this space……

“This funding has been a fabulous opportunity, giving the community house leaders time to come together and think about possible ways that we can all help support each other and our respective communities.” – Nina Bekker, UYCH

“This project has given the three Houses the chance to come together and form the beginning of a valuable partnership which could lead to resource sharing, bringing accredited training to the Valley and hobby courses to the Yarra Junction region.” – Vicki, Seville Community House

“Woori Community House is looking forward to working together with Seville and Upper Yarra Community Houses on the SWEY project to enrich the lives of local community members.” – Sonja, Woori Community House

“The funding has helped the SWEY group with big sky thinking time, opportunities to be creative, thinking outside the box, possibilities of delivering something different, and above all keeping the focus local.” – Nina Bekker, UYCH

For more information on the Seville and Woori Community houses, visit the links below:

Seville Community House
Woori Community House

VCAL Students get the green thumbs up

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by

Supporting Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly Living within UYCH – Introducing the UYCH Growing Community.

The UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus has launched its very own community garden with the vision and aim of providing a general garden space for our students and community members to create and maintain their own gardens.  We hope the garden will encourage sustainable and environmentally friendly living within our community and provide people with the opportunity to create and utilise a garden space that they may not have an opportunity to do so in their own home. It is also a great concept to encourage and promote healthy eating and activity within our organisation and local community.

Historically the garden operated under Morrisons, however in the change-over with UYCH the Community Garden program was left unattended.  This year, our VCAL landscaping class have been working tirelessly to tidy and clean up any over-grown areas so new members could start using the garden and planting their seeds for the season.

There are 8 plots in total, 5 large and 3 small with a wood-fire pizza oven on site that can also be used by members. The use of the garden has already proven popular with departments of UYCH and past garden users from the Mt Evelyn Community already expressing interest and booking their garden plots.

Our Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) kids and our VCAL students in particular have already hired plots and have been busy planning their garden projects.

Some of our VCAL students for example, are currently working on a Social Enterprise that link to their work related skills units, in this case they are using the community garden to run a plant sales Social Enterprise called ‘Jeffery’s Garden’.  The aim of the Social Enterprise program is to re-engage our youth with the community and give them confidence and leadership skills. Jeffery’s Garden will be selling winter seedlings to the local community in Term 3 and they hope to continue this enterprise into Spring and Summer.  They want to provide the community with healthy and fresh home grown produce with 50% of their profits going towards the Guide Dog Association and Animal Aid and the remainder going back into the business to keep it running.

To reduce costs they are using recycled pots which have been donated by community members and recently they received a $50 donation from Bunnings Warehouse. They are grateful for any community contribution and ask if you have something you think might be useful including sharing your gardening knowledge please consider their needs. If you have any old plastic soft drink bottles or plastic pots, we have arranged a drop off bin in the kitchen at the Mt Evelyn Campus, 20 Old Hereford Rd.

Here’s what one of our students have to say about having a community garden at UYCH and what it means to them:

“As a part of the gardening group I am gaining knowledge and skills on how to take proper care for plants. I am enjoying working with my friends and doing something that I feel passionate about”. Gillian – VCAL Student

This is a very exciting addition to the UYCH Mt Evelyn campus and our local community. We can’t wait to see what plants, fruit and vegetables start flourishing from the garden plots.

If you’re interested in becoming a plot user, please fill in your details on our expression of interest form to or contact 9736 1457.

VCAL Students Getting Into Gear

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Our Mt Evelyn Campus recently ran a four day Changing Gears course to help young people get their learners permit. Changing Gears is an initiative of Mission Australia that provides an interactive and flexible learning environment to assist young Victorians prepare for their learner test.
Having a driver’s licence opens the doors of opportunity for employment and community participation. Changing Gears supports people to take the first step along this important pathway. The program presents the road rules in an interactive and flexible manner and has a very high success rate in assisting young Victorians to prepare for and receive their learner permit.

Yarra Valley Community School had 13 students participate in the Changing Gears program, 10 from Mt Evelyn and 3 from Yarra Junction. They participated in a three day classroom style course where they learnt the road rules through interactive games, videos and practise test. Then on the fourth day, they were taken to Vic Roads in Burwood to sit their test. 10 of the 13 passed and received their learners, which is a great success rate. The program was very popular and we have received a lot of interest in the next course being held later in the year.
Here’s what some of our students had to say about Changing Gears:

“It was a good opportunity to be able to achieve the completion of my learners. The teacher Rob was really good at breaking it down into an easier way to remember all the road rules and tips. If I didn’t have this course I probably wouldn’t have got my learners anytime soon.” – Keith VCAL Mt Evelyn

“My favourite part of changing gears was after doing the test at Vic Roads finding out I got 100% from the help of the classes.” – Liam VCAL Mt Evelyn

“I learned so much in the few days and it was the best experience. I thank Rob so much, he’s a wonderful guy.” – Tmia VCAL Mt Evelyn

“It was a really good experience and helped me so much. Thank you Rob” – Paige VCAL Mt Evelyn

“It was incredibly useful and we learned a lot! It was good.” – Sam VCAL Mt Evelyn

To find out more about the Changing Gears program and Mission Australia click here

It’s never too early to learn about animals…

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Last month we were lucky to have a visit from Debbie of the Mt Evelyn Vet Clinic. Debbie ran an exciting program for the children called PetPEP (Pets and People Education Program) which is an initiative of the Australian Veterinary Association throughout Australia. PetPEP teaches children and the community about responsible pet ownership, safety around animals, healthy living (pets and people), welfare of animals and animals in the community. The program helps integrate responsible pet care messages into the classroom, to teach our next generation about the responsibilities associated with owning animals and how to behave safely around them.

Debbie brought her gorgeous little one year old dog Hugo in with her to demonstrate to the children how to behave around animals. Debbie taught the children about the difference between friendly, scared and aggressive animals, and how we should (or should not) approach them safely. After this, she taught the children the safest way to approach a friendly dog and ask their owner if they could have a pat. They all got to give Hugo a pat which he lapped up of course. Hugo then  showed us some tricks which had smiles all round. Once all the serious stuff was over the children jumped at the opportunity to dress up and role play as Vets and Vet Nurses, fun was had by all.

To find out more about the PetPEP (Pets and People Education Program) click here.

UYCH Community College offers Certificate III in Animal Studies, click the link to find out more.

Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative
Image of the children enjoying a visit from a PetPET representative

UYCH Mt Evelyn’s Biggest Morning Tea

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

The Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea helps raise funds for world class research, prevention programs and support services for cancer patients and their families. This year our Pre-Accredited students decided to support the Cancer Council’s Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea and host our very own morning tea in the office to show our support for everyone affected by cancer.

Our Introduction to Kitchen Skills class on the previous day had spent their class time preparing lots of delicious morning tea treats such as cookies, slices, cakes and even pumpkin soup. Other staff members and students also prepared some lovely homemade goods and bought them in to add to the morning tea buffet.

We had lots of attendees and contributors join the morning tea yesterday, making it a great success. Staff from all departments at Mt Evelyn as well as our Certificate III Animal Studies students and Pre-Accredited English students came along to show their support and to taste-test the sweets and treats provided for a gold coin donation. Here is what some of our staff and students said about the event:

“Today was about raising awareness to cancer and was good people could donate a gold coin to support the charity. It was also good to see people come together and enjoy the food” – Josh: Pre- Accredited student

“The morning tea went really well, it was a great opportunity for all staff and students at Mt Evelyn to mix” – Nicole: pre-Accredited Tutor

In total we raised over $80 for the Cancer Council which is a great effort and a real show of support throughout the organisation for Cancer Council’s mission to defeat cancer and help those fighting this devastating disease.

A big thank you to all the people who helped organise this event and who made a donation.

If you are interested in holding events for cancer research or would like to donate to this worthy cause visit www.cancer.org.au

Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus
Australia's Biggest Morning Tea - UYCH Mt Evelyn Campus