The Smith Family

The Smith Family and the University of Sydney joined forces in 2004 in a long-term partnership to support and encourage students from disadvantaged backgrounds to stay engaged in school and have the opportunity to go on to tertiary education. The University of Sydney was the first university to partner with The Smith Family in this way.

In April 2010 the University and the Smith Family renewed their joint commitment to supporting students with promise , with the University pledging more than a quarter of a million dollars to provide scholarships to disadvantaged students.

The two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work in partnership during 2010-2012 to support disadvantaged children to stay engaged with school, and ultimately have the opportunity to participate in university education.

(L to R: Ene Juurma, Ali Yunespour, Annette Cairnduff, Gillian Odbert, Rebecca Sparkes)

The new, three year agreement includes:

• $90,000 per annum to support Learning for Life scholarships for secondary school students
• $10,000 per annum to support The Smith Family's Bella Learning for Life Workshop, a program of art-making workshops and exhibition tours for Learning for Life students aged between 15 and 18 years old.

Support for the partnership from the University also includes programs such as:

• The University Experience Day, which aims to familiarise Learning for Life students with the idea of attending university and to build their aspirations to do so.
• CONverge, which aims to bring together interest, opportunity and resources in a musical context using voice as the instrument.