Burnside State High School supports young mothers
Wed 12 November 2008
Stacey Roberts, Journalism
As the trend of becoming a parent later in life continues, Burnside State High School has reached out to those who find themselves in the opposite situation.
A program titled STEMM (Supporting Teenagers with Education, Mothering and Mentoring) to support and educate pregnant youths and young mothers aged 13-24 has been implemented at the school and currently has 30 enrolments.
STEMM gives young mothers the opportunity to continue their schooling and learn a broad range of life skills while their children are cared for in the on-site crèche, staffed by volunteers.
Program co-ordinator Jacqui Deane said her involvement started when one of her Year 9 students became pregnant, and realised the school could not cater to her new situation.
“I felt really strongly that we needed to encourage young mums to complete their education, and should provide an environment to enable this to happen,” Ms Deane said.
Originally called EMMA, the program was run from LifeBridge, a community counselling and training centre in Maroochydore. When Education Queensland took part they wanted the program based from a school site, and STEMM was initiated.
With a team made up of two teachers, a midwife, a counsellor, a breastfeeding counsellor and case managers, the environment is supportive to help the participants negotiate school life with a new baby.
“I always say to the girls that this is just a speed bump in their life, not the end of the road, and that we will support them over the speed bump and help them to continue down their own path,” Ms Deane said.
“Many of them have mums who were young mums themselves. We as a community need to help these girls to break the cycle.
“It is through education and empowerment that we can do this.”
Life skills is a major component of the program, with the girls participating in cooking, manual arts, exercise and budgeting classes, as well as parenting courses, pre-birth classes, baby care and mentoring others.
Burnside State High School principal Kerri Dunn said she felt the STEMM program could really make a change to the lives of the students and their children.
“The STEMM program has been developed to respond to the huge need we see for students who become pregnant during their schooling years,” Ms Dunn said.
“The STEMM program has enabled the students to become re-engaged with their education and complete Year 10, TAFE or Tertiary Preparation Pathways program.”
With 450 students at Burnside, the motto of ‘Smaller, Smarter, Safer’ is extended to include STEMM participants.
“We can really undertake some focused curriculum programs that cater for the breadth of students,” Ms Dunn said.
Eight mothers have also been working on university assignments in the last few months as part of the Tertiary Preparation Pathway program run through the University of the Sunshine Coast.
The pathway program involves four subjects that help students develop the skills required for tertiary study. Burnside’s STEMM students are taking part in the program off campus, with a tutor travelling to Nambour once a week to teach.
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Well written article. Very informative.
Miriam McArdle
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DAD