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Thank you for helping Jaye scale the digital divide

Students on programs

01 September 2023

Jaye lives in a public housing community in a Perth suburb. Jaye’s dad had always promised him things could be better if he worked hard. “My dad would say: ‘We are confident, we have a plan, and we are not going to continue the poverty cycle’.” But Jaye hadn’t understood what he meant.

In high school, Jaye was fiercely determined. He worked hard to maintain high grades. Then in Year 11, the pandemic struck. Remote learning disrupted normal school routines for over two months.

Jaye and his younger brothers needed digital tools in lockdown – but his family didn’t have the internet. Fortunately, through our Digital Learning Essentials program which you help fund, they could receive a free laptop and internet access, thanks also to our philanthropic partners. Jaye could also access free tech support to make the most of this new technology. “The amount of stuff I had to do online would have been really tricky without this support,” says Jaye.

Jaye is now in his second year of marine biology, conservation, and wildlife biology studies at university. He wants to be a marine biologist.

We are confident, we have a plan, and we are not going to continue the poverty cycle.

– Jaye’s father

Thanks to your kind gifts, Jaye can still freely access the digital tools he needs to make the most of his university education. “I used to take it for granted when I was young, but without the internet and a computer, I’d have to go without or borrow other people’s stuff. This helps a lot and saves me a lot of money. It’s a huge, huge amount of help… so a massive, massive thanks!”

And Jaye finally understands what his father was saying: that a strong education would take him toward a better life. “I've worked hard with the help of The Smith Family’s supporters and my brothers and my family. I’m succeeding.”

Read more student and family stories in our Spring 2023 edition of Real People, Real Stories

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