Youth Education: Multi-year projects

Sydney Women’s Fund Future Changemaker Scholarships

Supporting gifted girls facing disadvantage to reach their academic potential. These scholarships are awarded in partnership with Harding Miller Education Foundation. with practical financial support and a mentor in a 4 year program through years 9-12. 35% of girls are refugees and new to Australia, and 16% live in Out of home care, many are from impoverished homes, Indigenous families, or live with domestic violence and family breakdown.

Receiving a computer, high speed internet, homework support, and funds for uniforms, subject fees, excursions and constant support of a mentor, enables students to build confidence, knowledge of financial responsibility and academic success.

Strive for Girls – Warwick Farm

A powerful initiative for young girls, Strive has empowered over 100 at-risk girls since 2013 to make positive life choices. From families of intergenerational unemployment, the girls come to believe they don’t bring value to the outside world.

Strive invites the girls on a journey to realise their strengths and to be changemakers, to stand up to injustice, to take pride in hard work and empower others to do the same.

Designed and run by Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections to guide girls safely from year 6 to 10, learn new skills like coding and self-defence, stay engaged with school and have fun.

Thrive for Boys – Warwick Farm

As they make the journey to manhood, Thrive empowers 20 boys over 12 months to make positive life choices, including respect for themselves and the women in their lives.

From year 6 through high school, Thrive is skilling young men from disadvantaged families in self awareness, anger management and self belief. Engaging in constructive after school activities, the community has seen a marked decrease in vandalism and crime.

Thrive offered at Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections has become invaluable, keeping kids connected and strengthening their sense of belonging in the community.

RISE – Claymore

Now in it’s fifth year, RISE – Re-engagement Initiative towards Supportive Education, is changing lives for young people in the Claymore community and strengthening families. Alternative learning and wraparound support with family outreach is given to high school students suspended, expelled or chronically disengaged from school.

Coming from families of intergenerational welfare dependency, these young poeple face overwhelming disadvantage and are at risk of contact with the juvenile justice system. Emerging as a community pilot in 2015 RISE, codesigned by SCF and Whitelion, has become a model of success for Sydney’s young people.

Junior RISE – Narellan

Junior RISE co-designed by Save the Children and Sydney Community Foundation helps primary school children navigate, re-engage and thrive in education despite high risk factors and setbacks in their learning.

The number of school referrals and suspensions in primary school children has increased over the past five years. In 2016, NSW saw 7,540 K-6 children suspended.

Though widely used, evidence shows suspension is not improving kids behaviour. Children experiencing socio-economic disadvantage and cultural isolation have increased likelihood of suspension.

Counting for Life – Campbelltown

Volunteer “Buddies” trained by Learning Links, visit primary children once a week for 10 weeks and guide them through a structured Counting for Life program.

Through fun activities and games to encourage children’s engagement and interest they build numeracy skills and boost the children’s selfesteem.

A step to future financial literacy for the next generation of young people. .

#Headstartt – Fairfield

Now in it’s fourth year, Headstartt brings refugee and migrant young people out of isolation and into a positive support network, attracting up to 100 young people aged 14-24 each week.

Headstartt in Fairfield offers homework club, Job club, TAFE sessions, exercise, art projects, resume writing and mental health support. Initiated in partnership with Parents’ Cafe Fairfield Inc., STARTTS NSW works with Sydney Community Foundation to deliver this program.

Young people are offered positive alternatives, and encouragement away from crime, so they can provide for themselves and their families.

Be healthy Food Packs – Fairfield High School

Sydney Community Foundation has run a number of successful programs from the Fairfield High School which has a high proportion of newly arrived Australians.

Recently, we found that food security is a huge issue with many students and their families going hungry.

We’re partnering with Fairfield High School to make sure families can put food on the table, and students come to school with food in their belly, ready to learn.

Funding for this project will feed over 150 refugee and migrant families.

Y.e.s.s (Youth Education and Support Services) – Bankstown

Bringing the Bankstown community together to share their knowledge and empower school students, YESS provides educational supporting multidisciplinary subjects in the K-12 ‘key learning areas’.

Led by a passionate local community changemaker and qualified tutor, Community Support Services has designed and runs the program. With a focus on literacy, volunteers from universities and work placements will donate up to 500 hours of one-to-one and small group tutoring. The program is also well supported by passionate home schooling mothers and stay-at-home teachers.

Yurungai Learning Centre – Redfern

Yurungai Learning Centre supports families living in the Waterloo Public Housing estate in Sydney with after-school services to 30-40 mostly Aboriginal primary school children.

Run by Barnardos, children receive nutritious daily meals, one-on-one tutoring, homework club, educational support and transport. They also enjoy cultural learning, creative activities, sports, dance, music and education in social skills and empowerment.

Yurungai works closely with parents, especially mothers, to ensure they are safe, connecting them also with culture and community.

Girls & Boys Brigade – Redfern

Within every community there are families living with complex and challenging risk factors, entering a cycle of disadvantage. Poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, family violence, unsafe housing, incarceration or physical/mental disability of a parent, all impact on their children’s wellbeing.

Girls & Boys Brigade are a critical support for children and young people who live with at least one of these risk factors, many with three or more.

With early intervention Parent Support and practical Food Hampers from city pantry, families receive flexible responsive care.

Aunty: Role models for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander girls

During their work, 3Bridges Aboriginal Services as found a large group of young women who have big dreams about what their futures could be. They are bright, but struggling to stay at school. Each has a strength that is worth investing in. What they are all missing is an older female role model, to show them how to achieve their dreams.

This project will deliver a successful older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mentor to young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women from vulnerable and complex backgrounds. It will help these girls rediscover their strengths, connect them to culture and community, and become role models for others.

Creative Connection: Out of home care & Youth Justice

Each week Heaps Decent takes a portable creative production studio to run workshops for girls aged 12 to 17 living in refuges, Out of home care and in Youth Justice.

These girls are experiencing adversity and challenges so disproportionate to their age and coping skills. It impacts severely on their emotional wellbeing and mental health. Many are also terribly isolated and lonely.

Using digital media, participants are guided by artists to create their own songs, electronic music and visual content The visits are fun and uplifting. Together they learn new skills, create friendships and a sense of belonging.

Young Women’s Marketplace Employment Hub

The Young Women’s Marketplace Employment Hub run by 2Connect will start a micro business incubator for young women to gain skills in product development, marketing and budgeting. Together they will learn how to launch a new product or service as a micro business as part of a group social enterprise.

Young women aged 17–25 from culturally/linguistically diverse & Aboriginal backgrounds, newly arrived & refugees, LGBTQI, and those with disability, will learn to identify their strengths, skills and areas of interest.
They can take action to overcome financial vulnerability, and discrimination to increase their employment opportunities.

BUMP – Mentors for Young Mums

BUMP is a powerful mentoring program for at-risk young mums run by Raise Foundation empowering them socially and emotionally to re-engage in life, education and employment.

BUMP has already reached over 500 girls and recently found half of the participants (52%) have direct experience with domestic violence.

Working with vulnerable young pregnant girls and new mum’s in Parramatta & Dee Why, BUMP offers weekly mentoring by a local volunteer mum and support of a dedicated counsellor to increase their confidence in their parenting abilities and develop a plan for their education and future employment.