Supporting parents back into study
News
For many young parents, education is one of the first things to fall away as the focus rightly shifts to keeping a small human fed, safe and loved.
Compass Catholic Community shows that learning and parenting can exist at the same time thanks to their Early Years centre on school grounds.
In addition to providing SACE and VET courses for free, the Davoren Park school’s Early Years Hub provides free, onsite childminding for children aged six months to five years.
When Cameron Borlase returned to study earlier this year, her son, Eugene, was just three months old.
At 20 and living in Salisbury, Cameron knew she wanted to move forward, but like many young parents, the pathway back into education felt unclear.
“I didn’t quite finish Year 12 and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do,” Ms Borlase said.
“I needed an interim point; something that helped me get back into the skills without jumping straight into really formal study.”
Before Compass, Cameron had been encouraged to move into foundation studies at university.
“I went there and it didn’t quite work out,” she said.
“I had a few things happen while I was in the process, so I stopped and then didn’t really know where I was going.”
With a newborn and limited childcare options, traditional schooling simply wasn’t realistic until Compass offered something different.
A place where she could work toward her SACE, rebuild confidence and most importantly, bring her child along for the journey.
“I found it really comfortable coming here,” Cameron said.
“I’ve been challenged where I need to be, without being daunted. It feels safe.”
A big part of that safety comes from Compass’ Early Years facility.
Having Eugene cared for onsite means Cameron doesn’t have to choose between being present as a parent and engaged as a student.
“If my son’s not here, my Nan is usually looking after him,” she said.
“But when they’re not available, I wouldn’t have been able to have school of any kind, so it’s been really positive.
“Being able to have him over there while I’m over here means I know he’s being looked after.
“I can check on him, see how he’s going and still get my learning done.”
Coming back to study after time away hasn’t been easy, but Compass’ approach has made it manageable.
“After not doing school for a couple of years, theory-based study was really hard,” Cameron said.
“Working here feels much more comfortable than jumping straight into something on my own.
“There are always people around when I need help, and if they’re not right there, I know where to find them.”
Everything Cameron is doing feeds into her bigger picture, as completing her SACE will open doors to other avenues, including potential VET courses at Compass.
“All the work I do goes towards getting my SACE and building the skills I’ll need if I want to go to university or down another path,” Cameron said.
Compass has also allowed Cameron to reconnect with parts of herself that existed before motherhood.
With a long history in roller derby, watching the sport since she was eight and completed a full season before falling pregnant with Eugene, she’s now integrated roller derby into her SACE studies.
Her goal is to return to roller derby once she’s ready, combining learning, planning and community input as she grows both personally and professionally.
With no classes, bells or uniforms at Compass, Principal Kelly Bunyon said learning is focussed on every young person’s interest and goal in mind.
“In Cameron’s instance, she’s working with her roller derby team, and other mothers in the team, to discover a return to play strategy, while also working with our Learning Facilitators and Supporters to bring elements of the sport into her study,” Ms Bunyon said.
“Many young people will run into barriers at some stage in their life that can impact their education, big or small, so we work with our community to break down those barriers and together find a way towards what is the next step in a meaningful life for that student.
“Cameron’s story reflects what Compass is for young people: not pressure to have everything figured out, but space to move forward.”
Right now, Cameron is exploring work in disability support and loving it.
“People work is definitely where I want to be,” Cameron said, even if the exact destination isn’t clear yet.
“I’m happy just exploring and finding out as we go.”
