More than 2100 students from 10 local schools access programs run by The Smith Family, a charity helping the city’s most vulnerable young people with school books, uniforms, and excursions.
The programs, which include Learning for Life, Student to Student, and Passport to Success, aim to improve access to education and learning outcomes for students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds.
The Smith Family Queensland General Manager Alan LeMay said that the results of this year’s annual ‘Pulse’ survey the charity conducts, confirmed that Australia-wide economic hardship continues to impact families.
“This year, over 50% almost 60% of the families we surveyed said they find it hard to afford school essentials,” Mr LeMay said.
“What’s a little bit different is 51% said that it’s everyday expenses like groceries, rent, energy, petrol, that are the main barrier to affording the things that kids need to do well at school.
“That’s the standout from this particular survey, and we would attribute that to the increase in cost of living.”
About 1477 students in Logan participate in the Learning for Life program, which is a sponsor-funded scholarship for students who need support and supplies to succeed at school.
“We know that children who go to school and don’t have all the things their peers have, like books, uniforms, the ability to go on excursions, they don’t do as well at school,” Mr LeMay said.
“The impact is improved student outcomes, and that’s what we’re aiming for, but we’re also aiming to break the cycle of poverty.
“That’s why the Learning for Life program is so unique, because our goal is to help students not only do well at school, but to be in a position to gain meaningful employment and be able to raise families and children who will have the opportunity that every other Australian kid has.”
Mr LeMay said that one of the “joys in his life” was meeting former Learning for Life students as adults who have stable employment and are raising a family of their own.
In Logan alone, The Smith Family partners with 10 schools, about 7 are primary schools and 3 are high schools, who assess which students would benefit most from programs like Learning for Life.
“We plan with the school and fit in with the curriculum and the school’s agenda, to deliver those particular programs with the school’s support and engagement,” Mr LeMay said.
“Our partner schools are very central to how we go about supporting our families, both with the scholarship provision and the program opportunities that we offer.”
Over Christmas, The Smith Family will run a Christmas Appeal to raise money and awareness to eliminate child poverty.
“We’re looking to raise over $600,000 in Queensland as our goal, which will allow us to offer our programs to an extra 1500 students,” Mr LeMay said.
“We want to get that message out and let people know how they can actually get involved and support the families that we’re working with.”
Student to Student is a reading program run by The Smith Family where younger students struggling with their reading and comprehension skills are partnered for 18 weeks with an older student who is a competent reader.
“In those 18 weeks, 75% of the students who participate in the Student to Student program will improve their reading age by two years,” Mr LeMay said.
“The funds that we raise during our Christmas appeal are used to fund those kinds of initiatives to help these children who are experiencing financial difficulty catch up and keep up with their peers.
“If the public wants to get on board and sponsor a child, or contribute to the Christmas appeal, they can head to our website for more details.”
Image: Alan LeMay, General Manager of The Smith Family Queensland. The Smith Family.
