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For many of us, the above statement conjures up an image of the
quintessential New Zealand childhood: of bare feet on green grass,
of playing outside from dawn to dusk, of swinging on jungle gyms,
and of Sunday roasts around the kitchen table. For many parents, it
also conjures up an image of access to world-class health care and
excellent schools, universities, and opportunities - in essence, a
place where our children can see, reach for, and achieve their
dreams and aspirations.
However, whilst this image rings true for many New Zealanders, for
others it is an image that is difficult to conceive. With many
families focused on day-to-day survival (24% of children and young
people are estimated to be living in poverty in New Zealand), it is
hardly surprising to find that it is those with the greatest
socio-economic disadvantage who have the worst rates for
educational participation, numeracy and literacy, and qualification
attainment.
Prime Minister John Key, while speaking at the First Foundation
10th Anniversary Awards in 2008, highlighted that "if you go to a
decile 9 or 10 school in New Zealand, you are almost four times as
likely to gain a qualification at University than you are if you go
to a decile 1 or 2."
First Foundation believes that all young people should have the
opportunity to achieve their dreams, irrespective of socio-economic
status. This belief underpins our scholarship programme, a
programme that empowers outstanding students from low decile
schools to transform their lives through tertiary education.
Support and guidance during the months between school finishing
and the university semester starting can help students and the
self-doubt and loss of focus which can lead to decisions not to
continue with tertiary study (Starpath 2010).
Our proposition is unique in that whilst we recognise financial
assistance as important, we also view money as just one piece of
the overall 'package' that is required to empower and assist our
Scholars to truly transform their lives. Many of our Scholars lack
tertiary-qualified role models to help them prepare for and
transition into tertiary study. Students from low socio-economic
communities also tend to lack access to influential social and
professional networks and labour market information as compared
with their peers at high decile schools.
For these reasons, First Foundation's programme is built around
three key 'pillars':
- financial assistance
- paid work experience
- mentoring