Building student voice and supporting student agency is a key focus of the new Australian Student Wellbeing Framework. Authentic student participation is the hallmark of the Peer Support program and is further reinforced and activated by Peer Support SRC workshops. The workshops provide a springboard of ideas and practices to enhance and develop a culture where students are active participants in their own learning and wellbeing and this fosters a sense of connectedness.
The focus of group discussion and individual feedback at recent workshops from Primary and Secondary SRC coordinators highlighted the need to energise their schools SRC in order to provide active and meaningful participation of students across school life.
Student voice is getting greater traction in Victorian schools with a recent change by the state government to make it mandatory for students to be elected to every high school council and given full voting rights. This is a significant step in activating and supporting student voice. There are a variety of ways to empower students to be strong leaders who can make a real difference in your school at an SRC level.
Developing authentic student voice and engagement are current hot topics. Participants at our recent SRC workshops valued the opportunity to discuss and reflect on this. What do you think? How are you enabling this successfully at your school? What would help you to do it better?
