Belonging, Connectedness, and Self-Worth: Building Socially Sustainable Communities through a School based Student Support Program

Abstract

This article draws from an evaluation of a school-based student support program operating in the Elizabeth-Munno Para region of South Australia (“Author”, 2005). Based on a community development model, The Turn Around Program (TAP) extends beyond the parameters of the classroom to provide educational, social and health services to students and families affected by economic and social disadvantage. Data collected from children, parents, teachers and school principals, indicated that the Program enhanced the capacity of families and communities affected by disadvantage and poverty to more effectively support and nurture their children. The marked improvements in parenting capacity and in child-parent interaction and communication provided children with a more open and supportive home environment, which in turn, improved children’s experience of schooling and their capacity for learning. Through an examination of key aspects of the Program, the paper demonstrates how TAP has successfully melded long held ecological perspectives on schooling and child development with a number of strategies that promote the development of socially sustainable communities.