Maroondah Positive Education Network (MPEN)

The Maroondah Positive Education Network is a partnership between Maroondah City Council, the Maroondah Principals Network and the Department of Education who are working together to implement Positive Education to raise the wellbeing of young people in Maroondah.

Our Aim

The Maroondah Positive Education Network aims to improve individual and collective wellbeing of students, staff, parents and the wider community. This ongoing collaboration between Council and the Department of Education is using a system-based approach to build capability, connection and community and enable our schools to create and maintain flourishing learning environments, where relationships are important and other people matter.

What we've achieved

As of August 2023, 27 government schools (21 primary, 5 secondary, 1 special development) are participating in the Maroondah Positive Education Network. Significant progress has been made since the project’s inception in 2016, including:

• The establishment of a HOPE (Head Of Positive Engagement) network, where schools work together and share practice around Positive Education and Wellbeing.
• HOPE (Head Of Positive Engagement) Leaders appointed and trained in each school.
• Building capability, connection, wellbeing literacy and flourishing learning environments via:
  • Professional learning for staff
  • Interactive workshops and ongoing programs for students 
  • Information sessions for parents
• Through partnerships with Eastland and Communities of Wellbeing, MPEN schools were involved in URStrong Friendology 'Language of Friendship' event attended by over 600 community members.
• Using tools including Resilient Youth Australia surveys, and the Maroondah Student Voice Forum, young people are voicing their wellbeing needs and opinions and we are using this data to inform our future directions.
• The Department of Health website says “We are also continuing the Maroondah Positive Education Model. This will provide further evidence to support the development of whole-school approaches to positive education, mental health and wellbeing.”
• In 2021 the Royal Commission into Mental Health recognized the work of MPEN, stating that ‘the schools in this network have made significant progress’ and ‘The Commission encourages the Victorian Government to continue to explore the potential to scale this program’. Read the report.
• In 2018, funding of $890,000 was provided by the Victorian Government to advance the project in Maroondah and investigate the scaling of the work across the state.

More information

For more information on the Maroondah Positive Education Network contact Andrea on 9294 5704 or at youth@maroondah.vic.gov.au.