Engaging young people in leading and learning

Supporting equity and excellence in Tasmanian Schools.
Supporting Tasmanian students to be:

• Successful learners
• Confident and creative individuals
• Active and informed citizens

National Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians

ruMAD? assists schools to deliver on the educational goals at the heart of the Australian Curriculum.
 

Contact Us | ruMAD? video | ruMAD? and the Curriculum | Benefits of ruMAD? | Levels of 'MADness' | ruMAD? in Tasmania | School Support | Funding | Origins of ruMAD? | ruMAD? Conference video

ruMAD? is

• An 8-step process that guides students from the discovery of shared values to the development and completion of a project that creates real change.


• A flexible framework easily integrated into any school classroom.


• A unique Australian education program that engages students in social issues and will bring greater equity and respect to the school and community.


• An empowering, values-based, student-led journey of transformation focussing on inquiry, critical thinking, and decision-making.


• An opportunity for young people to gain the confidence, skills, knowledge, values and contacts that are essential for citizenship, for employment and for life.


• Owned by the Education Foundation (a division of the Foundation for Young Australians) and delivered in Tasmania by the Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning.

The ruMAD? process starts with students identifying shared and important values as a group, and community issues that are inconsistent or in conflict with those shared values. Students then explore possibilities for action through various levels of involvement in social change projects, and lead the planning and implementation of their chosen projects.
 

For more information about ruMAD? in Tasmania contact
Helen Hortle, Jeremy Picone or Karen Reid
Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning 
4 Battery Square, Battery Point, 7004
Ph 03 6223 1025 or 0400 824 261
Email rumad@afairerworld.org

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ruMAD? and the Curriculum

ruMAD? provides opportunities to deliver curriculum content on general capabilities, and for students to develop capability through personally relevant initiatives of their own design.

• Literacy, numeracy, and ICT capability - MAD projects require a range of mathematical, written and oral communication tasks: letter writing, phone calls, multimedia presentations, public speaking, budgets, meeting minutes, and project plans.


• Ethical understanding - undertaking community projects turns students’ focus towards helping others, fostering empathy and greater understanding of people’s differing needs.


• Critical and creative thinking - ruMAD? learning is inquiry-based: to create lasting solutions, students must identify causes, analyse potential barriers and brainstorm creative solutions.


• Personal and social capability - successful project completion requires individual initiative, teamwork, problem solving, tolerance and respect for others, and communication with people of different ages and status.


• Intercultural understanding - projects create connections with others in the community, broaden students' worldview and develop their understanding of themselves as global citizens.

MAD activities reflect the great diversity of student interests. In Tasmania these have included many projects within the Cross-Curriculum Priorities of the Australian Curriculum:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures (celebrating indigenous culture, reconciliation action).


• Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia (diversity education, fair trade, poverty reduction, landmines, street children).


• Natural, cultural, social, and economic sustainability (addressing disadvantage and discrimination, environmental clean-ups, energy and water conservation).

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Benefits of ruMAD?

ruMAD? makes a difference…

To students by:

• engaging them in issues of social justice, the environment, tolerance and cultural diversity;
• challenging them to act as leaders and change-makers in their community;
• helping them express their views, become critical thinkers and develop citizenship, employment and life-long learning skills; and
• improving engagement, motivation, behaviour, self-confidence, literacy and numeracy skills.

To teachers by:

• providing a best practice model and structured process to engage students in inquiry-based learning;
• supporting them with training, curriculum materials, resources, mentoring and community networks; and
• facilitating improved communication and teacher/student relationships.

To schools by:

• improving student engagement in learning;
• assisting with the implementation of key components of the Tasmanian and Australian Curricula;
• providing opportunities for local, state and national recognition;
• setting the scene for new community partnerships; and
• placing them at the heart of the community.

To communities by:

• connecting them to young people and schools;
• inspiring greater social cohesion and building capacity;
• creating real and lasting change; and
• developing confident, creative, active and informed citizens.

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Levels of MADness

There are five ways that schools can be involved, starting with a small commitment through MAD Day and building up to major change…

MAD Day: Students take on a one-day activity that gets everyone thinking about making a difference. For example, students might brainstorm the things they are most concerned about and think of a positive action they could take. Schools already implementing a MAD Project or MAD Foundation use a MAD Day to celebrate their achievements.

Wynyard High held their first MAD Day in 2011. Students wanted to bring the community together to raise the image of the school and to have a chance to learn things they normally wouldn’t. They invited 23 community members to run workshops at their school, sharing a variety of skills and interests with the students, including archery, graffiti art, police work, hairdressing, how to make a surfboard, public speaking, jewellery making, Gaelic football, and farm work!

Read more about Wynyard High's ruMAD? experience.

MAD Project: These require a longer-term commitment with more detailed research, planning and involvement. The project may be developed and implemented over a whole year or on an ongoing basis. Projects make a significant difference in the school or in the local or global community.

Trevallyn Primary School has been running MAD Projects for a number of years. In 2012, the grade 4 students’ MAD Projects had a REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE theme. The students wanted “to make a difference in our lives and the lives of other people by helping others, animals and the environment.” By learning new ways to reduce, reuse and recycle, the Grade 4s have tried to improve the health of their environment. Their projects have included making compost, improving their diets, reducing the amount of rubbish produced in each classroom and water conservation.

Read more about Trevallyn Primary's ruMAD? experience

MAD Youth Ambassador: The Fairer World Festival is the largest youth social justice event in Tasmania, inspiring students to be a driving force for change in their local and global communities, and offering teachers an opportunity to explore new ways to incorporate responsible citizenship programs into their classrooms. The Festival allows Tasmanian students to share their change-making ideas with community leaders, learn new skills, showcase their recent projects, and make contact with others working for a fairer world.  The 2013 Festival is from September 2nd to 6th with separate days for primary and secondary students in Hobart and Launceston.

The 2011 Festival was held over four days at university campuses in Hobart and Launceston, and hosted by students from Jordan River Learning Federation (Gagebrook and Middle School), Geilston Bay High, and Riverside Primary and High schools. 16 community organisations delivered workshops for over 1400 students from 52 schools, travelling from as far away as Boat Harbour. This event was awarded the Hobart City Council 2012 Australia Day Community Event of the Year.

Read more about the Festival and being a Youth Ambassador.

MAD Student Foundation: Students commit to raising funds and granting monies to community organisations within their local communities and ensure that their money is truly making a difference.

Melbourne Girls’ College established the first MAD Student Foundation in Victoria in 2001. The girls raised $2,500 through sausage sizzles and other events. These funds were matched by Charles Lane and The Myer Foundation. By 2003, the Foundation had developed such a profile that the school was inundated with community applications for funding. (Foundations have not yet been introduced to Tasmania.)

ruMAD? & Service Clubs: An extension to the MAD Project, for which a Service Club partners with an ruMAD? class to explore the enterprising and life skills used by the students in developing their project.

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ruMAD? in Tasmania

The Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning is the only organisation authorised to deliver ruMAD? in Tasmania. Read more on-line about MAD Activities and case studies from MAD Schools in Tasmania.

• Since the inception of the Program, over 50,000 young people in 150 schools around Australia have participated - 15,000 in Tasmania.


• During the past seven years, over 2,700 ruMAD? Youth Ambassadors have trained to spread the word to other young people in Tasmania about how they can make a difference.


• During the past five years, 3 Tasmanian schools have had designated teachers supporting the implementation of ruMAD? for one day a week.


• In 2012, Geilston Bay High School began a three-year phased implementation of the program with assistance from Clarence City Council.

ruMAD? can be used to deliver key components of the Australian Curriculum, the National Statements of Learning for Civics and Citizenship, and the National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools.  It has been endorsed by the Education Department of Tasmania:

“The ruMAD? Program … provides a best practice framework for education in values and responsible citizenship, allowing significant connections to be made with the Tasmanian Curriculum Framework.”

Memorandum of Understanding, Tasmanian Department of Education and the Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning, signed 2008

The Australian Education Union has also given its support:

The Union believes that ruMAD? is a valuable educational program that will greatly benefit Tasmanian students, teachers and the wider community. The Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning has our full support in bringing the program to Tasmania.
Chris Lane, State Manager

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School Support

The Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning is able to provide an extensive support structure to member schools implementing the ruMAD? Program. This includes:

• Professional development: Teacher training sessions held regionally or at individual schools.


• Curriculum materials: Detailed lesson guides, instructional videos, MAD ideas and topic specific teaching resources.


• ruMAD? School Coordinator, Education Officer and Program Manager: The Centre staff are available as mentors, to provide training, resources and ideas.


• Global Learning Resource Library: Built up over 28 years the library has books, kits, DVDs, magazines, posters and games on a wide range of social issues. Our staff can research and recommend resources to suit teachers’ needs.


• A Fairer World (www.afairerworld.org) has ruMAD? case studies, information, resources and MAD stories.


• A Fairer World Youth (youth.afairerworld.org) provides resources on social issues and taking action specifically for young Tasmanians.


• Community networks: The Centre has extensive networks with other organisations working for a fairer world. These include:
  
  
  

  Act for Peace	Mines Victims and Clearance Trust
  Amnesty International (Tas)	Mission Australia
  Anglicare Tasmania	National Industry Association for Disability Services
  Anti-Poverty Week	Oaktree Foundation
  Australian Council of Human Rights Education	Office of the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner
  Australian Education Union (Tas)	Oxfam Australia
  Australian Red Cross	RESULTS International (Australia)
  Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative	Rotary Club of Hobart
  Australian Volunteers International	RSPCA
  Australian Youth Climate Coalition	Soroptimists of Hobart
  Bahay Tuluyan	Southern Coastcare Association of Tasmania
  Brightside Farm Sanctuary	Sustainable Living Tasmania
  Climate Action Hobart	Students Against Racism
  Fair Trade Assoc of Aust & NZ	Tasmanian Council of Social Service
  Foundation for Young Australians	Tasmanian Peace Trust
  Global Poverty Project	TEAR Australia
  Go Fair	United Nations Association of Australia
  Human Rights Week	Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom
  International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons	Working It Out
  Justice Action Network	Vision Generation
  Make Poverty History	World Vision Australia
  Migrant Resource Centre	Youth Network of Tasmania

• Promotion and recognition of student MAD activities and the school (web, media and the annual Fairer World Festival & MAD Expo).


• Evaluation and reporting on student and teacher progress/satisfaction.


• Assistance with sourcing funding for MAD activities.

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Funding

ruMAD? in Tasmania is currently partially supported by the Tasmanian Government through the Education Department. Since 2005, the Tasmanian Program has been funded by a number of other organisations including the Tasmanian Community Fund, Tasmanian Community Foundation, the Elaine Haworth Trust (managed by the Perpetual Foundation), Rotary Club of Hobart, Vodafone Foundation, and the Sidney Myer Fund. Also critical to funding ruMAD? are our MAD Friends - read more about our MAD Friends program here.

This funding allows the Centre to provide schools with subsidised training, support and curriculum resources. The ruMAD? Youth Action Conferences and the Fairer World Festival have received funding or in-kind support from many sponsors (see our supporter page).

Sponsors are currently being sought for the 2013 Fairer World Festival - read our Information Package and join us in Making A Difference!

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Origins of ruMAD?

Goal 2 of the Melbourne Declaration on the Educational Goals for Young Australians requires that “all young Australians become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens”. To realise this goal, students of all abilities need opportunities for authentic learning – programs that bring democratic processes to the classroom, that connect them with their community, and that empower them to take positive action on the real-life issues of importance to them.

The ruMAD? Program was developed and piloted in Victoria in 2001 by Dr David Zyngier, a lecturer and researcher in the area of student engagement, particularly for at-risk students, and Claire Brunner, a youth facilitator who has worked with young people in forums from juvenile justice to the National Youth Round Table and Youth Summit 2020. Dr Zyngier, a former school principal, challenges educators to look at their teaching practice and how they, and their students, get connected to the real world.

From author Dr David Zyngier…

I have found that students most at-risk of failure, from socially, culturally and economically disadvantaged conditions are the least likely to be exposed to intellectually challenging and relevant material. My considerable experience and research has shown that these students are more likely to be engaged through ‘productive and reciprocal pedagogies’ that draw on students ‘real life’ concerns and enable them to have more control of their lives and be connected to a more participatory social vision of society. The ruMAD program is firmly grounded and based on these pedagogical understandings.

The program has other benefits as has been shown by a number of external evaluations. As well as promoting resilience, leadership skills, self esteem and literacy among students, the program is most effective in fostering school-community partnerships and curriculum development.

Zyngier and Brunner were assisted in the development of the Program by a taskforce including representatives from Victorian curriculum associations, the Victorian Department of Education and Training, the Catholic Education Office and the independent education sector, teacher unions, Australian aboriginal and ethnic organisations, the Victorian Council of Social Service and the Victorian Local Governance Association. The Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning delivered the first Tasmanian pilot at five schools in 2005. This was funded by a grant from the Tasmanian Community Fund.

A number of external evaluations of the Program are available including by the University of Melbourne (2004), the Australian Youth Research Centre (2008, which includes a Tasmanian case study), and two by Community Focus (2010 and 2011, which evaluate the program at Gagebrook Primary in Tasmania). The ruMAD? Program at Rokeby High appears as a case study in the book Schools, Communities and Social Inclusion published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2011. For more information about these evaluations or to obtain copies, contact us.

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