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| YEAR IN THE SON |
Certificate II in Youth Development:
Year in the Son
(Accredited course: 40371SA)
Certificate IV in Youth Development:
Year in the Son
(Accredited course: 40370SA)
Welcome to Tabor College’s Year in the Son program
| What is Year in the Son ? |
This course helps young people through the transition from school to either the workplace or tertiary study, and equips them with understanding, skills and attitudes that will help them face the challenges ahead with confidence and competence. It offers an integrated program of personal and spiritual development in a strong and supportive Christian community environment. Whilst both course essentially cover the same material, the Certificate II in Youth Development is less academically demanding than the corresponding Certificate IV and requires less written work.
At such an important stage in your life, it is important to lay the right foundations for a successful life in God. Year in the Son helps you do that. Year in the Son is not simply another year of study. It’s more than that. It’s a year in which you:
Develop awesome life skills for whatever life throws at you: confidence in social situations, communication skills, workplace etiquette, budgeting and financial management.
Explore your faith and prepare for your future in a place where you’ll feel comfortable asking the hard questions.
Become part of a multi-denominational interactive learning community and build friendships that will last a lifetime.
Year in the Son provides young men and women with the opportunity to engage on a focused spiritual journey for a period of ten months. Our journey together involves participation in academic learning, spiritual reflection, mission, worship, ministry, prayer and community.
Course subjects
Creative Living:
This subject equips students with a clear and positive understanding of God’s relationship with them. You will explore many biblical principles of Christian living, prayer and worship and will learn how to apply these in your own life. Students also learn much about how to positively express their faith in everyday circumstances.Life Skills 1:
This practical subject aims to help students manage their lives more effectively as young adults. Topics covered include ‘interpersonal communication skills’, ‘positive, biblical mental habits’, ‘vocational direction’, ‘financial management’ and ‘social etiquette’.Life Skills 2:
This subject is designed to better equip students to handle themselves with confidence in a business setting and the job interview process. The content covers a variety of principles of business, event management, workplace etiquette and the job application process.Spiritual Growth:
This subject explores a variety of spiritual exercises that are valuable in our Christian walk. A mid-year Spiritual Retreat focuses on helping students experience God in a variety of 'devotional exercises'. Other topics include the relationship between authentic Christian spirituality and service to the poor and marginalised (involving mission) and topical issues which affect spirituality.Introduction to Ethics:
This half-subject (1 term duration) helps students to consider the application of Christian values to various personal and social situations. Students find this subject to be challenging, thought provoking and very practical.Introduction to Christian Belief:
This subject helps students to add intelligence and understanding to their experience of the Christian faith. Students will arrive at a ‘working knowledge’ of theology and various theological concepts. Learning more about the various Christian doctrines covered in these subjects will, both, strengthen the personal faith of participating students, and, equip them to engage meaningfully in the spiritual dialogue which is currently influencing our culture.Introduction to Old Testament:
This subject will help students gain an understanding of the Old Testament by looking at the historical and cultural settings of the Scriptures and their relevance for life today. The subject also provides an overview of the books and themes of the Old Testament.Introduction to New Testament:
Students will gain an understanding of the social and historical setting for the New Testament and the significance of the writings that make up the New Testament. Students will be able to use what they have learned as a basis for further study and as an inspiration for daily living.Practical Evangelism:
In this half-subject, students learn alternative approaches to evangelism and have the opportunity to gain practical training in evangelism.
Elective Subject Choices:
During each semester, students choose one elective subject which may include subjects from the following list:
Camps
Throughout the year students participate in three Year in the Son camps. One of these is a Spiritual Retreat, in which students get to participate in new and challenging spiritual experiences. The other two camps focus on team and relationship building, leadership and celebration as community.
Group Time
Each week, students spend 2 hours together in a time that focuses on team building, recreation, prayer, pastoral support and group sharing.
Contact Hours
The Year in the Son course involves a weekly lecture contact time of approximately 10 hours. In addition to this, 2 hours is spent weekly in group building activities.
On most weeks, lectures will take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Mondays and Fridays are usually non-contact days. The program commences in mid-February and concludes in mid-November.
Students enrolled in the Certificate II level will need to allocate at least 10 hours a week, outside of contact time, for assignment work. Certificate IV students will need to allocate more time.
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Some things to consider |
…the benefits of "Year in the Son"
This course offers Christian young people (17-20 years) a fantastic experience of spiritual growth, personal development, ministry opportunities and special friendships.
Year in the Son also recognizes the wisdom of a 'Gap' year - Doing something different and creative between finishing high school and going on to full-time work or career-focused tertiary study.
Gain formal training in communication, business and financial skills that will equip you for life. Year in the Son also offers a supportive study environment which is helpful to students who are facing the challenges of independent tertiary study for the first time. The Year in the Son offers something of a 'practice run' for further study at tertiary institutions.
Recover from the stress of Senior High School without losing touch with the discipline of study. The low contact hours of the Year in the Son course, together with the relaxed and interactive format of many of the subjects, allows students to 'catch their breath' before moving on to an intensive program of career-focussed tertiary education and training.
Year in the Son is government accredited. This means that upon completion you
receive a Certificate II or IV in Youth Development. It also means that
Youth
Allowance is available if you qualify.
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Embarking on the journey |
…Enrolling in "Year in the Son"
How to enrol
To enrol for Year in the Son, simply take the following steps:
Complete a Tabor College NSW application form.
Return the form to Tabor College (PO Box 1015 Miranda NSW 1490) with:
three passport-sized photos, and
a 250-word personal statement that covers the following:
How you became a Christian & church background,
Significant life experiences (travel, family break-up, illnesses, etc...),
Reasons for wanting to do Year in the Son.
Defer your uni or TAFE course for one year if applicable.
On receipt of your application, we will make contact with you to arrange a personal intake interview with the course coordinator (James Fitzgibbon). Please note the following factors influencing acceptance into the course:
There are no specific academic prerequisites for enrolment with Year in the Son, except that you have completed Year 11.
Acceptance into the course is based on the Coordinator’s assessment of the applicant’s personal suitability.
The assessment process is fairly informal and conversation-based (with consideration given also to the written personal statement).
Factors which influence this assessment are reflected in questions such as the following:
Does the applicant demonstrate an interest in spiritual growth which will enable them to respond positively to the Christian studies component of the course?
Does the applicant demonstrate an understanding of the fact that Year in the Son is an actual course of full-time study which requires attendance at lectures and discipline in assignment work?
Is the applicant willing to take some level of risk in getting to know new people and responding to some level of challenge in personal growth through involvement in unfamiliar activities?
Pending the outcome of your interview, you will receive a letter of enrolment from the college which can be used for Centrelink purposes.
Applications close January 31 but applicants are encouraged to apply by mid-December.
Pre-requisites
Age between 17-20
Completed Yr 11 or equivalent
Follower of Jesus Christ
Financial Considerations
The course fees include camp expenses and total $4,500 for Certificate IV or $4,100 for Certificate II (fees current for 2008). Payment options are available which allow you to pay up front or progressively over the year through a payment plan. You will also need approximately $200 for books.
Youth Allowance is available for Year in the Son (Certificate II & IV in Youth Development), subject to the usual Centrelink means test.
Most Year in the Son students find that the low contact demands of the course
leave adequate time for casual or part-time employment.
| Contact "Year in the Son" |
If you have any questions about Year in the Son feel free to contact the Course Coordinator, James Fitzgibbon,
Tabor College NSW
10 Kiama Street, Miranda NSW 2228
Phone: (02) 9522 9300 or email: yits@tabornsw.edu.au