Indigenous High School students gather at UWS

Indigenous students at UWS

Over 200 high school students from across the Penrith and Campbelltown regions have gathered at the University of Western Sydney for their first experience of university life at the UWS Indigenous School Student Mentoring Program.

The year 9 and 10 students took part in an opening session with a Welcome to Country before hearing from a panel of UWS Aboriginal students, mentors and school students who were in the program last year. 

The mentoring program gives indigenous high school students an introduction to university and access to role models who can help provide advice as they start to consider career options before the end of their high school years.

“The program helps show Indigenous culture in a positive light, and gives students a taste of a wide range of university subjects,” says Anne McLean, Manager of the UWS Schools Engagement program.

Indigenous students at UWS

The students rotated through five different workshops including cultural identity, program exploration and Indigenous games, where the students will be taking part in traditional events with a modern twist.

For example, Kai, a traditional game where Islanders used their bodies to keep pieces of fruit from hitting the ground, was adapted to form an icebreaking exercise where the students repeated their names, class and suburb as they kept the ball in the air.

The 'Indigenous School Student Mentoring Program' was developed by UWS with the Department of Education and Communities, Aboriginal  Elders and schools, and aims to build academic and study skills, increase awareness of further education and career options and encourage confidence in setting and achieving educational goals.

 

Ends

27 February 2013

Contact: Mark Smith, Media Officer

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