Advance is a school-based program for young people to volunteer in their community. It is a partnership between the Office for Youth, Victorian Government secondary schools and community organisations.

Through Advance, young people, schools and community organisations develop networks of relationships while achieving shared goals. The program also encourages communities to support and recognise young people’s participation and positive role in society.

Advance gives young people a chance to do something great in their community based on their choice. Young people are able to plan projects, meet new people, build skills and make a difference in their community.

How much do you know about Advance?

Question 1

Advance Goals and Spirit

Advance’s goal is to enable young people’s participation and volunteering in community life, and is part of the Government’s commitment to valuing the contributions of young people, listening to their views and providing them with genuine opportunities for involvement in their communities.

The essential elements of Advance are that…

A

B

C

D

young people DO something with their family, they do it in PARTNERSHIP with their school and that it does not include young people’s CHOICE.

young people DO something with their community, they do it in PARTNERSHIP with a community organisation and that it includes young people’s CHOICE.

young people DO something with their lives, they do not do it in PARTNERSHIP with a community organisation and that it includes parent CHOICE.

young people are forced to DO something with their school, they do it in PARTNERSHIP with a family member and that it includes teacher CHOICE.

Question 2

Learning Modules 1, 2 and 3

Schools must be able to demonstrate that young people have satisfactorily achieved the learning outcomes contained in Learning Modules 1, 2 and 3.

The three Learning Modules of Advance are…

A

B

C

D Community, Communication and Project Management.

First Aid, Risk Management and Community.

Public Speaking, Project Management and Recognised Training.

Community, Report Writing and Safety.

Question 3

Recognised TrainingSchools must be able to demonstrate that young people have satisfactorily completed recognised training.

Recognised training courses are those that:i) Have national accreditation, such as Certificate 1 in Volunteering or a Certificate 1 in First Aid; orii) Are recognised by the community as developing knowledge and skills for participation in particular activities

A recognised training course will usually…

A

B

C

D

result in the development of a new skill, have a certificate awarded at the end of the program and is generally delivered and/or assessed by someone other than school staff.

require young people to enrol at a TAFE and be linked to the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).

result in the development of a new skill, be delivered during school hours and require the completion of a complete course.

have a certificate awarded at the end of the program that has been approved by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) and the Department of Human Services (DHS).

Question 4

Advance Staff

Advance is administered through the Office for Youth (OFY) within the Department of Human Services.

The OFY staff responsible for Advance are...

A

B

C

D

Kristine and Michelle.

Greg and Julie.

John and Matthew.

John and Kristine.

Question 5

Monitoring and Reporting Timelines

Participating schools are required to complete administrative and reporting requirements as requested by the Office for Youth of schools throughout the year.

Generally, the order of administrative and reporting requirements are…

A

B

C

D

Signed Funding Agreement > Confirmation of Student Numbers > School Community Partnership Notification Form > End of Year Report.

School Community Partnership Notification Form > Confirmation of Student Numbers > End of Year Report > Signed Funding Agreement.

Confirmation of Student Numbers > School Community Partnership Notification Form > Signed Funding Agreement > End of Year Report.

Signed Funding Agreement > End of Year Report > Confirmation of Student Numbers > School Community Partnership Notification Form.

Question 6

Funding amount available

Funding of up to $9,725 (excluding GST) for a maximum of 21 funded students will be provided to eligible schools in 2012.

To cater for schools with low student enrolment, schools that enrol less than 21 students will be funded proportionately.

Of the funding available, up to $__________ may be used to provide professional development for teachers involved in Advance.

A

B

C

D

1,000.00.

300.00.

500.00.

800.00.

Question 7

Funding amount available

To assist teachers in the successful delivery of Advance, a portion of the Advance funding can be used for Casual Relief Teacher (CRT) provision during the year.

Of the funding available, up to $__________ may be used for CRT provision to assist with Advance related activities.

A

B

C

D

900.00.

800.00.

1,000.00.

500.00.

Question 8

Promoting AdvanceThere are a number of audiences for promotion and providing information about Advance including:

The school Principal; the school Council; the school staff; other young people; parents; community organisations members (including management boards, members and volunteers) and the local community.

An on-line forum for Advance co-ordinators is also available at: http://advance-online.wikispaces.com/

The Office for Youth website has promotion tips, media release templates and other resources and can be found at…

A

B

C

D

www.youth.vic.gov.au.

www.advance.com.au.

www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au.

www.advancecentral.com.au.

Question 9

Best Practice Principles of Advance

The Office for Youth undertook an external evaluation of the Advance program 2004-07 to review and report on the delivery, outputs, outcomes and good practice learning’s of the program.

The evaluation provided an opportunity to reflect on key factors that make Advance successful and to develop Best Practice Principles to improve future program delivery.

Successful programs are those that…

A

B

C

D

acknowledge coordinators pivotal role in building partnerships with community agencies, have local community partnerships that understand the local context and are embedded within the business of the school and has school support which is accompanied by time release and administrative support.

include young people in leadership, development and implementation projects and provide young people with challenging and engaging applied learning opportunities.

include succession planning, target Advance resources towards specific target groups of young people who have evidenced educational disadvantage and celebrate young people’s achievements in a public forum.

include all of the above.

Question 10

Celebration and Recognition

Celebration and recognition opportunities are key elements of the Advance program, however,

can Advance participants go swimming with dolphins as recognition of their achievements in the program?

A

B

C

D

Yes, Advance funding may be used for this activity.

Yes, but the young people need to cover all costs.

No, Advance Participation Certificates only can be used to recognise young people involved in the program.

No, this is not an accepted activity as highlighted in the Advance Handbook.

So how did you go?

Further support to co-ordinators is provide via:

* The Office for Youth website;

* The Advance On-line Forum;

* Emailing the Advance Team; or

* By calling (03) 9096 3349.