Our students are our future. They are the teachers, lawyers, doctors and nurses of tomorrow. The engineers, the architects, the journalists and scientists. They will be our voices, our representatives, advocating for us and for our future. They are our hope.
At Curtin, the student experience is a very important facet of a student’s education. It can mean landing that important placement, getting the opportunity to work in our regional and remote communities and even having access to technology to complete course work and assignments. It can be the difference between a student completing their studies or having to abandon them.
Our future
Your support can help transform the future. After all, that’s what education is all about – transforming lives. Donate now by clicking on the cause that you want to support.
In support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
While achieving entrance to university is no mean feat, the myriad demands of tertiary education are challenging to manage, and now more so than ever before. During COVID, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have been 30% more likely to drop out compared to their peers.
We know that a diverse network of healthcare professionals and clinicians mean a healthy future for Western Australian communities but to build that network we need many more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to graduate with a health sciences degree.
Your support, no matter the size, could mean the difference between a student completing their studies or having to abandon them.
Assisting students from refugee backgrounds
Approximately half of Australia’s refugees are aged between 15 and 19 years of age, an age when education is a priority.
Not only have they had to overcome a tough start to life, but they are also then faced with a unique range of challenges in the quest to achieve further education in their new country. These challenges often contribute to pauses in study or complete withdrawal, and are strongly influenced by government policies as well as age, family responsibilities, understanding what higher education entails and strong support networks.
Giving to the Humanitarian Fund Scholarship will mean more students from refugee backgrounds will receive the support they need to complete their studies, enter the workforce and enrich our community with their unique knowledge and perspective.
Supporting students On Country who are training to become school teachers
Established in 2020, the On Country Teacher Education (OCTE) program, an initiative developed by Curtin University and the Department of Education (WA), aims to deliver quality education to improve life opportunities for rural and remote First Nations students within their communities.
The program provides an opportunity for Aboriginal and Islander Education Officers (AEIOs) to become qualified primary school teachers through part-time study while they continue work. The first cohort of students will graduate in 2024 and will move into primary school teaching roles within their communities. As teachers, they will not only be able to help preserve First Nations language and culture, but they will also deliver economic returns to their communities through their employment.
Some OCTE students have limited access to basic items such as laptops, teaching equipment and services which are essential to their studies. This is why the On Country Student fund was created. With your support, Curtin can ensure each of these students has the assistance they need to succeed and graduate as a primary school teacher.
In support of mature-aged, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women
‘Moorditj yorga’ means ‘strong woman’ in the Nyungar language of Western Australia’s South West. Colloquially, it also means ‘deadly’. We’ve all been influenced by strong women in our lives – mothers, sisters, aunts, teachers, colleagues and friends.
Women are the bedrock of any community, particularly those that have long faced social and economic inequity. The Moorditj Yorga Scholarship Program supports mature-aged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women – who may feel the promise of higher education has passed them by – to enter university, pass their studies and receive mentoring as they transition into their careers.
Curtin University is registered as a deductible gift recipient (DGR). All donations greater than $2 are tax-deductible in Australia.
