高清福利片

On-campus experiences, capacity-building activities in schools and communities and digital outreach are a priority, particularly supporting secondary school students from Greater Western Sydney and regional NSW. Focused on experiential learning, the program also includes cultural experiences such as attending the Sydney Writers Festival, usually out of reach for students from these areas.

Speaking at the launch at Cabramatta鈥檚 Whitlam Library this morning, Member for Fowler Chris Hayes MP said听 the University's focus on low socio-economic families was important.听

鈥淧arents know the key to success is to give their children a strong education, because with a strong education from our schools they stand a very good chance of getting into universities," he said.

鈥淏eing able to help young people to experience university life, get in to university and make a difference, inspires a community 鈥� and the people who are celebrated here are the young people who have gone to university.鈥�

Head of Widening Participation and Outreach Mary Teague said the goal was to increase access to university for young people who are historically under-represented and provide opportunities that better prepare young people for university.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about getting in to university, it鈥檚 about being successful once you鈥檙e here, making informed decisions about courses, understanding the academic expectations and assessments, and being able to decode the language of academia,鈥� Ms Teague said.

Offered as an extension of classroom learning linked to the Australian Curriculum and NSW Key Learning Areas, the program is a federal government Higher Education Participation and Partnership initiative that employs a whole-of-school approach including professional learning opportunities for teachers and school leaders.

Partnerships key to success

鈥淏y working in partnership with a range of organisations such as The Smith Family we reach students who will benefit the most from the experiences we offer, support their transition to university and shift their trajectory through educational access," Ms Teague explained.

The University of Sydney has partnered with The Smith Family for nearly 15 years to support students with disadvantaged backgrounds from Western Sydney to stay engaged in their schooling and continue on to tertiary studies.

鈥淓ach year we connect students on our with activities and experiences offered by the University of Sydney to build their aspirations and confidence to participate in higher education,鈥� CEO of The Smith Family Lisa O鈥橞rien said.

Fairfield City Mayor Frank Carbone said Fairfield City Libraries鈥� partnership with the University was a vital part of the Council鈥檚 strategy to support diverse employment opportunities and contribute to听 residents鈥� success in life.

鈥淭he University-run 高清福利片 Centres and Information Evenings already support our young people after school and this initiative furthers the commitment to positively influence young people鈥檚 decisions about their future,鈥� he said.

From school student to Student Leader

Current University of Sydney student Mitchell Ha, due to finish his Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education this year, said working for Widening Participation and Outreach has been the highlight of his degree.

鈥淎s a Learning for Life Scholarship holder, I have had the privilege of attending the University of Sydney and want all students to have that same opportunity,鈥� Mr Ha said.

鈥淰olunteering and then going on to become a Student Leader, working on similar programs that bought me to uni in the first place, is incredibly rewarding. Working within my community has reinforced my faith in the future of Australia鈥檚 education and its youth. It鈥檚 exuberating to show students that we are not defined by circumstance and that higher education is an option.鈥�