Help provide vital educational support to 11,705 Australian children 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.
View all programs
Get Involved
- Ways to fundraise
  Learn about fundraising and give back to the community with The Smith Family.
- Volunteer with us
  Share your skills to help Australian children in need transform their lives through education.
- Partnerships
  Learn how your organisation can partner with The Smith Family and help build a better future for Australian children in need.
- Careers
  We aim to provide a working environment where staff and volunteers have the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.
- Events
  Participate in events and activities that support young Australians experiencing disadvantage.
- VIEW clubs of Australia
  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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Child Sponsorship
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iTrack

iTrack provides students with someone to talk to outside of their networks who can give them advice and encourage them with their post-school plans.

Many young people disengage from their education and drop out of school during their teenage years. The impact of growing up in disadvantage creates barriers that can make it even more difficult to see the benefit of completing Year 12.

Leaving school early also affects the work choices available to young people. Many disadvantaged students lack access to positive role models and mentors who can support their expectations, build aspirations for the future and learn how to reach their career goals.

Are you an iTrack mentor currently in session? Log onto our iTrack Chat Platform to connect with your student.

Chat platform

Apply to be an itrack mentor volunteer

Becoming a volunteer mentor was a rewarding experience for Kristie and Ezra.

Mentor without leaving your desk!

Are you looking for a volunteering opportunity that you can do from where you're sitting right now?

Are you available for one hour per week during business hours for 6 months?

The Smith Family's iTrack program connects students in Years 9 to 11 to adult mentors who provide advice and help them explore post-school options.

Apply now

What is iTrack?

Many young people disengage from their education and drop out of school during their teenage years.

The impact of growing up in disadvantage creates barriers that can make it even more difficult to see the benefit of completing Year 12. Leaving school early also affects the work choices available to young people. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds sometimes have a more limited network of people to talk to about career opportunities.

iTrack is an online mentoring program for high school students in Years 9 to 11. Students are matched with a supportive adult (other than a teacher or parent) who volunteers as a mentor and provides the student with general encouragement and advice and guidance about workplace, study and career opportunities. Students and mentors communicate over an 18 week period.

Volunteer mentors are drawn from our network of corporate and community partners. All mentors are screened, inducted and then matched with a student, where possible according to the student’s career aspirations.

How does itrack help?

The purpose of the relationship established through iTrack is to offer encouragement, and for mentors to share the benefit of their own study and workplace experience.

Last year, 80% of the students who participated in iTrack said that their mentor has helped them to be more positive about their future career and study options.

Joel participated in iTrack and found that it really helped him with his study habits. Thanks to iTrack, Joel has a clear idea of his career pathway in recreational sports and secondary teaching.

"When I was in Year 10 I was missing that career guidance. My mentor was really helpful in that sort of direction. The more you talk to them, the more you find out you can learn from your mentor." Joel said.

Volunteer stories

What iTrack students and mentors said

Students

“It was really fun, and helpful. The more I talked to my mentor the more I was able to build my confidence in what I wanted to do for my career.”

“I enjoyed learning new things my mentor told me. She taught me things that I didn’t know (which was really useful), she encouraged me to be more confident, and she's one of the best mentors ever.”

Mentors

“My student was lacking in overall confidence and was quite introverted in his discussions. I felt he gained a fair bit from the experience, more so in being able to speak to somebody outside his family situation.”

“I really enjoy the interaction of chatting online and the vibrancy of my mentees. I get a great deal of satisfaction in participating in iTrack. I feel that I am doing something useful.”

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.

Donate now

Popular Searches

iTrack

iTrack provides students with someone to talk to outside of their networks who can give them advice and encourage them with their post-school plans.

Apply to be an itrack mentor volunteer

Mentor without leaving your desk!

What is iTrack?

Many young people disengage from their education and drop out of school during their teenage years.

How does itrack help?

What iTrack students and mentors said

Students

Mentors

Related links

iTrack

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