Improving education outcomes for Morwell youth through gardening

Latrobe Valley Flexible Learning Option provides an alternative education option for disengaged youth in the Latrobe Valley.

This ‘urban agriculture’ project aims to build positive, constructive relationships between young people and community groups while improving the mental health and wellbeing of the participants through hands-on learning at the Green Valley Gardens location.

The vision of the project is for students to:

• build their practical skills and confidence;
• improve their literacy and numeracy skills;
• build strong relationships with community groups;
• feel empowered to contribute to their local community through participating in positive learning experiences; and
• understand that learning can be fun and exciting.

The vacant area of land within the school grounds, will be transformed into a community vegetable garden with the help of Conservation Volunteers Australia and community volunteers with funding support from Esso Australia and BHP, the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture companies.

“We have had a long association with Conservation Volunteers and are pleased to be able to support a project that will not only deliver educational outcomes but also deliver environmental benefits to the community,” said Dilip Bapat, Esso’s Replacement Pipeline Project Manager.

“Esso has recently completed replacing a pipeline that runs from Longford to Hastings, which also traverses the Morwell area. Being able to contribute to meaningful projects in the local community is a small gesture we can make to thank the community for their ongoing support,” he added.