Latest News

This year has been one of growth and learning for The Circle.

After identifying an appetite for more engagement by The Circle participants at the end of last year, I sought expressions of interest from the schools I had been working with for an extended program that would potentially run a full school year. 

Amaroo School agreed to host the formal pilot program and The Full Circle was created. The Full Circle allows participants to delve deeper into the concepts covered in the shorter program, as well as engage in individual and group activities based around a rite of passage framework. 

Overall participant numbers this year were down on last year due to The Full Circle participants filling spaces across school Terms. Nonetheless The Circle programs reached a combined audience of approx 150 students in male, female, and co-ed programs this year, with nearly 98% of them liking or loving the program.

These numbers are satisfying, but the real impact of the program has been reflected in changing behaviours among participants. The feedback provided by Amaroo School emonstrates the positive impact the program has on participants.

Our Year 9 boys participated in the Full Circle pilot in 2025. The impact of this program has been incredible. We have seen a reduction in negative incidents, and an increase in positive relationships with staff and peers.

The boys are now able to listen to other perspectives and acknowledge the impact behaviour and words have on others. They are able to articulate values and demonstrate these through their improved behaviour, and connection to learning. 

Michael is at the heart of this change, driving the program he has developed to deeply engage our young men. He is able to elicit their potential through activities that develop critical thinking, values clarification and self confidence. 

The program is now part of our standard offering and has already been taken up by two schools in 2026.

"When Michael Aichholzer walks into a room, it’s hard not to feel the energy shift. Maybe it’s the confidence of a man who’s stood at the edge of life’s darkest moments and chosen to rise anyway. Maybe it’s the warmth of someone who knows what it means to be seen, and has made it his mission to offer that to others. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because he’s known around town as “Mongo” karaoke host, band drummer, Navy veteran, mental fitness advocate, and dancefloor regular. And yes, he speaks Mandarin.

But labels barely scratch the surface. Michael is a man of many stories, and all of them lead to the same place: purpose."

Read the full article here:

Life is busy at the moment with a number of final tweaks being made to The Circle program before it commences in five schools in the ACT and regional NSW in Term 1.

Seven programs will be run in Caroline Chisholm School (1) , Braidwood Central School (2), Amaroo School (2), Calwell High School (1) and Melba Copeland High School (1) during the Term. 

Six of the above will be the original The Circle program (updated for 2025), while one program at Amaroo School will be a pilot program for The Full Circle, a multi-Term program aimed at Year  9 students. The Full Circle introduces elements of rites of passage including challenges (Quests) categorized under The Circles values of Strength, Honour and Compassion.  The program will culminate in a gathering of students, parents/carers and teachers to recognise the progress the students have made over the course of The Full Circle and celebrate their new status as young adults.

The Circle 2024 Impact Survey indicates those areas of their lives that participants have identified as having improved through their participation in the program.

The Satisfaction Survey allows participants to indicate how happy they were with the program overall. Addtional questions on the survey also enable participants to highlight areas of the program they liked, and areas of the program that can be improved.

The survey is both voluntary and anonymous.

The results from the 2024 surveys show The Circle is meeting its stated aims but, of course, there is always room for improvement.

Click on the image to access a larger version that is easier to read.

Term 2 2024 saw a new challenge presented to me when I was asked whether I would consider running The Circle for an all-female cohort. 

The school that requested this was very familiar with The Circle and how it worked with the young male students that had been through the program and felt it was worth seeing if their female students would respond favourably to the program.

11 young women began the program in Term 4 with the understanding that they could cease attendance at any time if they felt it wasn't for them. Over the seven weeks of the program the number of attendees swelled to 14 before ending with 9 students. Just under 90% of participants responded that they liked or loved the program in the Participant survey conducted at the end of the program. 

This attests to The Circle's content being applicable to all young people, not just the lads that have been it's target from the start.