Project Summary
EDSC Coordinator Tim Bourke | Manningham City Coordinator – Daryl Brown.
Rotary Manningham City (RMC) was excited to again participate in Student Learning development supporting key East Doncaster Secondary College staff to implement Leading Learning 2, under District 9815 2025-2026 District Grants program.
Leading Learning 2 (LL2) has encouraged student leadership, community engagement and experiential learning. The funding provided by District 9815 and Rotary Manningham City has directly supported the design and delivery of leadership programs, student-led initiatives, and real world learning experiences across the college. It has led to an increase in students enabled to explore such opportunities more often, throughout the year.
Who Benefited?
The District Grant has had a significant and measurable impact on student leadership development at EDSC.
It has enabled:
- Student-led planning and decision-making opportunities
- Development of authentic leadership experiences across year levels
- Strengthening of Interact and community engagement pathways
- Increased student confidence, communication, and collaboration skills
- Developed a range of fundraising initiatives to raise funds for charities
- Increased student connectedness as well as developed the skill set of the students at the college that they can go on to make a positive difference to the community.
Overall, the funding has directly contributed to building a culture of connectedness and empathy at EDSC and the broader community.
Thank you from EDSC
On behalf of EDSC, Tim Bourke (Leading Teacher: Student Voice and Community Engagement) expressed his sincere appreciation to Rotary District 9815 and Rotary Manningham City for supporting this program and for investing in the development of future community leaders.
Program Details - Leading Learning
The Leading Learning 2 Grant has enabled EDSC to expand opportunities for student leadership development, strengthen community partnerships, and provide structured training experiences that empower students to take active roles in shaping school culture.
Funding has supported:
- Student leadership training programs and workshops;
- Large-scale leadership development events;
- Community engagement and fundraising initiatives;
- Development of student-led clubs and Interact connections.
Key Highlights
Leadership Training Day: 90 students from across the middle and senior schools participated over a full day in a leadership training event held at New Hope Baptist Church. During this program, students:
- Developed understanding of leadership styles and teamwork;
- Set personal and group goals for the school year;
- Planned their responsibilities within their leadership roles;
- Identified key actions they would take to contribute to the school community for their respective leadership roles.
This experience strengthened student voice and agency, allowing leaders to collaboratively plan their impact for the year ahead.
Ideas that have been planned and organised from this event include:
- Charity Fundraisers for a range of charities throughout the year including FightMND, Leukemia Foundation, All Together Now, and World Vision.
- BBQ events at the college.
- Music and performances for the student cohort and broader college community.
- Year level events such as movie nights, trivia nights, and formals.
- Sporting events – carnivals, teacher-student competitions, college athletics, cross country, and swimming.
All events were fully planned and facilitated by EDSC middle school and senior school captains, demonstrating proactive and competent student leadership in action.
World’s Greatest Shave – Community Leaders in Action: Five event captains attended a Leukemia Foundation information session at the MCEC Melbourne as part 
of preparation for the World’s Greatest Shave professional development program.
Following the session, students began planning a school-based World’s Greatest Shave event, applying event management skills and leadership strategies developed through grant-supported training.
This initiative indicates how the Rotary District Grant Funding is being used to empower students to lead meaningful, community-focused projects.
In addition, EDSC will run a school fundraiser in Term 3 as a direct result of this leadership opportunity which will raise funds for the Leukemia Foundation.
GRIP Student Leadership Conference and Melbourne Youth Leadership Conference: Location: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC).
Over 70 EDSC students attended over two days, together with students from across Victoria. The conference focused on:
- Communication and leadership mindset
- Initiative and responsibility
- Service-based leadership
- School challenges and how to overcome these challenges
Students were challenged to understand that leadership is demonstrated through actions rather than titles, reinforcing key messages delivered through EDSC’s own leadership training programs.
In addition, students have brought this knowledge back to the college and apply it to their own leadership roles in the college. Students were encouraged to use their knowledge and apply initiative to create positive change through projects and collaboration with like-minded peers at EDSC.