Through the Connections program, students learn about the important contributions individuals can make as active citizens.
Students build an ethos of working together, learning about themselves, their community and their environment. Experience-based and city-site learning helps to establish intercultural understanding and understanding of each student’s own personal and social capability.
Connecting with communities
Students travel to the city where they engage in various community activities and become familiar with important cultural, architectural and social landmarks of Melbourne.
Students are given access to organisations that work with refugees and the homeless. They are encouraged to challenge their views and perceptions to develop empathy and compassion. This understanding of community is directed towards how students can give back and assist others. Students are also challenged to build a lifelong plan for volunteerism and support vulnerable people through community service.
A sense of belonging
The program encourages greater responsibility for independent learning, reasoning in decision-making, and resilience. They work in different groups beyond their immediate friendship circles, developing new approaches to teamwork and a new sense of belonging with their peers through these experiences.
Personal growth
Connections is designed to develop personal growth and maturity. On reflection, students often comment on how the program has helped them empathise with others, think about their role in our society, encourage them to give of themselves, and enjoy the experience of spending time with friends exploring their city.

Meet our Year 9 Connections Coordinator
We believe it is critical to develop independent learning and reasoning within each student.
As part of the Year 9 Connections program, students reflect on and evaluate experiences at a personal level; demonstrate a greater awareness of how organisations support the community and understand their personal and social capability within the context of the world around them.