Reverse Immersion Program

The Reverse Immersion Program provides an opportunity for relationships developed the the Outbound Immersion Program to be continued or re-established.

 

The urban or regional school that has undertaken the Outbound Immersion Program becomes the host for students from the remote location. This program incorporates experiential learning for the remote students in contexts, that for the majority will be extremely foreign to them. For some students this could be the first time they have experienced air travel.

 

The program is intended to develop:

  • literacy and reflection skills
  • independence
  • self discipline
  • self confidence
  • a broader understanding of cultural and linguistic diversity
  • knowledge of international concerns relating to climate change, social and environmental sustainability, social justice and gender equity and the impact of man on the environment and animal species.

 

The visiting students will:

  • attend academic classes
  • participate in co-curricular offerings including sport, music and visual arts
  • be exposed to and participate in activities that are synonymous with the particular locality ( e.g. surfing at Bondi Beach if the host school is from Sydney
  • visit local tourist attractions (e.g. Rottnest Island if the host school is from Perth)
  • learn about the locality including it’s history, the Indigenous people and how to move from place to place using methods that residents take for granted.

 

There will be an expectation that the students who are offered this opportunity will undertake pre-program research into the community into which they are entering. They will also be encouraged to maintain a daily reflection journal.

 

There will be an expectation that the host school will financially contribute to the program. This includes providing access to boarding facilities, eating halls and school transport arrangements.

 

This program reinforces the concepts of relationship building and reciprocal learning.

Note 1:

For the purpose of this paper, the term Aboriginal students encompass those who are based in the remote or rural community. It is anticipated that the majority of these students will be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent but this cohort could include students of non-Aboriginal background. ‘2 Way Learning’ will involve all community students.