A SURPRISING number of locals still don’t understand what the Flexible Learning Options (FLO) program is and does.
Swan Hill FLO campus manager Gabe Mudge, who has been in the role for five years, said she was still explaining it to people, even after 10 years in operation.
“FLO was created with the idea of supporting kids at risk of dropping out of education, or who might need additional supports wrapped around them to remain in education,” she said.
“Since I have been here, we’ve also really homed in on the skills of what our kids are leaving with. It’s not just about re-engaging them, but helping them get additional skills and support, certificates and work ready skills to make them more employable and able to positively contribute to our community.”
With a staff of eight, which includes teachers, a counsellor, and assistants, and an enrolment of about 40 students, everyone knows everybody else.
It gives both teachers and students the space to work through individual learning and transition plans and access to support services.
Literacy, numeracy, wellbeing and regular attendance are priorities.
“We get to know our students very well,” Ms Mudge said.
“We learn how they work, what they need. What does a good day and a bad day look like, and one-on-one contact with the services that they’re working with. Being able to communicate constantly and keep track of that, it’s almost like a big family.
“We have a youth worker on site who is linked with all our students, but we also use external services and make them familiar for all our kids.”
Most students are enrolled in a VCAL program and undertake vocational training, with courses in community services, hospitality and building and construction offered on-site, as well as short courses in First Aid, Responsible Serving of Alcohol, food hygiene, barista and White Card training.
There’s also the option of undertaking courses through SuniTAFE’s Swan Hill campus.
“A lot of our kids don’t have mentors that have worked,” Ms Mudge said.
“So giving them work ready skills is really important. We do that through mentorships and school-based learning, work placements, volunteering, and giving back to the community because there’s lots of organisations that heavily support us and understand the kids that we have here.”
This includes organisations such as Swan Hill Rotary, whose members cook breakfast twice a term – in turn, FLO students volunteer with the club on market days and help run barbecues.
FLO students have catered for headspace events and run games and activities at the Swan Hill Specialist School each week.
Each Thursday morning they also run a coffee shop on campus, making and delivering phone orders around town.
Ms Mudge said the ability to keep the campus operating during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 had been crucial for maintaining the connections between students and support services.
“That was critical in keeping our kids afloat,” she said.
“One positive thing that came out of it was the number of jobs that were available for young kids. So there were kids that graduated last year who had a pathway or employment already secured.”
And while the FLO program operates from a site previously occupied by a specialist Indigenous school, known as the KODE school or Payika College, it is open to all students.
But not all students can decide on a whim to opt out of school and go to FLO.
They must have a referral from a year level manager, wellbeing staff member or from an external organisation, and undertake a series of interviews and meetings with FLO staff to determine their suitability for the program.
Ms Mudge said she was proud of all the FLO students and took great satisfaction from seeing them overcome a range of hurdles, including being barely able to read and write but going on to complete apprenticeships and obtain secure jobs.
“You can hear the pride and the difference in their voices,” she said.
“We know they recognise the support they needed, and the times that we walked alongside them to achieve some of these goals. It also helps that we have amazing staff to support everyone. You know, we’re very diverse in what we can teach, and we all come together as a really good team, so that’s definitely made my job as manager a lot easier.”- There will be a celebration of the Swan Hill FLO campus’s first 10 years on Friday, September 2.
Included is a tour of the campus from 5.30pm, with the formalities being held in Longhurst Hall from 6pm.
All of the 220 past students, staff, organisations and partners have been invited to take part.
RSVP to Jo Taverna on 0455 062958 by Tuesday, August 30.
