Further, results from the 2024 National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy, better known as NAPLAN, reported one in three children are not performing at a baseline national standard.**

Risk factors associated with disengagement are diverse, from students whose families provide limited educational support at home or do not value education, to students living in families with limited resources, financial and time, and students simply struggling to achieve well.

Working with schools, EdConnect’s volunteers are placed in classrooms, with small groups of students or individuals. The aim is to provide support where there is greatest need, and always with the needs of the student as the focus. The impact EdConnect volunteers make is tangible. Equally, the program gives meaningful and rewarding opportunities for volunteers

The EdConnect program is partly funded by the Department of Education and is supported by corporate sponsorships, including the Alcoa Foundation, Hanrine Foundation, and, in 2024, a Telethon grant.

EdConnect knows and understands the need in schools. A growth strategy over coming years aims to provide broader support, aims to reach more students in more schools. Chief Executive Officer Michael Pailthorpe summarises the vision:

“At the end of the five years, the program could reach 57,800 in 520 schools with the support of 2,100 volunteers.

EdConnect has a robust system for ensuring our volunteers provide effective support for students, teachers, schools, and reach the broader community.

“Although EdConnect volunteers do not replace core teaching and educational support resources, their impact on students can be simply phenomenal. From core-skill improvement to psychosocial development, including improved relationships with peers, teaching staff and their broader community, volunteers’ reach is deep and enduring.”

“40% of our volunteers have an educational background, hitting home that our volunteers are inspired by the work they do. They find purpose and reward from their commitment to helping students,” he said.

Michael speaks passionately of volunteer couple Sue and Richard Baldwin.

“Sue and Richard Baldwin are no strangers to the world of volunteering, having spent their lives dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of children. For the past 20 years, they have been volunteers at Leda Primary School in Western Australia,” said Michael.

Sue and Richard discovered the world of school volunteering through their church. Their passion for mentoring and helping young people was ignited there. Sue, who had a large family of her own, was always helping care for the younger children, while Richard felt that mentoring was something they had the skills and experience to excel in.

“There are many students dealing with adult problems,” Richard observed. “Being a trusted adult that they can rely on is so important,” added Sue. A saying that guides them both is, “Kids don’t care what you know until they know you care.”

Over the years, Sue and Richard have witnessed incredible transformations in the lives of the children they mentor. Richard comments,

“Some students improved academically, gaining confidence through the games they play. Others show remarkable changes in their behaviour, becoming more settled in class, which positively affected the entire school environment,” he said.

“One day, while working with two students in the same room, we joined forces to play a board game. The enormity of our impact really hit home when one student remarked “is this what a real family does? There are many moments like this,” said Richard.

EdConnect will celebrate over twenty-five years of service, with an inaugural EdConnect Week running from 2- 8 September 2024.

* https://ccyp.wa.gov.au/media/1422/report-education-children-at-risk-of-disengaging-from-school-literature-review.pdf
** https://www.acara.edu.au/reporting/national-report-on-schooling-in-australia/naplan-national-results