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Tipping the balance towards a better future

10 January 2024

Rising costs in Australia are putting pressure on many families. For those living with disadvantage, it’s an added challenge where school costs are already hard to meet.

Like all parents, Ciemara wants her children to thrive in their education and beyond. But being a single mum, Ciemara is worried that poverty could cause her children to miss out on the same opportunities as their peers.

She is determined to do everything she can to make sure her boys, Lucas, aged 8, and Jackson, aged 10, have what they need. Your support means families like Ciemara’s could connect with The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program. With the support of their sponsor and The Smith Family, Lucas and Jackson have new uniforms and shoes. The boys can now worry less about whether they fit in and focus more on their brighter futures.

“They are going to school looking just like the other kids there with their school branded shirts and not just the plain polo shirts that are cheaper. They're fitting into their school community.
It's because of people like the sponsors that my kids get to have a real fair go at school.
Ciemara, mum of Learning for Life students

“It's because of people like the sponsors that my kids get to have a real fair go at school. They might have had to miss out on things like school excursions if it wasn't for this sponsorship,” says Ciemara.

As part of sponsorship, you also give your student access to a Learning for Life Coordinator. These frontline staff members work closely with each family to provide support tailored to the student’s needs. Lucas and Jackson’s Coordinators have connected the children with our out-of-school programs student2student and Learning Clubs. The programs support students to develop key academic skills. This helps students have every opportunity as their peers to build a bright future.

student2student provides support to students who are behind in their reading development, so they can catch up to their peers. The program pairs children like Jackson with a peer buddy to build reading skills. After participating in student2student, Jackson has improved his reading skills. And he’s very proud of his results at school.

Jackson’s been on student2student for one term now and we can already see the difference in his report card.
Ciemara, mum of Learning for Life students
“Jackson’s been on student2student for one term now and we can already see the difference in his report card. He’s doing much better at reading and writing, and his own level of confidence has increased,” says Ciemara.

Another program that you make possible for students like Jackson and Lucas is Learning Clubs. While at the club, Jackson and Lucas have access to volunteer tutors to complete homework and have the space to focus on developing their reading and writing skills. Even if sometimes they don’t even realise it’s ‘learning’.

“They would come home from Learning Club and tell me, ‘we played this game’, and I could read between the lines of that and know when you were playing dominoes, you were learning your maths skills,” Ciemara says.
“But for them, they just thought they're playing, and they learn so much better when they’re having fun and playing.”

Growing costs have also affected many families’ abilities to have access to the digital tools and online resources all children need to participate fully in their schoolwork. Without access to a reliable computer, the internet and technical support, students can face major challenges in completing schoolwork, homework and assignments. Thanks to your support, Digital Learning Essentials helps to unlock the online world and bridge the digital divide for many families like Ciemara’s.

A refurbished laptop means Jackson and Lucas can practise the online skills they’ll need at school and into the future, and access information to assist their learning. Ciemara notes, “If they are interested in something, we now have this laptop that we can use to search for information.”

Ciemara does everything she can for her children and, thanks to a sponsor just like you, she can ensure that her boys have what they need to level the playing field and have a fair go at school. Now Jackson and Lucas can focus on their learning and build a brighter future for themselves. Thank you!

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