Working with the dedicated and passionate team at Sport & Life Training (SALT) to deliver interactive education presentations to sporting clubs and schools around Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol, Gambling, Leadership, Self Image. SALT is a not-for-profit health promotion organisation with a vision to Transform Australian Culture Through Sport.https://sportandlifetraining.com.au/about/our-team/gail_ackroyd/

Ringwood Secondary School is a co-educational school of 1600 students and has a strong well being infrastructure, guided by positive education principles and a strong emphasis on respectful relationships. As a member of the highly committed and professional Wellbeing Team, I worked collaboratively to help students overcome difficulties, provided support and helped them thrive to be come the best version of themselves. As School Chaplain • Providing short-term counselling to students• Planning and facilitating ongoing group work• Offering holistic support to students, staff and parents in relation to a wide range of often complex issues• Assisting in the planning, running and supervision of Breakfast Club, Alternative to Schoolies and Mentoring programs• Working collaboratively with wellbeing staff, teachers, volunteers, support staff and committeesKEY ACHIEVEMENTS• Working with and providing positive therapeutic and support options for students with highly complex issues, who have previously been difficult to engage• For 5 years, running a year-long lunch time group for Year 7 and 8 girls who were socially disconnected and had various wellbeing concerns and seeing them grow and flourish• Speaking annually to over 260 year 9 students about the importance of healthy relationships through the Polished Man campaign• For 2 years, taking 8-10 VCE students on a 3-day Alternative to Schoolies program devised by myself and my co-worker. There we engaged in feeding the homeless and providing support to the disenfranchised as well as other social enterprises. We also provided the students with instruction on values, empathy and the ways in which they can make a difference.

This department is responsible for the statutory supervision of young people in the criminal justice system. As a community-based Youth Worker, I provided supervision and support for young people between the age of 12 and 21 on Probation, Parole and other community-based correctional orders.I provided them with support and advocacy as they rehabilitated and collaboratively we aimed to turn their lives around.Court Advisory Office: • Supervising and supporting young people on community-based orders• Case management, advocacy, support of young people• Developing networks of referral and assisting in young people gaining employment, accommodation, education and addressing underlying issues to offending behavior • Facilitating and running group work• Managing, supervising and supporting volunteer Probation Officers