Business Partner University of Sydney - The Smith Family
Since 2004 University of Sydney has worked with The Smith Family to support disadvantaged Australian children to stay engaged with schooling and ultimately to improve their access to, aspiration for and participation in university education. In 2010 a commitment was made by the Vice Chancellor Dr Michael Spence, to a further three years of partnership collaborating on range of activities in the context of the Learning for Life program.
'We are proud to have been the first university to partner with The Smith Family and value the opportunity to connect and engage with high school students who might otherwise not consider higher education or the University of Sydney through our partnership." said the Vice Chancellor Dr Michael Spence.
The program has grown considerably in the last seven years. In 2011 around 600 students from schools that The Smith Family work with in metropolitan Sydney and surrounding areas of the Central Coast and South Coast will spend time on campus engaging in activities that give a taste of university life and study.
Students will have opportunities to meet current university student ambassadors; participate in hands-on tutorials, demonstrations and practical sessions that give them a taste of what they could experience at university.
The third Indigenous Student Experience Day will be held this year with around 100 of those Indigenous students supported by The Smith Family program. Twenty-four students from around NSW and the ACT will participate in the Bella Program with visiting artists and lecturers from the Sydney College of the Arts and other partners and around 100 students from schools in western Sydney will be involved in the CONverge program with University's Conservatorium of Music.
University students from the Business School also regularly contribute to The Smith Family's ongoing development most recently this has included providing advice and regarding the agency's social media strategy.
The University also contributes $90,000 annually to the Learning for Life program to help disadvantaged students create better futures for themselves. The support provided to more than 170 students in years 7 to 12 across Australia, aims to help them make the most of their opportunities in secondary education, raise their aspirations for further study and increase understanding of related careers.
To find out more about The University of Sydney's social inclusion initiatives see: http://sydney.edu.au/compass
