Looking to the Future - Corporate Partnerships for Better Pathways

The Ambrose Treacy College Clontarf Academy was founded in 2020 and has facilities on campus. It caters for students in Years 4 to 12 and currently has 36 young people engaged in the program. The Clontarf Foundation exists to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and by doing so, equips them to participate more meaningfully in society.

Recently, our Year 12 Clontarf students attended their 2024 Leadership Camp in Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast. Meeting staff from our valued Clontarf partner, Thiess, the world's largest mining services provider, students were given exclusive access to their workshop and met and spoke with many of the staff members working that day. Staff provided insight into the mining and construction workplace and answered questions from students.

Following that, team building skills were offered in an idyllic setting on the beach at the Southport Spit. This was followed by workshops with another valued Clontarf partner Orica, a global leader in explosives and blasting solutions. Leadership activities were run with the regional mangers of partner organisations, and students set out goals for their final year of school and discussed pathways beyond life at ATC.

Mental health and wellbeing is a key component of the Leadership camp and Headspace brought an engaging presentation to the group. On the final day of camp, students engaged with more of our corporate partners at the Gold Coast Indoor Sports Complex. Playing games of offside touch, modified netball and futsal kept things lighthearted but also offered students the opportunity to network with staff from major companies and learn about real-world options for careers and pathways.

We all had a terrific time at camp, and students learnt valuable skills, engaged with staff in various settings and workplaces and we were immensely proud of the way they represented the College.

Cameron Pickering

Director, Clontarf Foundation