NCJ Number
228954
Journal
Youth Studies Australia Volume: 28 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2009 Pages: 13-20
Date Published
September 2009
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Results are presented from an evaluation of the Australian ruMAD (are you Making a Difference?) program, developed to boost young people's participation in the educational process and in society.
Abstract
The findings of the evaluation indicate that programs like ruMAD provide young people with successful and meaningful educational experiences and serve as a needed model for renewed, revitalized, and reconceptualized teacher practice in schools where student achievement and attainment is affected by socioeconomic factors. Programs such as ruMAD represent a vehicle by which young people can help drive and support the national social inclusion agenda and provide a powerful model for the renewal of civics education within the national curriculum. A significant body of research suggests that young people's civic participation is associated with social benefits, and it fosters the competencies valued by school systems. The ruMAD program encourages, educates, and empowers young people to enact social change within their school and community. This evaluation analyzed the extent to which the ruMAD program was meeting its stated objectives and included a case study of two schools, one primary and one secondary that are using ruMAD to engage students and drive community change in highly disadvantaged areas of Queensland and Tasmania. References