Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs Reconciliation Week: Be a voice
People don't realise, and I think that's something that I really treasure about The Smith Family. You don't realise all you need in your life is just one person to care and create that opportunity and for you to believe in that person.
To mark National Reconciliation Week and the theme of ‘Be a Voice for Generations’ we acknowledge and celebrate our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families, as well as our staff, volunteer, and wider supporter community.
Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students face additional challenges in their education journey and due to their circumstances are often less likely to complete Year 12 than other students.
Our vision for reconciliation is a nation where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children can fully benefit from the education and learning opportunities this nation has to offer.
“I think the real challenge for us is that our communities, for various reasons, have suffered from low expectations,” says Anaiwan man, Academic and Smith Family Board member, Professor Peter Radoll. “All you need in your life is just one person to care and create that opportunity and for you to believe in that person.”
Professor Radoll, in conversation with CEO Doug Taylor, talks to the challenges Indigenous students face in their education, the importance of countering racism and the opportunity to listen and learn provided by the referendum on changing the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia, by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander Voice to Parliament.
“If we could stamp out racism, there would be more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students finishing Year 12. I long for the day when we can say, "An Aboriginal male is statistically more likely to go to university than go to jail." That would be a wonderful statistic to see,” he says.
