Welcome to the Holy Spirit College webpage! Within this site I hope you see the care we have for our young people, especially those that have a history of struggling to fit into mainstream schooling or even society in general. At Holy Spirit College we believe that all young people can learn when provided with a safe, welcoming, understanding and caring environment. We are very proud to have over ten years of experience working with the disengaged youth in the Cooktown and Cairns, building self-esteem and connectedness through an educational program founded on the pillars of Relationships, Respect, Responsibility and Participation. At Holy Spirit these are more than espoused values; they are a way of life, role modelled by our staff and integrated deep into every aspect of the young person’s experience with us.
As a 7-12 College for disengaged youth, Holy Spirit College acknowledges the tough road many of our young people have journeyed along. This is why we strive to be a trauma informed sanctuary of healing, where building strong relationships in a safe predictable environment is the first step in turning young lives around. To achieve this, our college timetable is built around the strengths and aspirations of our learners, often engaging with experiential activities that foster exploration of the natural environment, positive relationships, relevant curriculum and the world of work.
Holy Spirit College has three sites specifically set up to meet the needs of our wonderful young people at Manoora, Edmonton and Cooktown. We are a fee free Catholic College that provides all meals whilst the young people are on site, starting with breakfast. We run many dynamic activities throughout the week at no cost, whilst also providing the young people with opportunities to develop their academic skills, particularly in literacy and numeracy.
Within our community success comes in many shapes and forms. For some young people, Holy Spirit College is a safe environment that provides a much-needed time-out whilst we help them deal with the struggles of their life, enabling them to re-enter mainstream education once they feel ready. For others, Holy Spirit College is an inclusive and welcoming space where our young people feel accepted for who they are, enabling them to develop their confidence and interpersonal skills; undertaking work experience, certificate courses and building their resume up in preparation for a successful life beyond college.
In taking the time to read the information within this website, it is my genuine hope that you can see how Holy Spirit College is a unique learning environment specifically designed to meet the learning needs of our most vulnerable, misunderstood, yet amazing young people. Additionally, if this sounds like the type of learning environment your young person needs and they meet our strict enrolment criteria (see enrolment criteria), then I look forward to receiving your application for enrolment and working with you to be a positive life changing force in their lives.
Take care.
Lucas Felstead
Principal
