Walking on Common Ground: The Power of Sharing Power

What happens when schools stop managing Young People and start working alongside them? That question sits at the heart of EREA Flexible Schools’ work, and it’s the question that CEO Dr Matt Hawkins will bring to the Catholic Secondary Principals Australia (CaSPA) Conference in July. His presentation, Walking on Common Ground: The Power of Sharing Power, reflects on what it means to genuinely share power with Young People on the margins of education, and why it changes everything. 
 
Within Catholic education, concepts such as dignity, belonging, and inclusion are central to mission and practice. However, these ideals are not experienced equally by all Young People. At EREA Flexible Schools, the response begins with a fundamental shift from exercising power over Young People to working in genuine partnership with them. In practice, this means Young People have a real say in how their learning is shaped, how their school community operates, and how their progress is defined. It means sitting alongside a Young Person to understand what has kept them out of a classroom, rather than managing the consequence of their absence. It reshapes how educators relate, teach, and lead. 
 
This relational approach creates environments where Young People and adults work together to build trust, amplify voice, and share responsibility. In these settings, belonging becomes tangible. As a result, engagement deepens, hope is restored, and Young People are supported to recognise their strengths and envision new possibilities for their futures. 
 
This philosophy is embedded in the Flexi Practice Framework, which guides schools in intentionally creating the conditions necessary for genuine belonging. From this foundation, learning is reimagined. The Transformative Learning Model builds on individual strengths through personalised, skills-based approaches that foster confidence, capability, and agency. 
 
Underpinning this work is leadership that is deeply relational and values-driven, grounded in the Edmund Rice Touchstones. A national Leadership Framework, soon to be released, will further strengthen this approach. 
 
Together, these elements point to a powerful insight: when power is shared, the experience of education is transformed. Young people are not managed, but partnered with, and their dignity is not simply acknowledged, but lived.