Dream Seeds is a workshop created by Youthrive Victoria Alumni to help build aspiration and ease transition to secondary school.
In 2014, the idea for a workshop to assist year five and six students from regional and rural Victoria to be the leaders of their own lives, was planted. Through successive Young Rural Leaders Programs, this idea was nurtured by the countless young people who felt more could be done to facilitate aspiration, resilience and connection in their rural townships.
Today, that idea is Dream Seeds. Over the past five years, Youthrive Victoria Alumni have worked to design evidence-based activities and games which constitute the workshop. They aim to build knowledge and skills to help young Victorians create personal visions and pathways to positive futures.
Each year, we facilitate opportunities for Dream Seeds to take place in schools across the North Central region.
If you are a school in the North Central region and would like to find out more about how you can become involved in DreamSeeds, contact Tori Gentle on 0490 840 182 or email t.gentle@ncllen.org.au.
Dream Seeds team visits North Central Schools
The North Central LLEN partnered with YouThrive earlier this month to deliver Dream Seeds workshops to students at Inglewood Primary School, Pyramid Hill College, Charlton College, Wycheproof P-12 College, and St Arnaud Primary School.
Youthrive Victoria’s Dream Seeds program is a 90-minute workshop designed for year 6 students in rural primary schools across Victoria (and year 5 students in smaller schools).
The program aims to build aspiration, resilience and connection for rural students leaving primary school, to better prepare them for secondary school and the challenges they may face.
The focus is on teaching students about values, the importance and power of community and teamwork, making decisions, and setting goals.
They are facilitated through a range of fun, original activities that makes the students think about their futures and understand that they are the leaders of their own lives.
The workshops were presented by post-secondary students who are currently studying at TAFE or University, undertaking an apprenticeship or working and all presenters grew up in a rural area.
This gives students in the workshop the opportunity to see a variety of pathways and possibilities for their own futures.
The workshop is strong, impactful and can really make a difference to the lives of young students as they transition to secondary education.
The North Central Dream seeds team consisted of Charlotte Williams, Ella Jacobson, Escher Russell, Finn Poxon, Stacey Barbagello, and Brady Cronin, who were all inspirational role models and facilitators.
Dream Seeds will be back in the North Central region in early 2021 working with other schools across the region. For more information, visit https://dreamseeds.org.au/.