Through your donations at risk young people ages 7-18 are getting a chance to re-engage in education and experience success at the MacKillop School Geelong.
The School which has adopted a trauma informed mode of practice catering for the needs of learners who have complex and diverse barriers to learning received a $29,810 grant from the Give Where You Live Foundation to implement a music therapy program for students.
We’ve all been moved by music. Hearing your favourite song on the radio (once you’ve recovered from the shock that it’s 20 years old!) can remind you what you were wearing, who you were with and how you were feeling. This emotional effect can be even more powerful for kids who have experienced trauma or who are on the Autism Spectrum and find it difficult to communicate their thoughts and feelings.
Introduced to the school in Term three 2017 thanks to the Give Where You Live Foundation grant, MacKillop School Geelong’s Music Therapy program has already made a significant impact.
Life hasn’t been easy for Stephen*. Introverted and terribly shy, Stephen found it particularly difficult to interact with those around him and almost impossible to make friends. Music Tutor, Paul Grant said, “Stephen needed to feel comfortable in his safe, familiar environment. After several lessons in the classroom, Stephen expressed that he would like to try and attend his guitar lessons in the music room. This was a huge breakthrough! “This young man’s confidence continues to increase as a result of his relationship with music. What makes it even more incredible, is that the new skills he is developing in music therapy are helping him to transition to a classroom workspace that includes his peers.”
“Stephen still has a long way to go, but he is now engaging in classroom tasks and is beginning to demonstrate the cognitive strengths that were hidden behind his barriers.”
Thanks to the grant from the Give Where You Live Foundation, many more children and young people at the school will benefit from the therapeutic effects of the Music Therapy program.
*Name changed