Emily Chapman Laing
Young parents no longer have to sacrifice their education.
Cranbourne Secondary College has partnered with youth skills and employment outfit Sellen to welcome a new Young Parents Education Program (YPEP).
The YPEP serves to assist young parents to manage their new responsibilities alongside the completion of their secondary education.
“We want to change the stigma that’s been attached to them and still is attached to them,” said Sellen Young Parents Programs manager Mary Tresize-Brown.
“That’s why we call them young parents. Not young mums, not teen mums.
“It’s about levelling up the language.”
On Tuesday 4 April, the YPEP was launched at Cranbourne Secondary College.
Around 50 people gathered to hear about the program from Sellen CEO Andrew Simmons, Mrs Tresize-Brown, Cranbourne SC principal David Caughey, Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards and YPEP teacher Michelle Watson.
“When you’re talking with a young parent who might be thinking about going back to education, if you can tell then that you’ve been here, you’ve seen the teacher, you’ve seen them speak about how the education works […] that’s really what we want you to take away from here,” Mrs Tresize-Brown said.
The YPEP is designed for young parents aged 15 to 20, with the classroom to hold up to 16 students.
The YPEP classroom, situated nearby the Multi-Pride Harmony Wall at the school, was co-designed with the students.
Young Parent Poko Tereva researched what colours, sounds and elements would best create an environment appropriate for education while still being stimulating for the students’ children.
“Planning the classroom took a little while, because we wanted to do it with the students,” Mrs Tresize-Brown said.
“They decided on the colour it should be painted and how it should be set up, so there’s a lot of ownership for the young parents.”
The walls have been painted a fresh, light turquoise.
The classroom features a kitchen, a large area for the children and a classroom set up at the front.
Cranbourne SC vice principal George Massouris said a similar program ran from the school about ten years ago, but the classroom used for the program was “almost hidden away”.
The new classroom is “out in the open” and allows the young parents to be fully integrated within the school.
Mrs Tresize-Brown said this reflects the leadership of principal David Caughey.
“He’s been here a couple of years and he’s just shifted the whole culture of the school,” she said.
“The students here have been so good, this school is very much a community.”
As part of the school, the young parents have the same access to extracurricular activities and interest pathways as other students.
Miss Tereva is one of Cranbourne SC’s netball stars.
She has also volunteered to coach the Year 7 and Year 8 netball students.
The program integrates education with parenthood support.
“The education facility and teacher is critical,” Mrs Tresize-Brown said.
“The other part is having that early parenting support function.”
The program is multi-faceted, utilising the skills of an MCHN nurse, social workers, a career counsellor as well as the education support from the teacher.
The education programs are “individualised and flexible”, according to YPEP teacher Michelle Watson, who said the education component is tailored to each individual student and what realistically works for them.
The extended age bracket allows students extra time to finish their highschool education.
Chisholm career counsellor Dee Brown said she found the extended age bracket interesting.
“Students can go much longer than normal schooling,” she said.
According to the Sellen team, data suggests that most young parents in Victoria live in the Casey region, with the majority of them living specifically in Cranbourne.
The need for a YPEP in Cranbourne was influenced by these figures and welcomed by Cranbourne SC principal David Coughey and his students.
Mr Caughey came to Cranbourne SC from Hallam Senior College which previously had a YPEP.
“It made total sense for YPEP to establish at Cranbourne SC with David at the helm,” Mrs Tresize-Brown said.
Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards praised the program as another pathway for the education-focused Cranbourne residents to maintain their optimism and ambition.
“People see education as the pathway,” she said,
“Not just to a better paid job or a secure job, but it’s actually the pathway to options.”
Ms Richards stressed the importance of showing young parents they are championed by their local community.
“The kids, whether they are older or younger, whether they’re still at school, we’re here to support them.
“They need to be the centre of our lives and not be shifted away.
“Our young people ought to feel like we’re proud of them. And I am so proud of them.”
