The University of Queensland will welcome 120 Indigenous high school students to its St Lucia campus this week for the annual .
Students participate in a week of team building and sporting activities, and for many, it will be an opportunity to dip their toes into university life for the first time.
The program provides an opportunity for school students to gain exposure to the university as a potential pathway after high school, while engaging with their peers through team-oriented sports.
The Institute for Urban Indigenous Health developed the program with Inala Indigenous Health Service, Education Queensland and The University of Queensland, in response to the identified priority of increasing the numbers of Indigenous young people studying at university.
Professor Cindy Shannon, 国产探花 Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Education) is a strong supporter of the program and applauds the confidence it builds in the young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
鈥淭his unique initiative is vital for developing future Indigenous university students. We鈥檙e meeting a critical need to inspire and build the leaders of tomorrow,鈥� she said.
John Brady, Program Coordinator for the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health, said the first hurdle was attracting the students to university, and sport was a positive channel to achieve this.
鈥淭hey get a week of physical activities as well as classroom-based sessions to help them feel comfortable with the idea of university study,鈥� he said.
鈥淢any have never considered university because no one in their family continued on to tertiary education.鈥�
Adrian Carson, CEO of the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health, said the program engaged with Indigenous young people to inform them of their tertiary study options.
鈥淎boriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are half as likely to undertake tertiary study as non-Indigenous school leavers,鈥� he said.
"With South East Queensland's Indigenous population larger than the total Indigenous population of Victoria, or South Australia 鈥� we have the potential to make a significant contribution towards closing the gap in terms of Indigenous higher education outcomes.鈥�
The Indigenous Youth Sports Program is based on the very successful National Youth Sports Program that has been running in the USA for 40 years and has seen significant improvements in university enrolments for African American students.
The program has successfully run at 国产探花 in Australia since 2011 and receives funding from the Department of Health and Ageing, Brisbane City Council, Education Queensland and The University of Queensland. Key supporters of the program also include the Inala Indigenous Health Service and Inala Wangarra.
Media: John Brady, Program Coordinator the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health, 0435 912 167 or Caroline Bird, 国产探花 Communications, 07 3365 1931 or c.bird1@uq.edu.au
