Whether it be from economic pressures or a range of other complex and often compounding challenges, there are 1.2 million children and young people in Australia living in poverty. That means for every six children buzzing with excitement about their first day of school, there may be one child or young person who is more than aware of the financial hardships their family is experiencing at home.
Every child should have the opportunity to thrive at school, and national children’s education charity The Smith Family works tirelessly to provide students impacted by poverty with educational support to help them reach their full potential.
“As Australia’s largest national education charity, The Smith Family’s sole focus is to break the poverty cycle through education, and we achieve that through the Learning for Life scholarship program,” says Anton Leschen, The Smith Family’s General Manager, Victoria.
Learning for Life offers financial support to sponsored children for education essentials, access to a range of out-of-school learning and mentoring programs, and personal support from a Family Partnerships Coordinator at The Smith Family, who works closely with each family to problem-solve any barriers to their child’s education.
“We make an incredible long-term commitment in a two-way partnership with parents and students, schools and communities to break the poverty cycle through our Learning for Life scholarship program,” says Anton. “It sees all manner of people sponsor students across Australia; this is the power of the Officeworks partnership in helping to make brighter lives for little kids who get to go to school, grow up and live their dreams.”
A Long-Term Partnership
For the past 12 years, Officeworks has proudly partnered with The Smith Family for the Officeworks Back to School Appeal, where customers can make donations to support young Australians experiencing disadvantage through the Learning for Life program.
“The work of The Smith Family is all about breaking the poverty cycle through education. Now, that is a very long-term commitment; it takes a generation, not a week-long intervention,” says Anton. “The fantastic long-term partnership that The Smith Family celebrates with Officeworks is vital in enabling our work.
“The phenomenal time and contribution from Officeworks is life-changing – $9.3 million over 11 years has seen us support 14,000 students on Learning for Life for an entire year. There are individuals left, right and centre whose lives are different because of the support that Officeworks has given to The Smith Family. It’s that longevity of our strategy and the longevity of the partnership with Officeworks that is literally life-changing for thousands of children. Better lives for vulnerable kids makes a better Australia for all.”
Helping Young People Thrive
Officeworks managing director Sarah Hunter agrees and says there are numerous stories of students the program has helped over the years who become team members during their studies. This is just one of the many ways Officeworks and The Smith Family unite to support students in need.
“Together, we are not only making a real impact in students’ lives but we’re also making a positive difference in the future of our local communities by providing opportunities to students and families who need a helping hand,” she says.
“Seeing the amazing outcomes firsthand that The Smith Family scholarships provide to students is incredible and is something that really resonates with our team members who say it makes them proud to work at Officeworks. Our Back to School Appeal is a key event in our trading calendar when our 9,000 team members from right across Australia get involved and support the cause. It makes us feel good to do good, and that extends to our customers and partners too.”
How The Smith Family’s Learning for Life Program Supports Young Australians
“The reality of living in disadvantaged and vulnerable conditions is a day-in-day-out existence,” says Anton. “As book lists start coming out for back to school, lots of families are excitedly wondering if they’ll get the super fast, super fancy laptop or tablet, and vulnerable households are thinking, ‘Will we get two pens or one?’ The financial difference across the nation is confounding, and so our Back to School Appeal with Officeworks helps families start the year more confident and more capable of getting those resources to fit in and get started in another year at school.”
Brooklyn and Breeanne’s story
13-year-old Brooklyn is an enthusiastic Year 7 student who loves learning. Her favourite subjects are maths and art, and she hopes to become a teacher one day. But Brooklyn’s mum, Breeanne, has struggled to support her family, and it’s been challenging to provide the basics, let alone the things her children need for school.
“We are a big family, a big family in a small house. There’s seven of us: my partner and me, and then five children, so I’m always running around after one child or another,” Breeanne explains.
“Before we started receiving The Smith Family funding, I had just separated from Brooklyn’s father. Life was tough. I was juggling all the bills by myself. I was trying to work out what was more important. Do I put petrol in the car, or do I get food? How do you choose? It’s really hard to prioritise – everything’s important when you’ve got little kids.
“I felt like they were going without, and it really upset me that I couldn’t give them the best. As a mum, you just want the best for your kids.”
The value of education holds a lot of weight for Breeanne, as a devastating event in her childhood impacted her own school life.
“I didn’t have a great education myself because I lost my mum when I was young, so it wasn’t a huge priority for me. It’s made my life a lot harder. I feel like if I’d had a better education, my life would be different,” Breeanne tells us.
“I think a good education’s important because then you have the chance to do whatever you want to do and better your life. You get the chance to follow your dreams.
“It’s reassuring that Brooklyn’s going to have that chance. She will be set up for life.”
As well as providing Breeanne with financial support to pay for school supplies, The Smith Family’s core program, Learning for Life, gives Brooklyn and her siblings access to additional learning programs to help with their studies, and personal support.
“Having someone support Brooklyn’s education means a lot. It takes a lot of stress off me, knowing I’ve got someone I can call and say, ‘Hey, she’s struggling in this, what can we do?’ and The Smith Family will come up with a plan to help. There’s always someone there to fall back on who will help me help her.
“And I don’t know where to start with the financial support! It really helps, especially having four kids at school. It helps with buying uniforms, new shoes, new books. Shoes are expensive, and they go through them so fast!”
Breeanne talks proudly about how well Brooklyn is doing now with the support of Learning for Life.
“She’s taken to high school like a duck to water. She really fits in. She’s made lots of new friends, and I can see her going far. I feel like it would have been a different situation if she didn’t have everything she needed. If she didn’t have the correct uniform, she’d stick out. Or, if she didn’t have the right books, it’d be embarrassing for her to go to class and say, ‘Sorry, I don’t have that.’ It would’ve been a lot harder for her to settle in.
“With Brooklyn starting high school, The Smith Family asked if there was any further support they could give us, and I said she needed a laptop for school. She received that laptop, and it’s helped her with getting online and doing her studies at home.
“It’s nice to see Brooklyn with everything she needs to be her true self and fit in.
“I’d like to say to someone that’s thinking about supporting The Smith Family that it can really make a difference. We had nothing, and now Brooklyn’s education is bright.
“Brooklyn can be anything she wants to be – she’s so smart. I’m so proud of her.”
Now that Brooklyn has the things she needs to fully participate at school, she can pursue her future aspirations.
“My first year at high school has been really good. I’ve got a lot of new friends, and I’m doing really well at my work,” says Brooklyn.
“My favourite subject is art because I can express my creativity and it’s a lot of fun. Art is amazing! I want to get better at it, and when I finish school, I want to be an art teacher. I like helping my siblings with their work.
“I think The Smith Family has taken a lot of stress off my mum and stepdad. It helps us get school uniforms and school shoes, which really helps, and it helps us pay for camp and excursions. I’m going to camp soon, and if I didn’t get to go, I think I would feel really left out.”
Although she’s only in Year 7, Brooklyn is already looking towards the future, and continuing her education is a big part of that.
“One of the things I’m most proud of myself for is I’m a good learner, and I love learning. Having the things that I need to be able to learn is really important for my future.
“A lot of people have helped me in my life, so I want to help people when I grow up.
“Thank you to all the supporters of The Smith Family because you are helping me become a teacher.”
How You Can Help The Smith Family
“Today, we are supporting 67,000 children through Learning for Life, and our aim is to grow our support to 100,000 students on scholarship,” says Anton.
Make a donation to the Officeworks Back to School Appeal from 27 December 2024 to 9 February 2025 to support children in need in the Learning for Life communities closest to you. Donations can be made at any Officeworks store or via the Officeworks website, and no amount is too small. Here’s how your donations can help make a difference:
- $2 can provide an Australian child in need with a notebook for their favourite subject at school.
- $5 can provide a pack of coloured pencils to nurture their creativity.
- $10 can provide headphones to a child in need so they can engage in online learning.
- $20 can provide a new book to develop their literacy skills.
