By investing in a child’s education, we can break the cycle of poverty

The Smith Family CEO Dr Lisa O’Brien reflects on the extent of child poverty in Australia and says supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed in their education is the most effective way to help them break the cycle of poverty.

“The staggering fact is there are 1.2 million young Australians living below the poverty line today. Research shows these children are more likely to experience financial hardship as adults.

Children from low-socioeconomic backgrounds are at risk of poor educational outcomes from their first year of school. This risk increases as they move through school, with significantly lower proportions of these young Australians completing Year 12 and moving into further study or work.

The Smith Family delivers a unique solution to help young people break the cycle of poverty and create a better future for themselves. As Australia’s largest non-government provider of educational support for young people in need, we provide long-term support for a child’s education. The long-term engagement we build helps children attend and complete school, and go on to further study, training or employment.

While the families we work with are highly disadvantaged, we forge strong partnerships with parents to achieve our shared purpose of changing their children’s life outcomes. Our approach helps the child, their family and strengthens their communities. And ultimately, our nation benefits when disadvantaged children can become thriving, productive citizens.

It’s now 30 years since The Smith Family commenced our first education support program for children in need. Since then, with the support of the Australian community, we’ve been able to help thousands of children get the most out of their education through a range of programs that begin in the early years and continue through to the tertiary level. In the last year alone, our work reached more than 120,000 disadvantaged young Australians, but the need is so much higher.

The out-of-school learning and mentoring programs we provide give young people the skills and motivation to stay in school and see the value of finishing Year 12 to open up more opportunities for themselves. That little bit of extra support and encouragement can be life-changing for these children.

A young person’s background does not and should not define their future. By investing in a child’s education, we can break the cycle of disadvantage to ensure as few as possible are left behind.”

Follow Dr Lisa O’Brien on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrLisaOBrien

To find out more about The Smith Family’s work, visit thesmithfamily.com.au