Real people, real stories

Tina, mother of three Learning for Life recipients from NSW 

I was introduced to Learning for Life by the Aboriginal Education Officer at my children's school in 2006 and as a single mum with three children it's made things a lot easier for me.

My eldest children are 12 and 11 and have vision and hearing impairments. They used to go to school for the deaf, but have now started going to mainstream schools. It's great, although it means they want to do the same things as all the other kids and they can't a lot of the time. If I didn't have the support of The Smith Family I wouldn't be able to send them on school excursions which would be just one more thing that set them apart from their friends.

As well as excursions, it means I can send them to Deaf and Vision Camps respectively, which are so important for them because for three days a year they don't stand out. Day to day my 11-year-old son in particular is singled out a lot for what he can't do, but when he's on Vision Camp, he gets to be the same and do the same things as everyone else.

My daughter took part in the student2student peer literacy support program through The Smith Family last year and is really looking forward to doing it again this year. I had to buy her a special phone for the hearing impaired and each time her mentor called she'd get so excited because the attention was all on her. Her hearing problems really affect her ability to read and spell, so the extra support after school has been great in improving her skills.

Without Learning for Life I'd probably be panicking every time a school excursion came along. Last year the Deaf Camp was only three weeks before the Year 6 camp and they were $300 each. This was without considering the costs of the other kids' camps! Their hearing and visual aids cost a lot too.

My daughter doesn't know what she wants to do when she grows up yet, but she's very good at sign language so I'm urging her to stick with that because it'll open lots of doors. My eldest son wants to be a mechanic and my youngest, who's nine, wants to be a footy star. I don't have to worry so much about my youngest. He's currently on the gifted and talented program at school, but I have to make sure I give them all equal attention and when the other two go off to their camps, that's when I can dedicate all my attention to him. 

No matter what school the kids go to I need to know what's going on so I've always been involved in the P&C committee. When they first started going to school I volunteered as a teacher's aide and then when I got my certificate I was employed by the high school. Now I'm the Early Intervention Officer at the Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Centre and I've found that my involvement with the community is very helpful in getting the best support for the children.That includes being involved with The Smith Family.

Barry, Year 12 Learning for Life graduate from Western Australia

I grew up in Kwinana in WA as one of seven children and always did pretty well at primary school. It wasn't until I tackled the transition from primary into secondary school that things started to go downhill and I became sidetracked from my studies. Everyone goes through that struggle growing up and facing things you didn't expect, but as an Aboriginal student, it was at high school that racism started to become an issue.

My parents didn't have the same educational opportunities growing up and Mum talked about what her and dad had missed out on and said she didn't want that for us. They didn't want us hanging out with the wrong crowd and losing our chance to achieve. My dad in particular had it tough growing up. He was removed from his family for a short time and lost his chance at education as well as a lot of his Aboriginal culture. He didn't learn literacy skills until he was an adult.

Mum comes from a large family so she had to help out with the younger family members and education wasn't a priority. The one thing they always said when we were growing up was that we needed to have an education because that's the only thing that will get us through life.

When I started high school a select group were making things really difficult for me and the racism trickled out into the community. By the end of Year 9 I was really finding it difficult to concentrate on school work and find a focus knowing that there were people out there who were planning on coming after me.

At the time I thought it was best to try to deal with it on my own and I drifted away from education, but luckily my teacher and the school's Aboriginal Inclusion Officer saw that things were getting worse and took me off to meet The Smith Family. They introduced me to the Learning for Life worker at The Smith Family office, which was across the road from the school, and ultimately it enabled me to overcome the racism and forced me to move forward.

I had thought that the best way of getting on with my life was to get out of the spotlight of the school and aim for a traineeship, but The Smith Family worker convinced me I was smarter than that and strongly suggested I finish school. I was placed on the Learning for Life program which offered me support and helped pay for school books. It took the strain off my parents as well because they knew I was going to be at school, rather than hanging out, doing nothing, with the wrong people.

Learning for Life really lifted my confidence. I'd been fairly shy before, but knowing I had support really helped and I ended up becoming a peer mentor and student counsellor at school. I'm also proud to say I became the first Aboriginal student to graduate from Kwinana High School in 10 years!

Since then I've been involved as a youth mentor in the Great Mates program, a member of the Youth Advisory Committee and Aboriginal Education Board, where I've been involved in decision making about the needs of youth in Kwinana. If I can help young people, it's not about the money, it's about being a person who's there for the kids, so most of these roles are voluntary and I do as much of it as I can.

I'm something of a role model to lots of kids now, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. Everyone's got the same types of problems growing up, no matter what their cultural background is, so I do the best I can to show that education is a way out of social disadvantage and I try to be as best a mentor and role model as possible for them.

I've got a Certificate IV in Business and Admin that I got as a trainee at the Department of Justice and I'm now working as a compliance analyst for the Department of Water in Perth. The next challenge is to go to uni this year to study some management subjects and work my way up into a management position in the future.

I don't know where I would have ended up if I hadn't received that support through The Smith Family, but most likely I would have been just another case of wasted talent.

Geraldine, mother of seven from Queensland

I became involved with The Smith Family about two and a half years ago when the family circumstances changed and I was looking for some assistance with the educational needs of my seven children. Currently four of my kids, ranging from Year 2 to Year 8 are supported by Learning for Life and it's been a huge relief when it comes to paying for school bags, books, stationery and uniforms.

When school starts for the year it's particularly hard to find the money for all their requirements, let alone consider paying for any of their extra-curricular activities. The support means I don't have to make sacrifices which would lead to the kids worrying about finances. This should be the parent's concern, not theirs.

I no longer have to request special consideration from the school when it comes to excursions and the kids have benefited from lots of other learning initiatives they would otherwise not have had the chance to take part in. It's not just about the money, but access to programs and opportunities through The Smith Family's network. An example is the art day which one of my children was invited to attend, where he met a real live artist and had the chance to see the artist at work.

My eldest daughter participated as a mentor in The Smith Family's student2student program last year, where she learned skills involved with helping develop the literacy skills of a younger student. My eldest son has been able to purchase a violin through a Smith Family funding stream and has taken up lessons to help explore his musical potential. He's always had a passion for music and as a mum, I've wanted to provide him with an opportunity that I never had because I believe it is a life-long skill. I believe that music helps bring people together.

The family was fortunate to receive a home computer through The Smith Family's Technology Packs Project as well last year which has been great to assist the children with their schooling and has also been helpful as a parent because I can better understand what they're learning.

The best thing about Learning for Life is knowing that someone else is interested in seeing my kids succeed, even just anonymously. It's inspiring to know that other people care and it's also been good to be able to share the kids' progress with the Learning for Life worker and their sponsors.

My kids have big plans for the future, including going to university once they finish school. It helps to have support to ensure they can reach their potential.

Paul, Learning for Life tertiary scholarship recipient from south coast, NSW

I finished the HSC last year in Nowra and have this year started a combined Commerce/Law degree at the University of Wollongong. Throughout school I lived with my grandmother who had to make a lot of sacrifices over the years for the sake of my education. My mum lives nearby, but her ongoing health problems mean she isn't able to look after me or my two younger sisters, so my Nan took on carer's responsibility about 12 years ago.

When Nan arranged for me to be supported through Learning for Life six or seven years ago, it took a lot of pressure off the both of us. In primary school it wasn't so hard because costs associated with schooling were manageable for her, but as I hit high school, it was really good to know I had the funds available when excursions came up, or I needed new stationery.

My two sisters are also now assisted through Learning for Life, which means we don't have to worry about them not being able to take part in the same things as their schoolmates.

I've moved out this year with a friend, which is good because I have more space for all my textbooks. I've been working part-time as a store assistant in Nowra for about three and a half years, so my job's helping with rent and I'm also thinking about getting into some investing if I can save enough money.

I had the same Learning for Life sponsor through school and we were able to communicate through letters, even though they remained anonymous. It's been good to let them know about how I'm progressing at school.

I was pretty proud of my HSC results in the end, especially because I got into the course I wanted to. Even though I've now got the benefit of hindsight and think I could have studied more for this or that assignment, I've got where I want to be and learnt a lot of lessons during Year 12.

The transition into university studies has been interesting this year just because it's so different from school, but I'm making sure I'm getting stuck into it and doing all my readings. Making a strong start at uni is my biggest priority at the moment.

I'm commuting for one and a half hours each way to get to the North Wollongong campus four days a week, but it's fine because I can study on the train. I really like meeting like-minded people who are interested in talking about current affairs and youth issues.

There are people who say this generation is pretty apathetic about current issues, but I hope to get into politics in the future and have a passion for being part of the thought process when it comes to new initiatives. You've got to be in it to win it! That's why I got involved with the Youth Advisory Committee for the local council and the Young Liberal Movement, so I can act as a voice for younger people in the area.

I don't agree that young people aren't interested in what's happening in the world - you just have to speak at their level, not patronise them and bring out their passion. They do care what's happening, they just view it as an old person's game and you've got to give them a reason to think differently.

The Shoalhaven region has so much potential so we need skilled people in positions of leadership who recognise the needs of the local area and the country. I'm doing all I can at a grassroots level to voice peoples' concerns and express opinions on issues.

I think The Smith Family's great because, unlike a lot of other non-profits, it's all about charity at home. You don't hear a lot about people in this country living in abject poverty in low socio-economic areas, but it does exist. Every kid has a dream for their future, but they don't all have the tools to succeed. The great thing about Learning for Life is that it does give them these tools. Kids who might have been at risk of falling into generational traps of disadvantage are getting the chance to achieve their dreams. If a kid gets a chance to succeed at school or even go onto uni, then there's a world of possibilities out there.

Single father of four from Victoria

I'm a single dad who is raising four children on my own and it's a juggling act, a constant battle to keep up with all the costs and make sure the kids have what they need.

Things were pretty bad for us last year. I lost my job in April, just turned up to work one day and was told that I'd been laid off. My marriage fell apart, and my kids have been through a very difficult time.

I feel for the kids because there are so many things they'd like to do, and I can't give them everything.

I literally don't have anything for a rainy day or for any emergency. I don't have the capacity to put aside any money and, from what the news is saying, it's only going to get worse.

January was tough. I had to scrape together about $3000 to get the four kids back to school. That's just to pay for books, uniforms, stationery, excursions and camps - just the basics.

I have two girls aged 19 and 15, two boys aged 12 and 6, and they're all at transition points in their lives.

It got to a point where the rent was due but I had to skip paying it so my 12-year-old son could get his school books. I could sort out the rent later but there was no way I was sending my son to his first day in Year 7 without books.

I didn't have much money but I wanted to pay for his Year 7 orientation camp at school. It was $200, and I couldn't afford it, but I just couldn't say no. All the other kids would get a head start, and they'd all know each other, and my son's left behind. The last thing I want is for him to go through life being highlighted as the 'poor kid'.

My kids are my life. The sacrifices I make today will ensure that my kids make it.

I've got help from The Smith Family, and I feel blessed. Without The Smith Family, I truly don't know what I would do.

Three of my kids are being sponsored through the Learning for Life program, and the support makes a huge difference.

The local Learning for Life worker is an angel. She's always been there to help me, especially through the tough times last year.

James, tertiary scholarship recipient from Central Coast, NSW

It was a relative who put me onto Learning for Life when I was in Year 11 and both the access to programs and financial support it offered appealed to me. I live with my mum and have to care for her a lot of the time because she has an ongoing illness, so it has lifted a huge burden knowing I don't have to worry as much about affording school and then uni.

I'm in my second year of a Bachelor of Applied Science in Exercise degree at Sydney University and am aiming towards completing a masters. All up it will be five years of uni, so the support of The Smith Family through Learning for Life is invaluable in helping me afford text books. Just one book can be $150 and you only need it for one semester!

What's been even better about the scholarship though is the mentor I was matched with halfway through my first year. My mentor's a physio with the Australian swim team and he invited me to the team trials last year where I got to meet some of the swimmers. Since it's early days in my degree I don't need to make big decisions about my future yet, but he's helping guide me and making sure I know what grades I need to get to achieve my goals.

Having a mentor has opened up a lot more opportunities in terms of access to contacts. I have to do practical placements as part of the degree and my mentor was the one who introduced me to someone at the NSW Institute of Sport who I'll be doing my next placement with. I email my mentor maybe once or twice a month and occasionally give him a call and he's always happy to answer my questions.

I live on the Central Coast which means four hours on a train on uni days, but it's not as bad as people think because I can get study done. The fare can be expensive, even with a student card, so again the scholarship ensures I can get my ticket each week. Recently I've been offered a job at Subway which will help with bills as well. I start my training in a few weeks.

When I finish my degree I'd like to travel for a while and then my ultimate goal is to open my own clinic which will combine gym and physiotherapy services.