10 May 2013
The Federal Government’s investment of $2.4 million in a three-year program to lift Indigenous participation in education has been given a resounding endorsement from the University of South Australia.
Announced today by the Federal Minister for Higher Education and Skills, Sharon Bird, and Member for Makin, Tony Zappia, a share of the funding will underpin the expansion of the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) program in South Australia in partnership with UniSA.
The announcement was made this morning as part of a special visit by Minister Bird to an AIME Getting to Know You session at UniSA’s Mawson Lakes campus with AIME CEO Jack Manning-Bancroft.
The extra investment will support the expansion of AIME’s activities in South Australia and Western Australia, giving an extra 450 Indigenous students access to the program over the next three years.
Minister Bird says she is a firm believer that all Australians with the interest and ability should be encouraged to consider studying at university.
“These students will gain the skills, opportunities, and confidence to finish school and move on to further study,” the Minister says.
UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd says the support from government and the collaboration with AIME builds on a record of more than 20 years of commitment to improving participation in education by the University.
“UniSA has in its founding charter a commitment to Indigenous access to education, it is in the DNA of our university and it is an absolute delight to be partnering AIME, one of the nation’s most exciting organisations led by young Indigenous Australians for Indigenous Australians,” Prof Lloyd says.
“I think we are a great match and I hope that with this extra support from the Government, we can really build relationships between more university student mentors and young Indigenous kids that will be lasting and inspiring and that will make a tangible difference in their lives.”
UniSA has been partnering with AIME since September last year and already has about 100 uni student mentors working with students from eight northern suburbs high schools to encourage and motivate them to complete high school and continue to university.
The funding announcement capped off a big week for the AIME program in Adelaide.
On Wednesday at UniSA’s City West campus Sir Richard Branson presided over the global launch of Mentors 4 Life a new program run through AIME and designed to market the mentoring experience to a wider audience including businesses.
CEO Jack Manning-Bycroft says dividends from this new arm of AIME will support more mentoring programs for Indigenous children across Australia and at the same time promote the power of mentoring in peoples’ lives.
UniSA Media contact: Michèle Nardelli office: 08 8302 0966 mobile: 0418 823 673 email: michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au
