What happens when you create space for students to rediscover their confidence and purpose? They show up, they participate, and they start to see themselves – and their potential – differently.
The brief
Design and pilot a 10-week intensive program for Year 7 and 8 students across two NSW government secondary campuses. The goal: help students who’d stepped back from learning to re-engage, build confidence, and develop a more positive outlook on school life. The program needed to meet NSW Stage 4 curriculum requirements while creating meaningful, purpose-driven learning experiences.
Outcomes achieved:
- 18 students participated across two pilot intakes in 2022
- Student attendance increased significantly throughout the program
- Positive outlook on school life improved by 40%
- Students successfully met Stage 4 curriculum requirements through integrated, project-based learning
- Brain training program completed, strengthening cognitive skills and executive function
- Students designed and led social enterprise projects, giving to causes important to them
- Program consolidation document T Centre Triumphs and Trials produced, capturing learnings for future implementation
- Following Departmental review, program approved for ongoing implementation
- Award received: 2023 NSW Department of Education Minister’s and Secretary’s Award for Outstanding School Initiative
What we learned
When students are given purpose, structure, and the chance to contribute to something beyond themselves, confidence grows. Small group environments where curriculum is delivered through meaningful projects can re-ignite engagement in ways traditional classrooms sometimes can’t. The combination of brain training, social entrepreneurship, and genuine connection created conditions for students to see themselves as capable, and that shift in self-perception changed everything.
The program is now in its fifth year of operation.