Arts & Education partnerships & engagement

We provide learning opportunities for our pre-service teachers through our partnerships with major sporting bodies.

Our sporting partners include:

• Western Bulldogs - Bulldogs Friendly Schools Program (BFSP)
• Tennis Australia - delivering Hot Shot Tennis Program in schools
• Football Federation of Victoria
• Cricket Victoria
• Touch Rugby Victoria.

VU education students in schools

As part of their ACP (Applied Curriculum Project), Victoria University pre-service teachers work with our partners to plan and deliver a sports program in a primary school.

It's an opportunity for our students to develop teaching, sportsmanship, and healthy-lifestyles knowledge, as well as organisation, communication and management skills. Our pre-service teachers can also gain a coaching qualification to register with these sporting bodies through the Sporting Schools program.

An induction day is organised with our sporting partners early in Semester 1 to prepare our students to implement the sports programs in a school.

Feedback from participating schools shows that the programs result in several positives for the children involved, including:

• improved skills
• increased participation
• success at interschool sport.

Bulldogs Friendly Schools Program (BFSP)

The Bulldogs Friendly Schools Program (BFSP) creates learning opportunities for school students from diverse backgrounds. As well as providing opportunities for our pre-service teachers in teaching and learning, there are lessons in building community partnerships.

Extras for the participating schools, organised by the pre-service teacher, include:

• Bulldogs player appearances
• tickets to a Bulldogs game
• Bulldog giveaways, mascot “Woofer” visits
• the inflatable roadshow.

For more information about these programs please email Trudy Turner in the Partnership Office [email protected]

Since 2013, Victoria University has been a partner of the Footscray Community Arts who have embedded themselves as a major part of the fabric of the local community.

The growth of the partnership now provides a range of opportunities for VU Students to undertake a research project, or intern or complete work placement in:

• event management
• technical production marketing
• the FCAC Artlife program.

Footscray Community Arts and VU have a longstanding relationship. The centre's first incarnation was housed in a tin shed on the campus of the Footscray Institute of Technology, and students in the engineering faculty helped pave the amphitheatre in the Centre’s current home, on the Maribyrnong river.