POWER PROGRAM

(Parents Overcoming Work and Education Restrictions)

About the Program

(History and Goals) 

The POWER Program was established at Mabel Park State High School at the beginning of the 2001 school year as a result of needs identified by the school’s internal welfare committee and through consultation with the wider community.  The community need is evidenced by the 160 young parents who have accessed the program since it began.

The Program seeks to offer opportunities to re-engage and/or extend the education, socialization and maturity processes of young people, particularly those who are pregnant and/or parenting so as to establish and achieve solid foundations in parenting/family skills, personal development and positive educational outcomes.  The aim is to support these students within the community so that they develop self-help strategies and have their ideas and aspirations addressed, validated and built upon in order to translate into positive action.  The POWER Program views academic and life skills education as an integral part of life long learning, and therefore is accessible, linked and client focused learning services and resources. 

Two qualified social workers coordinate students and assist them to develop individual programs according to their needs.  Specialist personnel from within and outside the school are utilised to maximise the students’ opportunities to achieve their goals. 

The program has an inclusive approach and encourages young fathers and fathers-to-be to participate as well as pregnant teens and young mothers.  The program is offered to a broad age group ranging from teens to mature age participants with young children.  Originally the target group for this project was pregnant and parenting teens, however,  community interest has indicated that a much wider spectrum of women and young parents are seeking educational opportunities that will work and complement parental responsibilities.

By providing this supportive flexible environment Mabel Park SHS is working towards achieving the 2010 objectives of increasing the proportion of the Qld population completing Year 12 and of improving the quality of the educational experience in state schools for ALL students.

 The program is flexible and strives to meet the needs of each client.  A lengthy enrolment process ensures that each student and their circumstances are considered and catered for.

Time-tabling and subject selection are tailored to cater for the needs of each client in relation to future options, pathways and family commitments.  Students may undertake from 2 to 6 subjects, this may also include a combination of school/work/training and vocational training eg: TAFE

Mission Statement

"We strive to inspire and empower pregnant and parenting students & their children to achieve their goals for the future through educational and emotional support"

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       Mabel Park State High School has been recognised for the POWER program being a cutting edge program in a number of media articles and coverage on Today Tonight 2002, Stateline (ABC) 2002, ABC Talk Back Radio 2003.