Helping Aussie Kids

The Smith Family is an Australian charity that provides many children and families with the tools and resources to enable them to improve their chances through education.

As my beautiful Mother volunteered a lot of her time fundraising for The Smith Family, I would like to continue her work on her behalf.  For every ceremony I perform I will donate $10.00 to The Smith Family.

Not all Australian children get an equal start in  life

Today, one in six Australian children and young people are living in poverty, where even life's basics are hard to come by. 

When families are experiencing financial disadvantage children can fall behind with their learning, leaving them more vulnerable to experiencing hardship themselves later in their life. 

Research shows children and young people living in disadvantage have access to fewer books and learning materials in the home. Access to support and resources forms the foundation for learning. In many cases, the parents of disadvantaged children may not have the skills or experience to support their child’s education. As these children get older, they have fewer role models, and access to mentors and networks that are critical for creating educational opportunities to help them build their aspirations and be motivated to learn.

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The cycle of disadvantage

The effects of growing up in poverty go beyond the home environment. For over 1.2 million Australian children and young people this can negatively affect their school life and mean they are less likely to achieve the educational outcomes (and in turn employment outcomes) that then limit their overall life outcomes, passing on disadvantage to the next generation.

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Families receiving our support face some complex and often compounding challenges:

• All of them live in low-income families

• More than half live in single-parent family, with 6% living with another relative or in foster care

• Around 40% of students and 50% of their parents/carers have a health or disability issue

• More than half have a parent or carer who didn’t finish Year 12

• More than 70% of students have a parent or carer who is not in paid employment

• One in five students in Years 5 – 12 have attended four or more schools

• Three in 10 Learning for Life families/children do not have a computer or tablet connected to the internet.

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