Resources for young people and their families
1 Education
General
School and study – ReachOut.com
ReachOut.com is a mental health online resource for young people and in the ‘School and Study’ section of their website is a great selection of articles about school and tertiary education (TAFE, university etc).
Primary School
Polynesian Kids Language School
Melbourne’s first accredited Polynesian Kids Community Language School. Languages taught are Tongan and Samoan to children aged 5-16 years. Speaking, reading and writing are taught along with traditional dance, craft, geography and history.
School (primary and secondary)
Real Stuff Matters Academy*
Real Stuff Matters Academy is a tutoring service in Melbourne, Victoria aimed at children from culturally and linguistically diverse families. Pacific children and families are especially welcome.
Choosing your subjects for Year 11 and 12
Bahr (2021) ‘Choosing your senior school subjects doesn’t have to be scary. Here are 6 things to keep in mind’ The Conversation
Pasifika_Tuition
Instagram: @pasifika_tuition
Online academic tuition, guidance and mentorship for Pasifika students in years 7 to 10. Pasifika_Tuition is an education initiative launched early 2020 by Samoan Denise Rimoni of Melbourne, and designed to provide additional support for the academic needs of Pacific Islander school students in Australia.
Scholarships
Chances for children (Mildura, Victoria)
Chances for Children is a funding body that provides financial support to young people in northwestern Victoria and southwestern NSW who without such help, may not have the opportunity to pursue their education or realise their talents in sport or the arts.
TAFE and university
Study information – The Good Universities Guide
Despite its dry-sounding title, this page on the Good Universities Guide website is super helpful. It explains the difference between university, TAFE and private providers, the different types of qualifications available, how to pay for your studies, and much, much more!
University Pacific Students Associations
Some universities have Pacific Students’ Associations. Below are a few examples from Victoria. If you are planning to go to university, you might like to do some research to find out which ones have a Pacific Students’ Association.
Swinburne Pasifika Association (SPA)
Swinburne Pasifika Association provides a sense of home away from our homes and promotes friendships that develop into a family bond. We seek academic excellence along with unbreakable support in all factors that affect our studies directly.
Pacific Students Association, Monash (Mana)
Facebook: @Monash Association of Pacific Students
Instagram: @mana_association
“MANA” means spirit and power that ties all Pacific Islands and we believe in unity across various cultures in Monash University. The Pacific Students Association (Mana) are representatives of the Pacific Islands in Monash University and was created to allow everyone, not only in our Pacific community but across different cultures in Monash to be connected.
VU Pacific Students Association (VUPSA)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/573906685963431/
VUPSA provide a social network for communication and information sharing on issues relating to the Pacific Island States, as well as information and moral support to new and old students and their families. The association fosters student welfare and wellbeing by linking them to appropriate support services within VU and the wider community, enhancing their ability to achieve maximum potential and results, both academically and socially.
2 Employment
Center for Multicultural Youth
The Centre for Multicultural Youth is a not-for-profit organisation based in Victoria, providing specialist knowledge and support to young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds in relation to education, work, mentoring and much more.
Knext Career Design
Knext (pronounced ‘next’) is a social impact enterprise, founded by Tinai Colowai who is Fijian. It was created to prepare CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) people, including people of colour, for the world of work. Knext helps students, young people and adults make informed career decisions by co-designing with them an adaptable career roadmap that (hopefully) will lead to sustainable and meaningful careers.
ReSource Youth Program, Brotherhood of St Laurence
The ReSource Youth program empowers young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds to make informed decisions about education, employment and volunteer pathways. It also aims to increase young people’s inclusion and confidence by offering opportunities in leadership and youth projects.
Setting goals – ReachOut.com
The mental health online resource for young people, ReachOut.com, has a series of articles about goal setting, job interviews, volunteering, overcoming failure and much more in the ‘Setting goals’ section of their website.
3 Mentoring
Charis Mentoring, Victoria
Charis Mentoring Inc. is a not-for-profit organisation who design, develop and deliver culturally specific mentoring programs aimed at reducing Pasifika youth disengagement.
Le Mana Pasifika
The Le Mana team (which sits under the Centre for Multicultural Youth) supports Pasifika youth in a range of settings, focusing on the South East of Melbourne (Casey & Dandenong) and the city’s West (Wyndham & Brimbank). The project catchment includes young people who live outside of these Local Government Areas but who travel into the areas for study, work, play, or connections with family and community.
Resources for teachers, youth workers and community leaders
Supporting students to finish high school – what schools can do
Mosher, Hartwell and Brown (2021) ‘5 Factors that contribute to students finishing high school’, The Conversation
Improving education outcomes for Pacific learners
Aotearoa New Zealand’s Education Review Office’s (ERO) third report on the progress of schools in promoting Pacific student achievement, published in 2012.
Building genuine learning partnerships with parents
An article by ERO about learning partnerships between schools and parents, published in 2018.
Four strategies to effectively support Pasifika students
A research-based report from Aotearoa New Zealand’s Education Hub targeting schools and teachers on how to support Pacific students.
* Real Stuff Matters is run by one of our Role Models, Cass.