Jason Wood (La Trobe, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A few weeks back, I had the great pleasure of being with Les Twentyman at Berwick Secondary College. I've been working with Les for some time regarding the Les Twentyman Foundation programs, which target high-risk students who are overcoming extreme personal issues. The aim of this program is to keep kids in schools, give them hope and build resilience. I really want to thank Wayne Owens, the CEO of the Les Twentyman Foundation. We were joined by Sarah Ryan, manager of the foundation; Dante and Adelle, Berwick college students; Daniel Lipscombe, a Les Twentyman youth worker who has the job of being at the school for the next three years; and James Doble, Acting Principal at Berwick Secondary College. I first became aware of this program when Les appeared before the federal inquiry for the report No one teaches you to become an Australian and I was blown away by the foundation. Working with the foundation and the government, I've secured $1.5 million of federal funding over three years. Locally, that means Berwick Secondary College and Pakenham Secondary College will have a full-time Les Twentyman youth worker for the next three years, and other schools will also benefit from this. To me, this is one of the best intervention programs in schools across the country. Well done, Les, and well done to all of your team at the foundation.