Marking a milestone in Yiramalay Studio School's ongoing partnership with Wesley College, the recent visit to Melbourne by the first Yiramalay student group has opened up an annual opportunity for Year 12 students. While this inaugural 10-day experience focused on cultural competency and exposure to tertiary study options, further plans aim to expand the Melbourne program, offering a broader exploration of induction and connections with Indigenous communities. Selected students, chosen based on their progress in the four circles of learning, embraced this unique opportunity, with one student experiencing her first plane ride and all students venturing to an Eastern State for the first time
Melbourne Experience
On Friday, 20th of October, six Yiramalay Year 11 and 12 students and two Yiramalay staff travelled to Melbourne for a 10-day experience. The group stayed in a beautiful home in Sandringham, giving them easy access to local shops, Southland shopping centre and the beach. The weekend was spent shopping and settling in, with a night at Gold Class on Saturday night and a welcome BBQ held on Sunday night, where they were joined by Wesley student and staff friends.
Over the next week, the group visited each of the Wesley campuses, where they reconnected with friends, presented to potential Induction students, and most importantly, contributed to the learning of the Year 4 students on each campus. The Year 4 unit of inquiry in Term 4 at Wesley focuses on ‘Sharing the planet’, and each campus explored the central idea that country, language, and community are significant to the lives of Indigenous people. It was perfect timing to have the Yiramalay group there to answer the prepared questions from the Year 4s and share authentic insights with the Wesley students and staff. It also enabled the six Yiramalay students to practice and demonstrate some of the critical competencies for the Certificate II in Leadership that they are currently undertaking.
Alongside the Wesley visits, the group also visited the MCG, had a tour at The University of Melbourne, gave feedback on the new Yiramalay uniform for 2024 during their visit to OnTrack Sportswear (who create and make all our uniforms) and, foundation partner, Hanson hosted a site visit at their Wollert facilities. There were also many additional shopping opportunities!
"Seeing my induction friends again made me really happy. I also got to try some different food in Melbourne, which was really good." - Jazinta, Year 12
One of the clear highlights of the experience was the visit to the Indigenous art exhibition at LUME. Several of the group were brought to tears to see art from the Kimberley being celebrated alongside Indigenous art from across the country, in a city like Melbourne. It was also a bonus to find, Yiramalay graduate from 2020, Alena Landers, working at the exhibition. It was her first day on the job; she is currently she is undertaking a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Indigenous Studies at The University of Melbourne.
Yiramalay looks forward to continuing to connect with the Wesley community in Melbourne in 2024.
