MNSEC go mining at BHP

September 16th saw over 30 students from Gladstone High School, Orroroo Area School, Mid North Christian College and Quorn Area School attend Gateway’s annual road trip to Olympic Dam.  For most of the students, it was their maiden voyage to Roxby Downs.  The bus chucked a mainy and a quick look around the town was followed by some well earned lunch. 

While at BHP Billiton, presentations included an overview of the proposed

mine expansion and guided tour by Public Affairs Officer, Deb Ainslie and an explaination of radiation and safety procedures on site.  Students and Gateways own Marc Swensson dressed up in the compulsory safety uniform (aka disco pants) making for some memorable dance moves and catwalk poses.  After some Q&A time, it was back on the road for the trip home.  Gateways also supplied Subway sandwiches for lunch, snacks, drinks and movies for the bus ride – and the students provided some cheeky sing-a-longs and great conversation.  Capped off with Hungry Jack’s for tea, the trip was long and fun with never a dull moment!

Olympic-sized Fun @ BHP Billiton

On September 2nd, over 40 students from John Pirie Secondary School and Australian Technical College took part in Gateway’s annual road trip to Olympic Dam.  It was the first time many of the students had been to Roxby Downs, so after a tour of the town and some lunch, it was off to Olympic Dam.  The excursion included an overview of the proposed mine expansion and guided tour of Olympic Dam by BHP Billiton Public Affairs Officer, Deb Ainslie; CEG’s Darren Lowe spoke about employment opportunities; plus an explaination of radiation and safety procedures on site.  Students were given the opportunity to ask any questions they had about mining and related industries and everyone got a good laugh (and photo opportunity) when we could dress up in the compulsory safety gear & uniform (including the affectionately titled “Disco Pants”).  Gateways also supplied Subway sandwiches for lunch, snacks, drinks and movies for the bus ride – keeping everyone entertained and fresh as a daisy.  Complete with a trip to Bree Park’s bird sanctuary in Woomera and Hungry Jack’s for tea, the trip was long, but informative and enjoyed by all.

VIBE Alive 2009

VIBE Alive is a 2 day festival for young fellas who like to dance, rap, sing, paint and play sport. There is even time to just chill and enjoy the music.

VIBE Alive is a chance for the youth to express themselves and show their school, community and family what they are good at. Students also find out some awesome info and advice on career choices, meet celebrities and learn some very important info on health and nutrition.

VIBE is a festival dedicated to celebrating Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander cultures and being a proud Aussie! Oh, and it’s the perfect place to catch up with the mob and make some new mates!

Boystown feel the VIBE

These boys from the Port Pirie branch of Boystown were the very first off the rank for the Save-a-Mate presentation about the negative effects of drugs and alcohol featuring the ever-popular “Beer Goggles”. The boys listened intently to information and statistics about the effect drugs and alcohol can have on a healthy young body and then saw for themselves how even 2 beers can have an effect on their bodies.

Apparently walking in a straight line when your body has an alcohol level

over 0.05 is a lot harder than first thought! The group had lots of fun attempting to ‘walk the line’, eventually progressing to hopping, jumping and even somersaulting! The presentation was so engaging that even the teachers were in on the act giving the Boystown lads a laugh of their own!

Gateways come Alive @ VIBE!

Gateways for Youth was once again excited to be a part of the Full On Future section at the VIBE Alive festival in Port Augusta for 2009. Marc, Sally and Rhianna were on hand all day giving very valuable careers advice to the 1600 strong crowd that Full On Future accommodated during day 1 of the 2 day festival. The Gateways for Youth stall (left) was very eye-catching and colourful and bursting will vital information for students of all ages as well as some very cool freebies and goodie bags for outstanding participants.

One of the highlights of the day was Marc most excellent dance skills which

amused and inspired students from the Juniors division – it was this engaging display of daggy 80′s inspired dance moves such as the ‘shopping cart’, ‘stacking boxes’ and even the ‘sprinkler’ which saw students from far and wide converging on the Gateways stall to challenge Marc to a dance off. As ‘groovy’ as Marc’s moves were, he was finally ousted by some more modern moves such as the ‘worm’. All students who rose to the challenge recieved goodie bags and giveaways from the Gateways team.

Another highlight was the drug and alcohol session held by Save a Mate. Students from Boystown Port Pirie were the first to use the interactive and educational tools provided by the Save a Mate team – this came in the form of ‘Beer Goggles’. These great accessories simulated the effects of alcohol at different stages of intoxication and provided the students with a great insight into just how uncoordinated you can become under the influence.

One of the many informational posters used on the Gateways stall, especially for younger students, were the Bullseye posters. These posters, which are as informative as they are colourful, help students to see which jobs they can go into based on their favourite subject at school. Each ring of the bullseye poster indicates a level of study required for the jobs listed on that area, the further out on the bullseye you go, the more study is required. Simple – yet effective!

Deadly Vibes in Pt Augusta

VIBE Alive was held again in Port Augusta in 2009 with the largest ever crowd in attendance! Yes, that’s right, regsitrations for VIBE 09 had to be closed TWO WEEKS before kick off as the event was declared SOLD OUT! This is the first time on the VIBE Alive circuit that VIBE officials have had to

close registrations, even squeezing more than the capacity in to accommodate the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from students across South Australia! Deadly.

Over 1600 students registered for the 2 day event which consisted of a variety of events & workshops run by local businesses, volunteers and even a few key celebrities! The various sections of VIBE included:

Common Ground: where students learn about and participate in a range of traditional Aboriginal high-energy games such as Nanyima, Kalkadoon, Kee’an and Mer Kolap to name a few!

Good Vibrations: whether it’s a dance routine, singing or both, students score points by performing in front of a panel of celebrity judges who are looking for the most exciting performance! Students can either prepare a routine before the event or just get out there and freestyle!

 

Paint it Up:

this is where students get a chance to show off their creative flair! The session starts with a talk from a special guest Indigenous artist about the history of art and the styles of art that have been passed down through generations. Once students have been inspired they then work together to create a locally themed artwork, all materials are supplied, all the students have to do is turn up and get creative!

Our Culture: an interactive mix of story telling, dance and instrument playing, cooking, Q & A sessions and local arts and crafts, Elders take students on a fascinating cultural journey into traditions that are many thousands of years old!

Feel the Vibe: fast, funky and focussed on youth, this workshop features fun, hands-on activities to show students why staying away from cigarettes, alcohol and drugs helps you to look and feel good and get the most out of life.

Full On Future: A full education for a full-on future, but what does the future hold? Full On Future is VIBE Alive’s career expo where students can find out about all the options available once they finish school. There are representatives from education, training and industry to offer advice, information and answer all student questions.

Putting It Together: there was a special edition Deadly Vibe magazine filled with engaging games and competitions for teams to complete and submit at the festival. The magazine required literacy and numeracy skills to complete the many challenges which included word finds, puzzles, comprehension and treasure hunts.

VIBE Alive

Vibe Alive is a two-day festival for young Australians of all backgrounds who like to dance, sing, paint and play sport.

As part of a team, students get the chance to compete in a variety of challenges. They’ll also find out about awesome career choices, meet some celebrities and learn a few important things about their health.

Vibe Alive is about celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and being a proud Aussie. It’s also the perfect chance to meet some new mates!

Mining for Information

OZ Minerals is Australia’s third largest diversified mining company and is the world’s second largest producer of zinc as well as a substantial producer of copper, lead, gold and silver. Read more

OZ Minerals Group Tour

These students from Pt Augusta’s Carlton School were taken on a 2 day tour of the OZ Minerals mine site at Prominent Hill during which time they were shown the many facets of the mining industry. They also received a tour of the underground sleeping quarters and many other interesting nooks and crannies hiding around the mine site!

Experiencing the Underground

Carlton students from Pt Augusta were given a tour of the underground facilities at Prominent Hill.

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