Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs Learning Club helps Rhianah
07 April 2014
Twelve-year-old Rhianah excels at drama and science but she struggles to do her homework. As she prepares for secondary school, maths is becoming increasingly harder to understand. Through a Smith Family Learning Club, Rhianah has found a fun way to keep up with her homework.
In her fifth and final year of a nursing degree, Rhianah’s mum, Jessica, is working hard to improve their circumstances. Yet it leaves her little free time to assist Rhianah with her homework.
It has always just been Mum and me since I was 11 months old. The schoolwork is getting harder and I was struggling to do [my homework].
Determined not to let their circumstances hold Rhianah back, Jessica took Rhianah to one of our Learning Clubs. Our clubs provide safe and supportive environments outside of school hours for disadvantaged children to work with trained tutors who help them with their homework.
“The tutors help me to learn in areas that I am finding difficult. They give you tips on how to improve. I find maths really difficult, especially fractions and decimals,” says Rhianah.
With someone to explain the work to her and the freedom to ask questions, Rhianah now finds it easier to understand her homework.
“In class it is you and the whole class learning from the teacher, so it is hard to get some time with the teacher if you have a problem. Whereas in the Learning Club there are only a few of us in a group, so they can actually help all of us,” she says.
In an environment where students not only learn, they also have the opportunity to help each other to learn and make new friends.
You get put into a different group every time … and when we make mistakes we just laugh about it and have a bit of fun. There was another girl in one of our groups who was really good at maths and she helped me a lot, while I helped her with her science homework.
Jessica is so grateful for the Learning Club and has seen Rhianah grow academically and socially as a result.
“The Learning Club is a fabulous program. I think [the volunteers] all share the vision that if you help one child, then you help the world,” says Jessica.
Last year 4,373 students in need attended our Learning Clubs.
With the help The Smith Family programs, students are able to get the life changing out-of-school learning support they need to enhance their learning and development skills.
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