Beyond the divide: Individual, institutional and community capacity building in a Western Australian regional context

This paper describes the early beginnings and some preliminary theorising of the complexities involved in obtaining a clearer understanding of schooling for young adolescents in regional and rural settings. We explain how our thinking is developing around ways to approach some case study schools and "their communities that are advancing on the idea of learning as a form of regional and rural engagement. The central theoretical construct is how educational 'capacity building' that engages young people works against the prevailing trend of increasing numbers of young people leaving school prematurely. This construct is illustrated by reference to the complex and diverse situations and needs of young people in the Kwinana/Rockingham area of the Fremantle-Peel Education District in Western Australia