Helping kids in Australia

The Smith Family: Helping kids in Australia

While Australia now grapples with the impact of the economic crisis, it's hard to imagine that for 680,000 Australian children, financial hardship is all they've ever known.

Helping kids break out of the cycle of disadvantage is more than a financial leg-up, it means providing them with access to the same educational, health and life opportunities as their peers - valuable resources that many of us can often take for granted.

Right across Australia, The Smith Family is helping kids with basic school-related expenses such as uniforms or textbooks, as well as providing learning opportunities, tutoring and mentoring through support programs, so their future remains full of potential and possibility.

How is the Smith Family helping kids in Australia?

Research shows that growing up in a financially disadvantaged home often negatively impacts upon a child's school readiness, which disrupts home-to-school transitions, and leads to poor academic achievement. By supporting children with their education and learning, The Smith Family is helping kids break the cycle of disadvantage using education as the key.

Here are some ways The Smith Family is helping kids in Australia:

· Child sponsorship. Through the generosity of sponsors, The Learning for Life program is helping kids with basic school expenses, educational opportunities, personal development, mentoring, life skills and so much more. From primary school to tertiary education, The Smith Family is helping kids every step of the way.

· Peer-to-peer learning. The Smith Family is helping kids improve their literacy levels through a peer-to-peer support program. By matching children who need to improve their reading with older, specially trained student mentors, 85% of the students involved believed the reading program gave them more confidence with their school work. Peer-to-peer support is helping kids gain confidence, while improving crucial literacy skills.

· Research-based programs. Combining extensive research and partnerships with organisations and individuals, The Smith Family's work is helping kids reverse the impact of disadvantage through educational, financial, social and parental support.

· Parental programs. The Smith Family's integrated suite of programs is not just helping kids, but also their families and communities. Through Adult Education, child development, IT literacy and financial literacy classes, parents become more equipped at helping kids realise their potential.

· Volunteers. Our work in 95 communities across Australia 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 are helping kids in need.

How can I get involved?

There are 3 significant ways you can help:

1. Donate. Make a monthly pledge or a once-off monetary donation to help The Smith Family make an even bigger impact in a child's life. You can also donate good quality toys, clothes and manchester.

2. Sponsor a child. For less than $1 a day, everyday Australians are helping kids in our country overcome difficult challenges and achieve their best in life. For more information on child sponsorship, or the Learning for Life program, visit thesmithfamily.com.au.

3. Volunteer. If mentoring, tutoring or supervising learning clubs is your way of helping kids, then why not consider volunteering with The Smith Family? You can even help out with administration, logistics such as packing or sorting donated goods, or offer specialised help like IT, design or marketing.

For more details on how you can get involved helping kids, simply visit thesmithfamily.com.au.



This article was brought to you by The Smith Family - Helping kids in Australia.

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