THE Ballarat Specialist School Farm Campus is a place where young people can experience immersive learning, but a new demographic of hands-on students are set to share the site.<\/p>\n
BSS has provided a section of land, in-kind, to University of the Third Age Ballarat, where a manual arts shed for adult students is being built.<\/p>\n
The facility will be home to classes in woodwork, metalwork, jewellery making, mosaics, lino printmaking, felting, lead-lighting and more, and students will have space to store their ongoing projects.<\/p>\n
Silver jewellery tutor Stephen Walsh said the shed is much anticipated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve never felt permanent in a place,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen people walk into the space we\u2019re using, they see a blanket over the manual arts equipment.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when we move into the new shed, it\u2019s a permanent place. We can spread out, do what we want, and we expect people will look around and think, \u2018I could do a class in this, or that.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThe shed is big enough to run dual classes, and we have the porch outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Discussions between BSS staff and U3A members began years ago, and farm campus deputy-principal Mat Gannon said the partnership makes sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of space, 16 acres, so we\u2019ve always been chasing something like this, which benefits everybody,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a campus that\u2019s open to the community, with a cafe on site, so more community involvement is good for our school. The more people that come through the cafe, the better learning there is for our students.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want them to mix with people of all ages, and sharing facilities with another group helps them transition to life in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
U3A offers a range courses to retired or part-time working people over the age of 45 and has 1178 members locally.<\/p>\n
Temporarily, manual arts classes have been taking place in a hut at Ballarat Airport, Eastwood Leisure Complex and Ballarat East Men\u2019s Shed.<\/p>\n
The adult education organisation is funding the construction and fit-out of the building at the Specialist School, which is a two-minute drive from U3A\u2019s home base at Ballarat North Community Centre.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur relationship with Ballarat Specialist School could not be better,\u201d U3A manager of the project Blake Gordon said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been terrific.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey see benefit for them, and we see benefit for us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE Ballarat Specialist School Farm Campus is a place where young people can experience immersive learning, but a new demographic of hands-on students are set to share the site. BSS has provided a section of land, in-kind, to University of the Third Age Ballarat, where a manual arts shed for adult students is being built. […]<\/p>\n