The Advance Environment Program at Mortlake College aims to promote teamwork, community service, leadership, individual responsibility, and skill development through a two-part program. Part A involves environmental studies coursework and volunteering for outdoor tasks. Part B involves completing the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award by undertaking community service, skills training, and physical recreation over three camps. Students perform tasks for community partners like Parks Victoria, including tree planting, rubbish removal, and environmental monitoring. The program assessments student development in areas like leadership, self-confidence, and interpersonal skills.

2. What is the Advance ? The Advance is a community Service -based project, introduced to secondary colleges by the Victorian Government in 1997 as the VYDP Program. It takes students out of the classroom and offers them a range of opportunities that promote youth leadership and community service. It is a voluntary for both schools and students. Under the project, schools enter a partnership with one of several leading community organisations, in Mortlake`s case ,Parks Victoria.

3. How Advance Operates Advance is a Two part program. Part A: Environment Studies Course work, National Parks First Aid assignments CPR Training Cooking Outdoors Mapping & Navigation The Body layering System Voluntary outdoor tasks, tree planting Part B. Duke of Edinburgh Award, Bronze level Community service, Skills, Physical recreation Three camps, Nelson , LDNL, Lorne.

4. Environment Corps. Environmental Corps = Parks Victoria Some of the tasks undertaken by Mortlake College Advance students include:tree planting,rubbish removal,site clearing,waste management,water monitoring and sampling as well as EBB, Eastern Barred Bandicoot surveying. We have also been involved with Glenelg Hopkins CMA,DNRE, now Department of Primary Industries, DPI. Watershed 2000, Save the Koala Australia foundation ,local Landcare management groups., Moyne Shire, Abbeyfield Old Folks Home, Warrnambool Nature Reserve.

5. The 1999 VYDP Launch On Sunday 21st February Cassie Jubb and Victoria Smith attended Government House ,Melbourne for the Launch of the Victorian Youth Development Program. The Governor and Lady Gobbo, the Premier, Jeff Kennett and the Minister of Education presented each new school with a certificate to recognise the schools involvement.Currently 66 Victorian schools are a part of the project.

8. Some of the Community Tasks completed in Advance Planted Trees , Mortlake Common , Mortlake street scape Framlingham For Australia Koala Foundation Great Ocean Road, Cobra Killuc Hexham, At school Created Fauna signs for Cudgee Wildlife Park Completed water tests For GHMCA, Water shed 2000. Read to folk at Abbeyfield , Mortlake Delivered road safety lessons to primary school students Litter clean up for Coast Care and Lorne Foreshore Reserve Constructed Bird nesting Boxes for Warrnambool Nature Reserve Built flora guards for endangered Orchids , Portland Smelter in the Park.

9. Assessment and Reporting continued . * Percentage of students who report that they have developed a sense of: *Community service. *General level of satisfaction with the program as reported by the participants. Ranking is not apart of the Parks Victoria program, whereas with some of the other providers such the army cadets the ranking system plays an important part in measuring leadership and responsibilities. The Advance Environment study program is also linked with other KLA areas, such as SOSE Geography classes where field work, has involved students being involved with conservation tasks such as the recent trapping of the platypus and water monitoring.

10. Duke of Edinburgh participation booklet 2010 Bronze Award. Community Service. Physical recreation Skills Expedition Silver Award Commences in Year 10 2010

12. Great Ocean Road planting

13. Advance is a Core Subject for 2 periods per Week Program is fully funded by State Government Vels level 6 Incorporates following Domains: Working in teams, Interpersonal Development, Managing Personal learning, Community Engagement, Civics and citizenship, ICT for, Creating, Communicating, Listening, Viewing and Responding, Analysing and Evaluating. With Advance learning is enhanced by opportunities for students to participate in a wide range of projects that they believe to be relevant and important to their lifestyle or career goals

14. Snaps of Advance 2007. Mortlake College.

15. Year Advance at the Little Desert Nature lodge, Nhill, 2007 Little desert 4WD trip

19. For further information visit our Advance website page at :www.mortlakep12.vic.gov.eduor Advance web site at, www.sofweb.vic.edu.au/Advance. Parks Victoria at,www.parks.vic.gov.au/ Fax,55992503 For further information regarding the program contact; Andrew Bennett & Kane Horwill at Mortlake College, Ph.55992204

20. Advance Program