global citizenship
GIRLS @ THE CENTRE REFLECTION From 2011 to 2015, Ruyton girls and their families were involved in a programme with The Smith Family that supported disadvantaged girls in Alice Springs. With the aim of keeping at-risk girls at school, the Girls @ the Centre programme was based at Centralian Middle School, and managed by Girl Coaches who kept track of the girls’ education, attendance and wellbeing. Breakfasts and lunches were provided, careers mentors engaged, and a special Homeroom was created to give the girls a safe space that they could go to throughout the school day.
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Ruyton’s involvement was two-fold. Each year, ten of the girls from Alice Springs would fly to Melbourne for a week of adventures. Five Ruyton families each hosted two Alice Springs girls, including them in their daily lives. The girls attended activities at Ruyton, or participated in excursions. These excursions were often a highlight because they were usually places the girls had never visited before: the Melbourne Zoo; the beach; Melbourne University; the NGV and the city’s laneways. Each October, during the Year 10 Central Australia Tours, the Ruyton girls would visit Centralian Middle School, and spend time with the Girls @ the Centre again. The Girl Coaches arranged wonderful activities for all of the girls. One year, we visited Stanley Chasm and learnt about the Dreamtime from some of the local elders. Another year, we all went to the Telegraph Station where the Alice Springs girls cooked kangaroo tail in the river bed, and we learnt about Skin and Kin from Deanella Mack. Other activities were grinding native herbs to make bush medicine, and a hugely popular trip to the town pool with the Alice Springs girls. Many friendships were forged, and greater understanding and connections between young women were the result.
the ruyton reporter
