The Smith Family Partnership

The Smith Family and the University of Sydney joined forces in 2004 in a long-term partnership to support and encourage students from disadvantaged backgrounds staying engaged in school and have the opportunity to go on to tertiary education.

The partnership, which involves funding and in-kind programs, supports The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program, which provides students and their families with financial, personal and mentoring support to help them get a good education and prevent future hardship. The University of Sydney was the first university to partner with The Smith Family in this way. The five year agreement includes:

• $90,000 per annum for Learning for Life scholarships. These will be made available to students in Years 7 to 12;
• $60,000 per annum to fund a Learning for Life Education Support Worker. These workers are a critical part of the Learning for Life program and support students and their families with advice, information, advocacy and referrals to other agencies for additional support;
• $20,000 per annum for Learning for Life Plus. This will enable students on Learning for Life to take advantage of additional opportunities such as overseas study or to attend interstate conferences as well as provide support for students with special needs.
• Support for the partnership from the University also includes a number of programs such as:

• University Experience Day
• CONverge
• Bella