Lives full of choice & opportunity

Through our Year 7-8 school and boarding program, our Senior Boarding Houses and our Pathways Program, MITS supports young Indigenous people as they pursue away-from-home schooling in Melbourne.

Our vision

MITS exists to create pathways to greater opportunity for Indigenous students from remote and regional communities, so that they may lead lives full of choice and opportunity.

Watch a video of our history

MITS Opens

MITS opens to its first 22 students from remote Top End and regional Victoria, with students attending school in MITS's classrooms at the Richmond Football Club and boarding on Richmond Hill. MITS forms partnerships with a founding group of eight Melbourne Partner Schools.

Pathways Program Commences

MITS's first cohort - our Class of 2016 - transition to Year 8 across eight Melbourne Partner Schools. Our Pathways Program is established to provide support, advocacy and advice to these alumni students, their families, their schools and their host families.

Wellington Street House Opens

MITS opens a small home in Wellington Street Kew to accommodate six alumni girls attending Year 8 at two MITS Partner Schools. This small home demonstrates the strength of alumni boarding. In response, MITS secures Australian Government funding to open a new Alumni Boarding House for Girls on Richmond Hill.

Senior Boarding House at 139 Richmond Terrace opens, MITS temporarily relocates to Darwin

MITS's new Senior Boarding House for Girls opens just 80 metres from MITS's Year 7 Boarding House, providing a continuing place of belonging and cultural connection for MITS students on Richmond Hill. MITS also relocates the majority of our school and boarding operations to Darwin in response to COVID-19.

MITS opens Senior Boarding House at 364 Church Street

In 2022 MITS opened its second Senior Boarding House on Richmond Hill, at 364 Church Street. This Boarding House provides another 20 beds to enable MITS alum to be part of a connected community on Richmond Hill while pursuing education in Melbourne. By mid-2022, 63 young people are living together on Richmond Hill with MITS.

MITS expands to Year 8 school program, opens Senior Boarding House at 371 Church Street

In 2023, MITS expanded our school to Year 8, meaning we now provide a two-year (Years 7 and 8) transition school and boarding program. We also opened another Senior Boarding House at 371 Church Street, completing a connected community of up to 100 young people pursuing education in Melbourne while living together across our four boarding houses on Richmond Hill.

Edward Tudor

Chief Executive Officer

Lia Bartholomew

Head of Boarding and Wellbeing

Brad Carmody

Principal

Samantha Rioli

Head of Cultural Strength

Faith Gamarra

Boarding Manager (Senior Girls)

Kelly Bailey

Boarding Manager (Senior Fellas)

Paul Barcham

Development Manager

Rhiannan Parker

Transition Manager

Michael Barnhoorn

Head of Teaching and Learning

Michelle Bourke

Executive Support

Johnny Short

Head of Strategy

Allira Brown

Learning & Careers Mentor

Annie Carruthers

Alumni Transition Manager

Bernadette Cole

People and Capability Manager

Emma Puddy

Student Counsellor

Jye Strugnell

Community Engagement Manager

Shannon Preddy

Facilities Manager

Edwina Green

Boarding Coordinator

Kavaro Lelesi Ward

Boarding Coordinator

Jayden Cooke

Teacher

Isabelle Schneider

Teacher

Christine Farmer

Student Wellbeing Coordinator

Reihana Haggie

Learning & Careers Mentor

Taylor Bailey-Lindsay

Assistant Boarding Manager (Year 7)

Samuel De Sousa

Teacher

Tara Kapoor

Teacher

Maree Bull

Head Chef

Taylor Culpepper

Teacher

Tatyana Wenczel

Boarding Coordinator

Chloe Lane

Assistant Boarding Manager (Senior girls)

Maddy

Boarding Coordinator

Ellen Schammer

Senior Boarding Coordinator

Andrea Lester

Assistant Accountant

Sonia Rodriguez

Boarding Coordinator

Tom Mitchell

Assistant Boarding Manager (Senior fellas)

Tegan Harris

Boarding Coordinator

Joshua Paul

Senior Boarding Coordinator

Rebecca Romero

Assistant Boarding Manager (Senior girls)

Clare Kearney

Teacher

Dominique Lebrun-Pinochet Escobar

Demi Chef

Max Sutton

Education Support Officer

Senia Lai

Operations Coordinator

Taz Slicer

Boarding Coordinator

Stephanie Raike

Senior Boarding Coordinator

Katherine Torres

Commis Chef

Bianca Merrick

Kitchen Store Person

Our Places

School

Located inside the Richmond Football Club, our school provides a highly differentiated Year 7 and 8 learning program which celebrates Indigenous cultures and enables each student to grow academically, socially and emotionally.

Through partnerships with organisations including Melbourne Uni Science Faculty, Bangarra Dance Company, the Monash University Museum of Art and many more, our students participate in a vibrant curriculum which makes the most of the opportunities and excitement of Melbourne. Wellbeing sits at the core of our school program and every student is supported to ensure their physical, social, emotional and cultural wellbeing is strong.

Year 7 Boarding

With a fire pit and yarning circle at its heart, our Year 7 Boarding House is a warm, culturally safe place designed to feel like a family home.

Located on Richmond Hill, our Boarding House is staffed by an expert team, many of whom are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people. Our students enjoy a rich program of weekend and after school activities including weekend excursions to the beach, museums and cultural events, camping trips on country and AFL with Richmond Junior Football Club. Our students complete homework three nights a week and prepare their own breakfasts and lunches each day.

Years 8-12 Boarding

Our students and families tell us that they want to attend the best schools in Melbourne while remaining strong in their culture and surrounded by their peers. Our Senior Boarding Houses allow our students to live in a MITS-run boarding house throughout their high school years.

Our three Senior Boarding Houses are located on Richmond Hill, a short walk from our Year 7 Boarding House and close to trains and trams. Our Year 8 MITS students live in these houses, along with our Years 9-12 students who attend one of our Melbourne Pathways Schools each day.

Our Community

MITS is made possible through partnerships with charitable trusts, foundations and donors, with corporate pro bono supporters, with community organisations and many other supporters.

Annual Reports

2023

mits
Annual Report

In 2023 MITS opened a fourth boarding house at 371 Church St, completing our connected community of 100 beds across Richmond Hill. We also established our Year 8 school program, meaning students now spend two years studying at MITS.

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2022

mits
Annual Report

In 2022 MITS opened its third boarding house on Richmond Hill at 364 Church St, and began construction of its fourth at 371 Church St. We also prepared to launch our Year 8 program and students relished the joy of Melbourne life post-COVID.

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2021

mits
Annual Report

Despite the continuing challenges presented by the COVID 19 pandemic, 2021 was another highly successful year for our MITS students, our alumni and for our organisation.

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