Sixty Year 9 and 10 students from the Gladstone and Moreton Bay regions will get a taste of university life this week at Queensland University of Technology.
The Indigenous students will spend four days at QUT’s Caboolture and Gardens Point campuses, for the Go Further! QUT Camp Experience.
The initiative has been made possible thanks to a partnership between Arrow Energy and QUT’s Oodgeroo Unit.
The camp is free as QUT and Arrow cover the costs for all participants including all meals, accommodation and activities.
QUT’s Oodgeroo Unit Director Professor Anita Lee Hong says the Go Further camps expose Indigenous students to higher education and long-term career goals.
“The camp is a great opportunity for students to see university as a possible pathway as well as discover the range of disciplines that are available,” Professor Lee Hong says.
“Also hearing from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander QUT student ambassadors gives participants real life examples of working towards achieving your goals.”
Students had to complete a four-page application form with a signed recommendation from their school to attend the camp.
“Some Indigenous students worry that a tertiary education is not for them,” Arrow Energy Community Relations Manager Glenda Viner says.
“This camp is about showing these 14 and 15-year-olds that university is a real option for them.”
Students attending the camp will receive information on courses and careers, entry programs, financial assistance and support services.
They will participate in a variety of activities on campus and receive additional information from current Indigenous students to assist them in making decisions about their post-school options.
The camp includes a number of information sessions, outdoor adventure activities, cultural sessions by local Traditional Owners and a National Rugby League match between the Arrow-sponsored Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium.
“This camp is tailored to deliver Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students an enjoyable and interactive opportunity to explore their tertiary studies, training and career options,” Glenda says.
Arrow’s camp funding comes from its Brighter Futures community investment program which, last year, provided more than $4.6 million to 117 community projects across Queensland.
This is the second Go Further QUT Camp. Last year, almost 100 students took part in activities from crime-solving exercises with the Faculty of Law to computer game design with the Science and Engineering Faculty.
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