By Mikayla van Loon
Without the support of Variety – The Children’s Charity, Woori Yallock Farm School may not exist today to support students in finding an alternative education.
Having received a grant in 2019 from the charity, alongside funds students and staff had raised themselves, for a new school bus, Farm School coordinator Peter Preuss said it ensures students, who are often disengaged from education, can get to and from school.
“We wouldn’t exist without a bus. It’s as simple as that. We pick them up, we drop them off and in between, there’s all these excursions that they go on that are related to the course,” he said.
“32 years ago, when we started the farm school, our first bus was a retired bus from Werribee Zoo. So nearly 30 years ago, Variety came to the party with the first real, brand new people moving bus and we’re up to a third one.”
Residing on one of the oldest school campuses in the Yarra Valley, the Farm School helps build leadership skills, confidence and resilience with students attending one day a week for 20 weeks, where they acquire a certificate in horticulture and ecosystem management.
“Their self esteem builds up, their cooperation builds up, their engagement builds up, their leadership abilities, their organisational skills, these are the personal development or personal capability aspects,” Mr Pruess said.
“But at the same time, they get a nationally recognised certificate, which for a 15 year old, is pretty amazing and in most cases, does get them back on track and gives them the feeling of success that they need.”
Variety CEO Mandy Burns said it was incredible to hear that the support given to a school through a bus was the difference between their success and failure to educate children.
“It’s a pretty happy feeling to be that difference between being open and closed, and knowing how important an alternative setting is for kids. And it’s the kid who, for whatever reason, perhaps are not fitting in with mainstream pathways,” she said.
“It’s fantastic to be a part of that community and Variety very much recognises that it takes a village to raise a child and we are really privileged to be a part of that village.”
Ms Burns said Variety aims to help families, schools and organisations fill the gaps of need wherever that might be.
Through Variety’s grants and scholarships, the charity funds the purchasing of educational devices, mobility equipment, uniforms, objects to support a sensory room and sunshine buses.
“There are some resources that don’t go very far. So we try to fill that up or supplement what the government and others might provide which means kids can participate fully in school.
“It could also be that Medicare and NDIS does not fund an item or cannot recognise the disability of a child because a diagnosis hasn’t been made or the child loosely slipped through the system.”
With Variety’s next round of grants and scholarships open for applications from 1 August until 25 September, both Mr Preuss and Ms Burns would encourage any organisation or individual to apply should they have a need.
Individual and community grant applications, as well as Variety Heart Scholarship applications can made be made here, variety.org.au/vic/grants
