High school students from Rockhampton and remote Woorabinda will sail the waters off Yeppoon next week as part of a unique inter-school collaboration.
Carinity Education Rockhampton and Wadja Wadja High School are fostering positive change in the community through the City-Country Partnerships.
The City-Country Partnerships is an Australian Government program which sees high-performing independent schools partner with remote schools with a high proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
The schools will converge across two events at Yeppoon on September 9-10. Students will enjoy the Winds of Joy sailing program, which provides a unique opportunity for young people to sail a large racing yacht.
They will also attend the Outdoor Skills 4Kids survival skills camp, equipping them to handle potentially dangerous situations in wilderness environments.
The Carinity Education Rockhampton–Wadja Wadja High School relationship is one of 14 City-Country Partnerships between schools across Australia, aimed at improving student outcomes and attendance rates and creating a brighter, more inclusive future for all Australians.
The program provides classroom, diagnostic and relational support to the country school and delivers external school experiences for students including excursions.
Carinity Education Rockhampton Principal, Lyn Harland, said the partnership is designed to nurture “friendship, cultural respect and education pathway supports.”
“It is helping students to foster a greater understanding of themselves and empathy towards others, while also respecting a different cultural perspective,” Lyn said.
“We are learning many social, cultural and rural-based initiatives from the country school.”
Wadja Wadja High School Principal, Paul Ryan, said the is providing students with the opportunity to “walk in the shoes of another”.
“By understanding each other we learn to appreciate one another and then from that great friendships can be created,” Paul said.
