Charity work through The Smith Family

Our children are Australia's future and also our country's most precious and vulnerable resource. Sadly, one in seven Australian children are disadvantaged and do not have access to the same educational, health or life opportunities that most of us enjoy and often take for granted.

At the core of The Smith's Family's charity work, is the belief in the power and possibilities of relationships. For disadvantaged children to thrive, many of whom are growing up in lone parent and jobless households, they need to be connected with, and supported by, an extended family. That's where The Smith Family comes in.

How is The Smith Family assisting disadvantaged children and families?

The Smith Family's charity work is conducted via a comprehensive suite of education and learning programs that are targeted not just at children but also their families and communities, who provide the crucial nurturing relationships and supportive learning environments that a child needs.

The Smith Family's charity work includes:

- Nationwide volunteer program. Our charity work in 95 communities is extended and enhanced by the more than 21,000 members of VIEW Clubs of Australia together with 6,500 volunteers from the community and our corporate partners, who volunteer their time and talent to ensure we can support children in need.

- Learning for Life. Coupled with The Smith Family's charity work and generous sponsors, more than 27,000 disadvantaged children are now accessing comprehensive Learning for Life programs. In addition to financial scholarships to assist with expenses such as uniforms, books and excursions, sponsored children are provided with literacy support, mentoring and other life skills initiatives through The Smith's Family's charity work.

- Parenting programs. Studies have indicated that the first five years of a child's life is absolutely pivotal, and that parents are the earliest teachers of their children. Last year, our charity work helped provide parents and carers with skill development opportunities, financial and IT literacy courses, pre and post natal care, as well as child development courses.

- Peer-to-peer learning. Students who need to improve their reading are matched with older student mentors specially trained to help develop literacy skills in others. The charity work of the student2student literacy program saw 85% of students believing that the reading the programs gave them more confidence.

- Evidence-based studies and research. While The Smith Family impacts more than 100,000 disadvantaged Australians, all charity work is informed by years of extensive research, made possible through a network of strong partnerships with other organisations and individuals. By furthering the understanding of disadvantaged children through research, The Smith Family's charity work and early intervention programs help curb the negative effects of disadvantage.


How can I get involved with charity work?

At The Smith Family, our charity work is all about linking disadvantaged children to opportunities, services and supports and connecting them with Australians who have the capacity, skills and resources to help.

If you would like to get involved with our charity work, there are three helpful ways to do so:

1) Donate. Make a monthly pledge or a once-off donation to the greatest area of need: The Learning for Life program. Help continue The Smith Family's invaluable charity work and improve the life of a child through education.

2) Sponsor a child. For less than $1 a day, you can provide an Australian child with school-related expenses and access to education, learning and personal support networks, from primary school right through to their tertiary education. With your sponsorship, the Smith Family's charity work can help end the cycle of disadvantage once and for all.

3) Volunteer. Each year more than 6,500 volunteers around the nation extend the charity work of The Smith Family. If you have some spare time, why not consider volunteering? With opportunities as diverse as mentoring, administration, supervising learning clubs, to specialised roles including IT, communications or marketing, you're bound to find volunteer charity work that'll suit you.



This article was brought to you by The Smith Family - Charity work through The Smith Family

The Smith Family is an independent non-profit organisation committed to helping disadvantaged Australian children by unlocking opportunities through education and learning. For more information, visit www.thesmithfamily.com.au