By Tanya Faulkner
Ferntree Gully is highlighting the importance of education for everyone through the recognition of a local community service centre.
The Mountain Districts Learning Centre has been nominated as a finalist for this years’ Victoria Training Awards, for their work in the wider community.
CEO Janet Claringbold said they are proud to have been recognised as finalists.
“We nominated ourselves for one of our education programs called the Cottage Program, which helps young adults with acute social anxiety to engage and continue through their education,” she said.
She said the program mainly targets secondary school students to help them overcome acute social anxiety and keep them connected with education, and has a 95 per cent success rate for students carrying on to further education or employment opportunities.
“We’ve had students who have gone on to nursing, apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, and also further education at the tertiary level,” she said.
This year the program is helping approximately 50 local students, who have been struggling in school due to social anxiety, have missed a lot of school, or need the extra support to engage in education.
“We provide a supportive environment for students to complete their Certificate of General Education for adults, with teachers and youth workers available to support the students’ progress.
“These students often need a different approach than mainstream education to help them manage and overcome their social anxiety, and prepare them for further opportunities,” she said.
Ms Claringbold said often in mainstream education, there can be a big group of people that aren’t able to engage with education, which can cause more issues in their adult lives.
“Education is a human right, and we’re proud of the place we have in helping young people to continue their education pathways.
“The risk is, if students are not reengaging with education or socalising with their peers, they can end up outside the education system for long periods of time.
“It’s really important to help young people in those critical teenage years when the social anxiety is emerging, and it’s easier to get a response from them, where if it’s left longer it their anxiety can be really embedded and make it difficult for them to overcome their issues later in life,” she said.
Ms Claringbold said the community centre is proud to be nominated as a finalist, and in her mind said it doesn’t matter who wins.
“We have an amazing team at our centre, and we are so proud of the other community centres who are also finalists.
“We know that community learning centres do amazing work, and we’re proud of whoever wins,” she said.
Regardless of the result, the wider Ferntree Gully community is right behind the learning centre, with positive feedback and praise coming from all corners of town.
Ms Claringbold said this recognition is for the team behind the centre.
“The recognition means that the people who contribute to the centre are recognised for what they do.
“It builds a sense of pride for our centre and the community.
“These people are passionate people, who put all of their energy into what they do for the young people,” she said.
Next year the centre will celebrate 50 years in Ferntree Gully, after starting back in 1974 as the Mountain Districts Women’s Cooperative, advocating for the interests of women.
“Back then women weren’t given the opportunity to complete education because they were expected to have children and stay home, so the centre started providing opportunities for women to complete their HSC, which is the equivalent of VCE now.,” she said.
The centre has a long-standing history in Ferntree Gully of addressing educational disadvantages and providing pathways for those in the community who need it.
The Victoria Training Awards cover the vocational education system, in which the Mountain Districts Learning Centre falls under the Community Based Provider category.
The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation have taken out the award for this category.
