There are still 4,532 Australian children who need extra learning support by this Christmas.

Our Programs
- Literacy programs
  Providing resources and support to help children living with disadvantage achieve the required reading standard.
- Technology programs
  Providing children and young people living with disadvantage with the critical skills, access, and equipment they need.
- Numeracy programs
  We support early years educators and community professionals in building foundational math skills in children under their care.
- Learning for Life
  Providing holistic, long-term support for disadvantaged young Australians throughout their education.
- Mentoring programs
  Mentoring programs for students living with disadvantage that provide the encouragement they need to build aspirations for their future.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs
  Our work engages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in learning through education, life skills and role models, promoting culturally responsive practice.
Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
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- Ways to fundraise
  Learn about fundraising and give back to the community with The Smith Family.
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  Share your skills to help Australian children in need transform their lives through education.
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  Learn how your organisation can partner with The Smith Family and help build a better future for Australian children in need.
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  We aim to provide a working environment where staff and volunteers have the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.
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  Participate in events and activities that support young Australians experiencing disadvantage.
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  Learn about VIEW, a leading women’s volunteer organisation and support network with over 16,000 members, across Australia.
Ways to Give
- Sponsor a child
  Through child sponsorship, you will be matched to an Australian child in need, helping to support the cost of their school essentials.
- A gift in your will
  Ensure that future generations of Australian children have the support they need to make the most of their education.
- Monthly donation
  Become a monthly donor and provide continual support throughout all stages of a child’s education.
- Philanthropic giving
  Through your philanthropy, you can ensure that young Australians impacted by poverty get the education that all children deserve.
- Single donation
  Your donation will help young Australians in need by providing access to our Learning for Life education support programs.
- Workplace giving
  Making small, regular donations to The Smith Family through Workplace Giving is an easy way to help change the lives of young Australians living in poverty.
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Digital Poverty: The New Frontier of Disadvantage

Digital literacy is a prerequisite for employment now. You need to have adequate technology skills to apply for jobs, to progress in the careers beyond school.

Caroline McDaid, CEO, WorkVentures

In the lead-up to Anti-Poverty Week, this conversation explores what poverty looks like in modern Australia and how digital poverty is leaving young people experiencing disadvantage further behind in education and employment opportunities.

Our CEO Doug Taylor speaks with Caroline McDaid, CEO of WorkVentures, about what can be done to bridge this digital divide and how organisations are working to ensure every young person has the tools they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world.

“There's a myth that all young people are digital natives and that digital exclusion doesn't apply to them. But what we're seeing repeatedly through research is that unequal access to technology is actually a feature of schooling these days. And as a result, that can actually deepen disadvantage in life outcomes overall,” Caroline says.

Doug and Caroline are also NSW co-chairs of this year’s Anti-Poverty Week, which aims to help Australians understand poverty and take action collectively to end it.

Conversation highlights

Caroline talks to Doug about:

[1:27] Her most memorable education moments
[2:58] Why we need Anti-Poverty Week in Australia
[4:30] The definition of digital poverty and why it’s such a challenge for young people
[7:10] Long-term impacts of digital exclusion for young people
[8:56] Initiatives to address digital poverty in Australia
[12:30] Policy changes required to accelerate digital access
[13:55] How to take action this Anti-Poverty Week
[15:24] Why she’s hopeful that change is possible to end child poverty

Watch the full conversation below or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Actions you can take to help end child poverty and close the digital divide:

Support the call to end child poverty in Australia
Support The Smith Family’s Digital Learning Essentials program
Learn how your organisation can donate technology through WorkVentures.

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