The middle teen years are when our girls are establishing their identity, learning about themselves, their peers and their community. It is a time when they discover what they like, their skills and talents, the interests and hobbies that they wish to pursue and the strengthening of their friendship groups.

In helping them make this a broader consideration than just a “me” identity, MLC girls undertake the City Experience. We know that learning can take place anytime and anywhere and so our Year 9 students spend three weeks in the City of Sydney understanding what makes a Sydney urban dweller. The learning task asks the girls to respond to the ‘big question’ – Do we shape our environment or does our environment shape us?

Elaine Year 9 recalls: “The City Experience was an open gateway for us to learn in a new environment. Every day, hour, minute and second in the city, we unlocked many secrets and things that any average girl wouldn’t know! Our knowledge expanded to amazing lengths!

The City Experience let us have a taste of what working and living in the city is like. We learnt how to adapt to a new environment in just a few days. Having a wide range of choices in our work, we had the privilege of taking charge. We chose what we wanted to do, where we wanted to go and how we wanted to get there!

After three weeks learning in the city the girls spend another three weeks in a different ‘classroom’, living in the outback town of Broken Hill asking some of the same questions in a very different environment.

In Broken Hill, our girls live together in cabins, doing some self-catering, managing the shopping, washing and handling the day to day necessities of group living whilst completing a study of one of Australia’s most famous country towns, its surrounding National Parks and the heritage of our indigenous people. Both the city and outback experiences help our girls to discover just how resourceful they can be away from school and home while being guided by learning mentors – their teachers. Very importantly girls learn a great deal about themselves, their friends and their families and how to be the best person they can be.

Year 8 City Experience

The MLC School City Experience was launched in 2004 at Parliament House by Ms Virginia Judge, current member for Strathfield in the NSW Legislative Assembly.

In 2007 as an introduction to the girls’ three week metro-immersion Karen Iles from Amnesty International addressed them about the city as a place of influence with its institutions of power; a place where one day, the girls could change the world. Finally she commended them to be mindful of the issues of justice in and around the city.

Then Liz Southwick, recently appointed the Federal government’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner (and mother of Lucy Southwick in Year 4) followed up with a powerful and engaging address including anecdotes about herself and her twin sister Dr Jane Latimer (Broderick ‘78), former MLC head girl (and mother of Kate in Year 7). She gave examples of different models of success, particularly those that gave women an equal opportunity to reach the heights of power. For instance, did you know that 70% of law graduates are women, but less than 20% of the partners in Sydney’s leading law firms are women? It is important to redefine what we consider to be ‘success’. Ms Southwick believes that every job can be done on a flexible basis.

The girls then spent the time examining the focus question 'Do we shape our environment or does it shape us?' within their own area of interest which was determined in consultation and themed around the colourful city.