Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs Learning for Life Coordinators Guiding the Way
22 May 2025
Access to a Learning for Life Coordinator is a key part of sponsorship, providing practical support to sponsored students and their families throughout their education. They guide families, helping them through challenges and to access programs and resources. Supporters like you help make all of this possible, ensuring that every young person has the opportunity to thrive.
Alyssa and Matea, Learning for Life Coordinators, joined The Smith Family because of its positive, proactive approach to strengthening communities. They explain, ‘If parents don't have the confidence to engage with the school, then that's where we can come in.’ Coordinators are the go-to support for families with questions about their child’s schooling. They help connect families to programs like student2student, where young students are paired with an older trained buddy to practice their reading skills. Alyssa and Matea often assist with Learning Club, which focuses on literacy and numeracy, and later, they help guide students through career options, especially for those whose parents didn’t get the chance to attend TAFE or university.
Every family is unique, and the challenges they face are many and varied. Alyssa says, “Many families are struggling to afford groceries, petrol, rent, their bills, the medical costs, and public transport” Sometimes it’s as simple as offering encouragement and recognising what families are already doing – whether that’s reading at home, keeping track of homework, or getting them involved in extracurricular activities. Families also access financial support to buy essential school supplies, like books and stationery.
Alyssa and Matea attend community meetings where social services share updates and offerings. By staying informed, Coordinators match families with the right services based on their needs. Alyssa says, ‘I feel like we’re making a difference to families and to students by creating better outcomes for them through opportunities.'
Coordinators play a vital role in supporting families and helping students overcome barriers to education. Through their work, Alyssa, Matea, and the entire team of Learning for Life Coordinators help transform the lives of young people and their families, ensuring that they have the support they need to break the cycle of disadvantage and reach their full potential.
