Organised by children’s education charity The Smith Family, this is the third event of its kind and brought together Year 9 and 10 students from 13 schools in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory. The students converged in Homebush for three days, during September 7-10, where they took part in cultural activities and educational workshops.
The 44 students in attendance are all part of the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP). IYLP is a scholarship program supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students living in rural and remote areas of Australia to attend a high-achieving secondary school or university, often in the largest city nearest to their homes.
Currently, The Smith Family supports more than 200 students through IYLP, half of whom are girls. The program is funded by the Federal Government as part of its commitment to closing the gap in Indigenous educational outcomes, and provides financial and other support to help students achieve their educational aspirations.
Program manager Leanne Smith says former IYLP students play a key mentoring role in The Gathering, supporting the activities and providing positive role modelling for the students.
“The Gathering brings these students together so they can meet other participants in IYLP. They share information about the communities they’ve come from and form friendships that help them through their time away from home. It’s a great opportunity to learn some new skills too,” Leanne says.
Year 9 student Roslyn, who attended the event, said: “My mum dropped out of school when she was in Year 10 but battled against the odds to return to education and become a nurse. She taught me the importance of education so when I heard about this program from others in my community, I wanted to do it too.
“Coming to Sydney is cool because I get to see so many great sights and I’ve really enjoyed all the team building games we played.”
For 16-year-old Jayden, who travelled from Alice Springs to Adelaide to attend school, the program has been an opportunity to develop his leadership skills.
“This is something I really want to do to improve myself. I’m the first one from my community to do something like this, so when I get back home I tell everyone about what I’ve learned and seen and encourage the other kids to sign up too.
“The highlight for me was seeing the Opera House. I’ve never been to Sydney before.”
