Meet Brent Simons, the Community Engagement and Employment Pathways Coordinator at Yiramalay. Brent is based off-site and lives in Derby, but his role takes him on a constant journey across the Kimberley region, where he promotes the Yiramalay program and supports interested students and families with onboarding paperwork and ABSTUDY applications. Brent also provides support for Yiramalay alumni with their transition into employment and further study. He is motivated by being able to have a sustainable impact on young people’s lives through a holistic approach towards education and personal development.
What is your role like at Studio Schools?
I'm travelling all the time through the East Kimberley, communities through the Valley, Fitzroy itself then up to Bidgyadanga and communities up the Peninsula. I recently came back from an employment trip in East Arnhem Land, which I was fortunate enough to be sent on to help prepare for some of our students who are about to graduate from that area.
I help prepare them and link them in with potential employers in their communities. I am always on the road, always travelling, and always running into ex-students along the way.
I love my role because I get to meet new people all the time from all over the top end. I meet local families through enrolment enquiries and local business people and organisation representatives as we continue to strengthen relationships locally when supporting our graduates into employment or study.
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What first brought you to Yiramalay?
I started working for the Yiramalay Foundation in Melbourne in 2015.
I moved to Melbourne to study at University, not with the intention of working at Yiramalay. But, while attending an event in Melbourne called White Night, I ran into some people from Kimberley who were schooling at Yiramalay. I recognized them from our hometown and they mentioned that Yiramalay was hiring part-time staff for their boarding houses in Melbourne. I decided to take up the opportunity alongside my university studies.
It started as just a bit of casual part-time work while at university and now here I am, still involved with the program about nine years later.
What do you love most about your job?
I love the work that I do.
We get to work with these students one on one, and around the clock considering our context as a boarding school. Seeing them learn, grow and become more confident in themselves and what they do is really fulfilling. Having the opportunity to guide them through the learning experiences that occur beyond the classroom setting is also really impactful. All of the students I have worked with over the years have huge potential but are often held back by shame. Being able to play a part in their personal, social and emotional development has been rewarding for me.
We provide many students and local staff with exposure to opportunities and experiences that they may not have had access to in their local context. I’ve sat with students who’ve caught their first flight at the age of 17, seen students who have graduated and have been the only member of their family to ever graduate school. Last year we had a young man graduate and go straight into full-time employment. He has about 12 family members living in his house and he is the only person in his house with employment. All these experiences and opportunities are valuable to our students, their growth and their life journey, they then return home to family and community to be role models and hopefully create a positive ripple effect.
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Why do you think Australia needs Studio Schools?
I think the model of learning is really applicable to local Indigenous people. The model that we run is an alternative curriculum that places a lot of emphasis on personal development, industry learning and culture. Acknowledging these types of learning and building them into the curriculum that we facilitate, really helps create a lot more buy in from our students.
Also our local community needs us. We employ many local staff throughout our staffing structure, from the leadership level to entry level jobs. We also engage local groups and businesses when completing building projects. We have local people on our steering committee which provides guidance on everything we do and the decisions we make. We have local organisations and businesses that come and work with our students, and having them involved creates a lot more engagement from our local community.
Can you share an example of a story of a student that personally touched you and motivated you to keep doing the work that you do on the hard days?
I've got heaps. But there was one student in particular who started with us in Melbourne and finished with us over here at our Kimberley campus.
His sister was schooling with us at the time and I was lucky enough to work with him here. I remember his sister saying to me before he came to Yiramalay to please not acknowledge him at the weekly meetings, because he was really shy. She said he didn’t want to be seen, he just wanted to come to do his schooling, and fly under the radar.
And she was right. Initially he was one of the shyest students I'd ever seen at Yiramalay. But, looking at his growth while he was with us for three years is so inspiring. He became one of the students leading meetings whenever we'd have induction groups come up from Melbourne. He was leading meetings and speaking in front of over a hundred people, cracking jokes, and dancing. He became the lead singer of our Yiramalay band, captain of all our sporting teams, was voted to be a student leader by his peers and won two awards when he graduated in year 12. I really enjoyed being able to see and be a part of that growth and work with him so closely during his time with us.
How do you think the approach and environment at Yiramalay helped in this individual’s progress and development?
I think it's because of the way the program is set up, there's a lot more space to work one-on-one with students. We have 53 students at the moment (hoping to get more) and just under 30 staff. We have the opportunity to be able to work with students a lot more closely. And not just at school, because we run a co-ed boarding program, we have them 24/7 while they're with us here. So being able to work with them before school, at school, and after school, has a big impact. This all goes back to the circles of learning that I mentioned, they are just as important as classroom learning and I feel that is why we can have those huge impacts.
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What would your message be to anyone who is considering Studio Schools, or considering sending their child to Studio Schools?
Come out and give it a try. Compared to other boarding schools, we're close, but we're still away from home. You don't need to go all the way to Perth or Geraldton or across to Melbourne to experience residential life. You can do that right here at home, on-country, at a school that is guided by local people, for local people. Come out, give it a go.
For enrolment enquiries for Yiramalay and Manjali please contact:
Brent Simons
Community Engagement and Employment Pathways Coordinator