Throughout 2024, our Year 9 students at Matthew Flinders Anglican College experienced an exciting journey through the Flinders Year to RISE program, earning the program an Excellence Awardee in the ‘Innovation in Curriculum Design’ Award category at the 2024 Australian Education Awards (AEA).
Launched in January 2023, the Year to RISE guides Year 9 students on a year-long journey to build Relationships, embrace Inquiry, explore Stewardship and learn Enterprise through authentic real-world opportunities and challenges.
In class, the program challenges students to balance knowledge with inquiry, ideating and proposing solutions to complex problems through Explore and Aspire Workshops.
The Explore Workshops build skills through the 6Cs (Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Character, Citizenship and Communication), while the Aspire Workshops allowed students to pursue individual interests and explore fields of technology, entrepreneurship and design. These skill-building opportunities aligned students' passions with real-world challenges through practical experiences.
The College's Year 9 Project Leader, Emmie Cossell, said, "One of the most popular features of the Year to RISE program are the Immersive Discovery Tours.
"These tours run for multiple days and enable our students to explore sustainability, diversity and environmentalism as they engage with real-world challenges—from urban planning to marine conservation," Mrs Cossell said.
"Students are asked to choose the tour they most want to explore, whether cultural exchange on North Stradbroke Island, sustainable design in Brisbane City, energy and agriculture exploration in Outback Queensland or regenerative farming at the Gold Coast.
"Each of the experiences deepened our students' understanding of their important role as future global stewards."
The Year to RISE program culminates with student-led capstone projects focused on addressing issues, such as sustainability, inclusivity and diversity.
Students find ways to apply the skills and concepts developed throughout the year to tackle undefined, complex problems.
"This process empowers them to connect their learning with real-world impact, fostering connection and purpose, and preparing them for future challenges as informed, thoughtful change makers," Mrs Cossell said.
Students then exhibit their capstone projects at the Year to RISE Project Showcase. In 2024, the Showcase hosted more than 450 guests, including students, staff, parents, friends and community members.
The Showcase marks the conclusion of Middle School for our Year 9 students, and is a special way to showcase the skills, traits and concepts learned throughout the year.
Learn more about the Year to RISE journey here.
