Page 13 - Annual Report AGM June 2020

Facilitated and organised by the Murray Mallee
LLEN the two day “Framework for Understanding
Poverty” workshop saw over 170 from across the
Mallee attend the Swan Hill Town Hall.

Presented by Nairn Walker who has worked
across Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK.
This workshop was developed specifically for the
education sector and gave teachers and education
support staff the tools to help address the challenges
faced by them in the school setting. The workshop
looked at the hidden rules of economic class and
spread the message that, despite the obstacles
poverty can create in all types of interaction, there are
specific strategies for overcoming them.

The program is based on the Ruby Payne book A
Framework for Understanding Poverty and teaches
the need for education staff to build relationships
with students with the knowledge that students all
have severely different home lives which impact their
learning capacity.

Some of the key areas covered in the two days:
► Hidden rules within economic classes –
generational poverty, middle class and wealth
► Characteristics of generational poverty, and why
these students often fear being educated
► The role of language registers, discourse patterns
and story structure
► How economic class affects behaviours and mindsets
► The eight resources that make a difference in success
► Discipline interventions that improve behaviour
► Building relationships
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