Better Buddies schools win 'Schools First' Awards

A number of Better Buddies schools across Australia have recently been successful in applying for a Schools First grant to support them in building and developing community partnerships.

What is Schools First?

Schools First is brought to life by NAB in partnership with the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) and Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER).  At its heart, Schools First brings together students, teachers, parents and community members to help young people grow.

The Better Buddies Team would like to congratulate the following Better Buddies schools on their successful application for a seed funding award of $25,000:  Noble Park Primary School and Westminster Junior Primary School. 

The Team would also like to congratulate the following Better Buddies schools who have won a local impact award of $50,000: Mt Gambier North R-7 School, Waikerie Primary, Bright P-12 College, Victorian College for the Deaf and St Charles Borromeo Primary

St Charles Borromeo's 'Be My Buddy' project

St Charles Borromeo Primary School in Templestowe, Victoria, has taken the Better Buddies Framework and adapted it to create a model of buddies connecting students with a resident from the local retirement village.

"Our successful application was based on the 'buddy program' our grade 5 students enjoy with Roseville Retirement Village. This program is an extension of our wonderful Better Buddies program that our grade 6 and Prep children are part of.  The Better Buddies Team at The Alannah and Madeline Foundation were integral in forming our application. We are very proud."

Title of Project: Be My Buddy

Students at St Charles Borromeo primary school in Templestowe, Victoria, are 'buddied' with residents at an aged care facility to enable stories and experiences to be captured and shared.

Buddies meet twice a term and students link the visits to the current area of study in the classroom.

The partnerships have provided students with opportunities to develop skills related to wellbeing and self-worth, while the residents also feel valued in being able to contribute their experience and knowledge to enrich the school curriculum and the interpersonal skills of students.

Both quantitative and qualitative data have been collected to enable the impact of the partnership on student wellbeing to be measured.

What the judges said:

"Extensive consultation was undertaken in setting up the partnership after the identification of mutual need. What is particularly impressive is that students have been actively involved in the decision making."