By Brendan Rees
Teenage girls at Cranbourne East Secondary College who may be at risk of dropping out of school will be given support from mentors to stay in class.
Member for Cranbourne Jude Perera announced a $20000 grant for the school’s Aiming High Program this week.
Mr Perera said the program would allow 80 teenage girls in years 10 and 11 with more opportunities to succeed in life.
“Giving teenage girls in our local area mentors to help build their self-confidence and set goals for the future will help them stay in school,” he said.
“We know that keeping students in school and engaged in their education is vital to break the cycle disadvantage.”
Cranbourne East Secondary College Assistant Principal Annie Eastwood welcomed the funding, saying and it was great opportunity to allow students to receive support from mentors to build their self-confidence, set goals and improve their understanding of post-school options.
“The focus of our mentoring program is on raising aspirations for our students, being able to expose them to industry and build community links and create some really positive role models,” she said.
“That’s a critical time where they are thinking about their future pathways.”
The funding is part of the state government’s Student Mentoring Program which helps keep disadvantaged students stay engaged in school.
Twenty-one schools and organisations will also benefit from grants totalling $1 million as part of the second round of state government funding for the program.
Supporting Indigenous students, students in out-of-home care, or those from low socio-economic or culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, will also be a focus of the program.
