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Raising aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls in Wagga

Media releases

17 November 2016

A program focused on supporting the education and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls attending Mount Austin High School will officially launch on Thursday 17 November.

The Mayor of Wagga Wagga, Greg Conkey OAM, and Councillor Rod Kendall, are among those attending an event to celebrate the launch of Girls at the Centre, a school-based program run by children’s education charity, The Smith Family.

Fifty students in Years 7 to 12 from Mount Austin High School have participated in Girls at the Centre, since it began in April this year.

Girls at the Centre provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls with positive role models from both within the local community and beyond, to provide a range of resources, programs and activities tailored to their needs and interests.

This support aims to build the social, emotional and academic skills necessary to complete Year 12 and pursue their life goals.

Annette Young, The Smith Family’s General Manager in NSW and the ACT, said: “We’re delighted to be celebrating the launch of the Girls at the Centre in Wagga Wagga today.”

“The program’s holistic approach aims to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls by building the skills and confidence they need to thrive in school and pursue their life goals – whether its work, higher education or training,” said Ms Young.

“Central to the program is our dedicated team of coaches, as well as community mentors, who provide ongoing support to the girls and their families to help overcome barriers to attending and staying at school.

“We are also very fortunate to have strong partnerships with the school, local families and the community who’ve helped to make our program launch a success.

“It’s been really encouraging to hear positive feedback on the program to date and we look forward to continuing to deliver Girls at the Centre in Wagga to help the girls achieve the futures they deserve.”

Susan Lockwood, Principal of Mount Austin High School, said: “Since the program launched, attendance rates at our school are improving, and teachers are noticing the girls are more engaged and have more positive attitudes towards learning.”

“The Girls at the Centre program has given the girls a strong sense of belonging within the school leading to higher levels of engagement with their education,” said Ms Lockwood.

“The students are developing a stronger sense of self and showing confidence in their roles as leaders within the school.

“It has also been great to witness the wonderful mentoring relationships develop between the students and coaches.”

The Smith Family developed Girls at the Centre in 2008 in partnership with the Alice Springs community in the Northern Territory, where the program was run at Centralian Middle School.

An independent evaluation of the program showed strong evidence of the positive educational and personal outcomes achieved by the girls who participate, including in school attendance and achievement and the development of life goals and skills¹.

Girls at the Centre in Wagga Wagga is made possible thanks to the generous financial support of The Smith Family’s corporate partner, AON.

¹ Source: ABS (2011b) Improving educational outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls, The Smith Family Research Report 2014

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