Projects

Projects - Music VCAL Program: Evaluation

Source: Crime Prevention Victoria

In 2004 the AYRC was engaged by Crime Prevntion Victoria as pat of the Reconnecting Young People to Supportive Learning Environments package to conduct an evaluation of the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) Music program at Laverton Secondary College.

It was found that the VCAL Music Program had a significant positive impact on the young people who participated as well as on the teachers and broader school community. For a pilot program, it managed to achieve a substantial shift in participants' perceptions of their school lives, their future and themselves. However, the degree to which these changes will be sustained beyond a supportive school envirnoment was uncertain.

As the program attracted a high proportion of 'at risk' young people, it required adequate ongoing funding to be able to support their personal as well as educational needs. Laverton Secondary College has a nurturing school culture and a senior management team that is supportive of the Music VCAL program and committed to innovative strategies that will retain their students. It is an ideal context to provide this program on an ongoing manner and to develop a model that other schools can replicate.

This project was carreid out by Alex Hughes and Helen Stokes.

Contact: Helen Stokes

Contact: h.stokes@unimelb.edu.au