Maroondah Positive Education Network (MPEN): Local Government and Schools Collaborating for Community Well-being

Overview

Are schools grappling with significant challenges in promoting positive education? Despite their best efforts, are the results falling short of expectations? Schools encounter well-being challenges often caused by broader social, cultural and economic problems including poor mental health, generational trauma, poverty, homelessness and family violence.

Without family and community support, promoting positive education often yields limited results. Can you imagine the impact if the entire community came together to support the families of students in the area?

In 2016, the Maroondah community, an outer urban municipality in Melbourne, Australia, established the Maroondah Positive Education Network (MPEN), a unique project aiming to improve the individual and collective well-being of students, staff and families at thirty government schools and in the wider community. This ongoing collaboration between Maroondah City Council, the Victorian Department of Education, and the Maroondah Principal’s Network is a result of community consultation revealing a strong desire for improved mental health and well-being for people living in Maroondah. Proactive local government and school partnerships have the potential to achieve positive preventative and restorative outcomes for students, staff, families and the wider community, serving as a successful model of cooperation between schools and the community

Significant achievements since the inception of MPEN include the establishment of a HOPE (Head Of Positive Engagement) network, where schools work together and share practice around Positive Education and Wellbeing, HOPE Leaders appointed in each school, professional learning for staff, interactive workshops and ongoing programs for students, and information sessions for parents.

In this session, the speakers, who have been coordinating the project for several years, will share their experiences and showcase how MPEN uses a system-based approach to build capability, connection and community and enable our schools to create and maintain flourishing learning environments, where relationships are important and other people matter. They hope that this presentation will inspire others to consider and further investigate the potential benefits that positive cross-sectoral collaborations can contribute to a shared future of improved well-being for all.