2022: Our Impact by the Numbers

Did you hear that cheering? After two years of disruption and uncertainty, students were finally back in the classroom for a full four terms in 2022. With our primary goal being to catch up on lost time, we made a dedicated push to ensure children and young people could re-engage with their learning and regain confidence in the classroom. As such, we amplified our student wellbeing efforts to ensure the impacts of the pandemic didn’t continue to affect their ability to fully participate in their education.

With the shadow of uncertainty still looming at the beginning of 2022, the vast majority of our programs were delivered in the latter half of the year. We had an intense few months coordinating with delivery partners and volunteers to meet our schools’ needs across the country. And what a pay-off. What we’ve witnessed has been so encouraging, with both students and educators enthusiastically embracing and engaging with these programs, and  applying their newfound knowledge.

Our expansion into regional Victoria provided a wonderful opportunity to build aspiration in children and young people who might otherwise have limited access to these sorts of programs. We were able to bring 33 Learning Through Lunch programs to six regions, inspiring a whole new cohort of kids to imagine future possibilities. These students started off the day with a tour of a TAFE or University learning about the different courses on offer as well as the possible jobs these courses could lead to. After this the students were treated to a 2 course lunch where they were seated with an adult who could talk about their job and the path that lead them there. During the lunch the students were also presented the chance to learn more about the hospitality industry. From surveys students have said they learnt a lot about what is available for the future as well as inspired them to consider a new job for the future.

In total in 2022, we partnered with:
186 schools and early years centres,  
supporting more than 20,000 children in
over 700 programs across Australia.

And while we’re pretty proud of these numbers, they don’t tell the full story. Because our ultimate aim is to ensure every child and young person in Australia can reach their full potential through education – regardless of where they live or the disadvantage they may face. Above all, our programs are designed to increase engagement in education, build aspirations and enhance learning outcomes for the children we work with. In 2022 we focused on wellbeing, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) learning, literacy, and careers pathways.

Thank you to all our supporters and donors for all their support in 2022. We know we cannot do it alone and we value your partnership in helping us create the communities we believe will best support children and their learning.

We look forward to another year working with you and your respective teams. If you would like to support us, please consider donating or volunteering.

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