Students sign up for success

By Bridget Cook
YEAR 10 students from Endeavour Hills Secondary College made a promise to continue their education or seek employment into the future, when they pledge to stay off the dole.
Last week, the whole year level signed a charter, pledging to be in full-time education, training or employment next year, rather than using our welfare system as an employment option.
The No Dole program is an initiative of the Beacon Foundation, a national non-profit group that aims to break the wel-fare dependency cycle by inspiring and engaging students.
The students signed the pledge in front of representatives from supporting local businesses, Beacon Foundation, staff and students.
Endeavour Hills Secondary College beacon project officer said the program encouraged students to continue their further education and/or training into 2011.
“The beacon charter signing pledge is important as it gives both the school and the local community representatives an opportunity to stop and come together to acknowledge student future aspirations,” she said.
The schools Beacon Foundation champion Cameron Jones, from Re-car, assisted school principal Barbara Mothersdale in handing out certificates to the students.
The school’s Beacon Ambassadors, Matthew Jameson, Patrick Carroll, Izaja Mandem and Jake Gordon, were the Master’s of Ceremonies for the event.
Patrick Ip, from California, was the inspiring guest speaker at the event.
Patrick, 19, was recently appointed co-chairman for the United Nations Youth Committee of Australia and previously served at the California High School for Students for Barack Obama.