VCE VM - Partner Up
"Partner Up" is an integrated Senior unit covering outcomes in PDS and in Literacy. Its four phases support VM students to form a partnership with a local organisation and take practical action on an issue in their community. Resources are free, and can be adapted for Intermediate level.
QA Templates
These Quality Assurance templates are pre filled with the activities in Partner Up, indicating the evidence students will need to produce throughout the unit of work. Provide your teaching team with this unit overview (which also includes assessment notes) prior to starting the Partner Up unit.
Add the QA Templates to your resource kit
Partner Up - Teacher Guides
Four teacher guides include detailed activity instructions, resource lists, curriculum alignment and activity sheets. For clarity, teacher instructions should be read together with steps in the student workbooks.
Decide - Partner Up
During Decide (1-2 weeks), students find and consider issues in their community. The learning activities encourage them to connect with one or more issues so that by the end of Decide, they independently choose a community problem they care about and want to tackle throughout the Partner Up process.
Research - Partner Up
In Research (2-4 weeks), students conduct background and fieldwork research in the community. By the end of Research, students will have a detailed understanding of their issue, local community members’ views, and potential organisations they could partner with.
Activate - Partner Up
Activate (3-7 weeks) shares examples of practical actions before students form their own goals and plans. Groups are supported to create proposals for partner organisations and meeting agendas, to contact decision-makers and to run a media campaign as they take practical action in their community.
Research - Partner Up
Students finalise their community action. They are supported to work through obstacles, and reflect upon their skill development, conflict management, teamwork, and their overall progress. Vote includes an optional VM celebration night and mock election incursion presented by the VEC’s team of educators.
Student Workbooks
Student workbooks scaffold learning activities and record evidence for assessment. Download PDF versions here.
Decide - Student Workbook
During Decide (1-2 weeks), students find and consider issues in their community. The learning activities encourage them to connect with one or more issues so that by the end of Decide, they independently choose a community problem they care about and want to tackle through Partner Up.
Research - Student Workbook
In Research (2-4 weeks), students conduct background and fieldwork research in the community. By the end of Research, students will have a detailed understanding of their issue, local community members’ views and organisations for partnership.
Activate - Student Workbook
Activate (3-7 weeks) shares examples of practical actions before students form their own goals and plans. Groups are supported to create proposals for partner organisations and meeting agendas, to contact decision-makers and to run a media campaign as they take practical action in their community.
Vote - Student Workbook
in Vote (2-3 weeks), students complete their partnership’s actions in the community. They are supported to work through obstacles and reflect upon their progress, skills, conflict management and teamwork. Vote includes an optional VM celebration night and free mock-election incursion from the VEC.
Watch Video
These three Victorian students made their voices heard through the partnerships they made at a local government level. We hope this video encourages your VM class to Partner Up and create change on issues they care about.
Form Partnerships
Download this handout for your learners to give to potential community partners. It explains how organisations can benefit by forming partnerships with local young people, and contains practical tips to help them welcome VM students.
Add to Resource Kit
Add the Partnerships resource to your resource kit