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2016 Gathering links 72 Indigenous students from across Australia

Media releases

02 September 2016

More than 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from across Australia, including some of the most remote parts of the country, will meet for the first time at special four-day gathering in Sydney this week.

The Gathering will be held at Sydney Olympic Park from Thursday 1 September. The 72 student participants are part of the Indigenous Youth Leadership Project (IYLP) - an initiative facilitated by The Smith Family and funded through the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The IYLP enables Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from remote areas of the country to complete Year 12 at some of Australia’s highest performing academic schools.

The Smith Family’s CEO, Dr Lisa O’Brien, said: “Through IYLP Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are able to experience a whole range of opportunities that might otherwise have been out of reach. The Gathering is an important part of this experience.

“For many of our students, attending school in a capital city or major regional area after having spent more than a decade in a small town or remote community can present many challenges,” Dr O’Brien said. “This includes being separated from the people and places they know for the first time in their lives.

“The Gathering is a chance for them to meet other young people who are on the same journey, as well as seeking advice from former students who have already been through the project.”

Over the four days students will take part in in a range of educational workshops, cultural experiences and networking activities, including:

An ‘Amazing Race’ around Sydney Olympic Park

Career workshops through Work Inspiration
A quiz night and networking events
Tribal Warrior cultural experience through the NSW Department of Transport
A breakfast bonfire with local Elders
A workshop to create a music video about what IYLP means to them

“In many of the communities where our students grow up, their access to extra educational support and role models is limited,” Dr O’Brien said.

“The IYLP supports these young people to improve their leadership skills, broaden their educational horizons and develop their aspirations for the future.

“Nationally, the Year 12 or equivalent attainment rate among young Aboriginal people aged 20 to 24 years is 58.5% and for their non-Aboriginal peers is 86.5%.

“By supporting these students throughout their schooling and providing them with extra learning support, we are working to help close this gap.

“We are helping develop role models and future leaders who are going on to inspire other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.”

The IYLP partners with 16 schools across the Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. Since The Smith Family began facilitating the program in 2009, the initiative has seen 192 students graduate from Year 12.

Sixteen of these tertiary students, who are being supported by The Smith Family at university, will be group leaders, mentors and role models throughout The Gathering.

“Seeing our IYLP graduates in mentoring roles is a testament to the project’s effectiveness in developing young leaders and is an important part of The Gathering.”

Media contacts:

Andrew Dickson | National Media Manager (National) - 0421 285 529 | andrew.dickson@thesmithfamily.com.au
Carla Horton | Senior Media Advisor (QLD & WA) - 0423 618 776 | carla.horton@thesmithfamily.com.au
Reid Jermyn | Media Advisor (VIC, SA & NT) - 0412 803 566 | reid.jermyn@thesmithfamily.com.au
Ben Chenoweth | Senior Media Advisor (NSW, ACT & TAS) - 0413 346 934 | ben.chenoweth@thesmithfamily.com.au

The Smith Family is a national children’s education charity that helps young Australians experiencing disadvantage to create better futures for themselves through harnessing the power of education. We partner with around 800 Australian schools and work with over 162,000 children and young people experiencing disadvantage access our education support programs to help them overcome . For more information, visit thesmithfamily.com.au