History and Philosophy

St Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre has been operating on its current site  since 2012 as a Catholic Secondary School in the Edmund Rice tradition. It is also part of the Diocese of Darwin and the Northern Territory Catholic Education Office. It receives additional support from the Northern Territory government through a service agreement. St Joseph’s Flexi started as an initiative of Edmund Rice Education Australia Youth+ and offers a full-time and multi-year secondary education and social inclusion program for young people who have disenfranchised from mainstream structures. Young people may express a broad range of complex education and social needs and the FLC services respond with a variety of flexible and innovative social inclusion and learning experiences. Young people who attend include indigenous and non-indigenous young people who are disengaged from mainstream education for a range of reasons and include:

• Those who have had contact with the juvenile justice system;
• Those in the care of the Office of Children and Families;
• Those with a history of trauma;
• Those with a history of extended periods of unexplained absences;
• Those who are highly mobile;
• Those with mental illness or at risk of engaging in self harming behaviours or substance abuse;
• Those who have been excluded or repeatedly suspended from school;
• Those who are homeless;
• Those who are young parents;
• Those with a generational history of early school leaving; and
• Those with a generational history of unemployment

Services

St Joseph’s Flexi provides young people with a varied and holistic set of learning experiences supporting them to identify and pursue an individual transition to adulthood, employment, further education, training and social connectedness. There is a strong focus on literacy and numeracy skills in an integrated learning framework. Youth workers and teachers work in collaboration to provide an individualised holistic approach that focusses on each young person’s specific wellbeing and learning needs. Everything at the Flexi is underpinned by a philosophy of working together on common ground around four principles:

• Respect
• Safe and legal
• Honesty
• Participation

Learning

A typical day at the Flexi starts with a bus run to pick up Young People from in and around the Alice Springs town. On arrival at the Flexi, staff and students enjoy some breakfast together and take some time to talk, play basketball and relax before going into dedicated learning spaces where each person is encouraged to make negotiated learning choices according to their interests, abilities and goals.   Around midday all Young People and staff gather together for a community forum which can be led by any Young Person. It is a time to  share stories, news, have a joke, commit to and reaffirm working on the four principles. This is followed by lunch cooked onsite by the canteen manager, often with the help of some willing helpers and YP enrolled for VET Hospitality Cert 1. After lunch, the afternoon session includes a variety of activities which Young People can choose according to their interests. Engagement activities include outdoor education, sport, art,  music, Indigenous  language and cultural connections. YP also have options to pursue VET courses leading to employment pathways linked to work experience choices in range of careers. This year VET options include Functional Literacy Cert 1 and 2, Hospitality Cert 1, Landcare and Management Cert 1. Other options available include links with local providers offering short courses and White Cards, driver’s licences and  first aid courses.