Positive Memory Bank - Berry Street

• Horse-riding lessons for a girl with behavioural and developmental disorders:
“My client’s greatest desire is to ride horses, she has a love for horses and has started writing a
dictionary on horses… unfortunately we do not have the finances to place her in a day program for
horse riding lessons”
• A group application from young people from a regional education program for an outing
to an inner-city Skate Park
“We would like to go on a trip to Rampfest, Melbourne… everyone here enjoys the sk8 park here in
Shepparton, but it is a bit small and does not let us practice all of the tricks some of us can do
because it doesn’t have half-pipes and stuff”
• Holidays: Queensland Adventure Parks, beachside family holidays
• Academic support: tutoring
• Family activities: long-distance travel to visit family, zoo trips, decorating bedrooms
• Leisure equipment: bikes, scooters, fishing equipment
• Group activities: Luna Park, Melbourne skate park
• Dance lessons
• Theatre experiences
• Driving lessons
• Birthday parties
“I want to be able to read and write just as good as other kids in my class… I wish that I could get stars every
day at school. School work is too hard for me. I want to be happy at school”
Female, 6yrs
Applications were assessed initially by the project manager and subsequently by a ‘Giving Group’
made up of staff from a range of program and service areas across the organisation. The original
intention was to include young people in the Giving Group. This was achieved in the first group,
however it became impossible to coordinate an appropriate time to accommodate staff and
young people during work and school hours.
Each round saw the pool of applications grow. The second round received double the number of
the first, and the third round saw a leap from sixteen applications (in the second round) to 47.
As word spread we also saw the diversity of program areas grow. The initial round was largely
made up of applications from Berry Street’s North West Region Home Based Care and Family
Services programs. By the final round applications were received from all regions, including Take
Two 2 and the Bushfire Case Management Services.
The unexpected and rapid increase in application numbers came at a time when administrative
support within Berry Street’s Richmond Office (where the program is based) was stretched.
Where applications had been received and processed for assessment by a member of the
administration team, before being submitted to the Project Manager for review, the reduced
capacity in administration meant that the Project Manager was responsible for receiving and
processing all 47 applications in the final round. These factors resulted in the model being
tested ‘under strain’, which was arguably both positive and negative. On the one hand it
enabled thorough testing of the integrity of the application process, the guidelines and the
concept behind the Positive Memory Bank. On the other hand it resulted in unprecedented
numbers of unsuccessful applications in the final round. In previous rounds the Giving Group had
been able to fund applications to their full amount and in some cases provide additional funds to
ensure the experiences were especially memorable. Conversely, in the final round, with over
$45,000 of applications and only $19,000 left to spend, the guidelines had to be strictly adhered
to. A decision was made to exclude some categories of application altogether 3 , and applications
were assessed for their potential to achieve the same result with a little less money. This
2 A developmental therapeutic service for clients of the Victorian Child Protection system.
3 Applications for computers and laptops were referred to the Development Team to pursue with corporate and
independent supporters.
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