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Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
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Ethan and his brothers are thriving at school

Students on programs

19 April 2016

Rachel and Trevor work long hours to support their four sons, Ethan (13) and triplets Kai, Chad and Aiden (10). Before they received Smith Family support, the family couldn't always afford to pay for everything the boys needed to participate fully in their education. As a result, the boys were falling behind at school, lacked confidence and felt embarrassed if they made mistakes or read poorly in front of their classmates.

Access to the student2student reading program and Learning Club, gave the boys the extra support they needed to improve their skills and build up their confidence for school.

"Mum and dad work all the time and can't really find the time to spend reading with us so student2student and Learning Club have helped a lot. When I went from primary school to high school I felt very average [at school]. Now that I have done student2student, I feel like I'm up there with everyone else. I have gone from a C student to a B student," says Ethan.

Ethan's brother Aiden says he hated English before he did student2student and Learning Club. "I wasn't really good at it but the programs have helped my spelling, reading and punctuation."

Ethan on the phone — Ethan, student2student participant

Having that extra bit of support with the Learning Club and the readers makes such a difference to our week and it's made an impact on their learning ability at school.

Rachel, mum

Learning Clubs provide a safe, supportive environment outside of school hours for students to get learning support from trained volunteer tutors. 89% of students who participated in a primary school Learning Club said it helped them try harder at school.

Rachel says without the extra help outside of school, the boys were all struggling with their schoolwork and learning.

"Being triplets, Kai, Chad and Aiden, were about six months behind [other kids their age]. Having that extra bit of support [from the learning programs] has made an impact on their learning ability and improved their marks. Now they're not behind. I think the extra help has given them the boost they needed. They are more confident and happy with their school work. Even the teachers are saying there are improvements. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."