THE CHASE PROGRAM
CHASE adopts an innovative pedagogical framework to promote the health and wellbeing of young Victorians. Over the course of the school year, CHASE’s 100+ volunteer mentors travel to our partner schools to deliver twelve health-related workshops, each mentor working with the same group of 3-4 students every fortnight.
EDUCATION PHASE
The Education Phase of the CHASE program consists of six core workshops that form a diverse health curriculum centred on the social determinants of health.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
To understand the benefits of physical activity for a person’s health and wellbeing. To understand the barriers to exercise and learn how to overcome them in everyday life.
NUTRITION
To identify influences on food choices and develop strategies for healthy eating. To understand the benefit of healthy eating for health and wellbeing.
RESPECT AND RELATIONSHIPS
To gain a deeper understanding of gender and sexuality, and to explore the characteristics of respectful relationships.
ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS
To understand the social, cultural and individual factors that contribute to drug use and to consider alternative coping mechanisms. To empower students to address the stigma around drug and alcohol use and promote positive recovery. To learn and apply harm minimisation strategies.
MENTAL HEALTH
To discuss mental health and wellbeing whilst reducing the stigma in discussing mental health. Empower students to support their friends and encourage help seeking behaviour.
INTRODUCTION TO CHASE
To introduce students to mentors and the CHASE program.
FUN FACT
All community projects are student-led, meaning that students are responsible for identifying a relevant community challenge, building partnerships with local organisations, fundraising, designing an innovative solution and executing it.
EXPLORE A COMMUNITY HEALTH ISSUE AND BRAINSTORM A PROJECT RELATED TO THIS ISSUE
Students think critically about the local community, as well as explore a community health issue and the factors that contribute to it.
COMMUNICATION
Students are partnered and begin working with their community partners.
BUDGETS AND CONTINGENCY PLANNING
Students gain an appreciation of budgeting and planning in their project, as well as in their daily lives.
TEAMWORK
Students continue to develop their project and learn to work better in a team.
TASK DELEGATION AND TIME MANAGEMENT
Students identify tasks to be completed for their project and delegate these tasks.
SELF REFLECTION
Students reflect on the school or community-based project and the process of completing the project.
PREPARING FOR PRESENTATIONS
Students learn about what makes a good presentation, enhance their presentation skills, and plan for their showcase.
PROJECT PHASE
Project Phase is made up of six workshops and empowers students to use the knowledge and skills gained in the education phase to develop their own ideas for an original community-based project. These projects will address health concerns within their community.
Project Phase has a flexible structure that means specific soft skills are not taught within specific workshops. Instead, mentors are given a flowchart and teach the soft skills as the skills are relevant within each individual student group's project development.
FUN FACT
A recent student group at Copperfield College organised a campaign to raise community awareness of homelessness through a tin-can drive at Copperfield’s three campuses. To fund the project, the students set up a fundraising campaign through a car wash initiative. The team raised $480 and collected over 2,400 cans to donate to Hope Street Youth and Family Services.
SHOWCASE
The CHASE Showcase is a premier event on the CHASE calendar. CHASE invites family, friends, community organisations and notable local figures such as Members of Parliament to the Showcase.
The Showcase is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the work of our students, their school and our mentors. Students are encouraged to present their projects and reflect on their journey throughout the CHASE program.
MENTOR TRAINING WORKSHOPS
Prior to delivering each workshop at schools, CHASE mentors are expected to attend mandatory training workshops. Mentor Training workshops are usually 90 minutes in duration and held on a weekday evening. It is at these Training Workshops where mentors will be given the knowledge, educational materials and tools to successfully deliver the workshops in schools. These workshops are also an opportunity to upskill our mentors for their own personal development and general knowledge. There is also an opportunity for mentors to engage and discuss topics and ideas with fellow CHASE committee members.
PARTNER ORGANISATIONS
For the Education Phase, we invite an expert in the field to give an informative and engaging presentation on one of our health topics: Nutrition, Physical Activity, Respect and Relationships, Alcohol and Other Drugs, or Mental Health. For the Project Phase Mentor Training workshops, our dedicated Program team work to create and present this content for the benefit of the mentors and the program.
Organisations who have presented at our Mentor Training workshops include:
Bits and Bods
headspace Sunshine
Ygender
