Over 1,000 high school students from Western Sydney have been equipped with the tools to succeed in life after going through this year’s Future For All program.
Future For All is a program we run with Western Sydney University for 1,000 students from low socio-economic backgrounds to start thinking and planning for the future.
The aim of the program is to plant a seed in their brain that tells them no matter where they’re from, who they are and what their situation is, they can make something of themselves.
Since the program began three years ago, participation has doubled from 500 to 1,000 students.
As part of the program, our Foxtel National Youth League coach Trevor Morgan and Hyundai A-League player Shannon Cole meet the students and present inspiration speeches as well as player appearances from other members of the team.
Future For All has also been combined with what used to be known as the First Foot Forward program that sees students coming into the university so they and their family can meet and talk with lecturers.
Community Engagement Manager Josh Hunter said for a club like the Wanderers – and any pro sports club – it’s important to inspire kids to achieve and make their relevance in the community feel valued.
“We want to inspire young students to go out and do what they love rather than be forced into a job and situation they don’t want to be in: if they are inspired and feel proud of who they are, where they come from and have strong beliefs in helping to make their community better then the world will be a better place for the individual and the collective,” explained Hunter.
“We want to create job and life satisfaction while helping them to have a sense of pride in who they are, where they’re from and the community they’re representing. As long as they set a goal, believe in that goal and put plans in place to achieve that goal, they can get there and achieve their dreams.
“It’s quite rewarding when you hear kids talking about their dreams and what they want to achieve. You hear their stories near the end of the program and it gives you a good insight into these kids and where their focus is. Some of what they say is quite astonishing as to what these kids want to achieve.”
For more information on the Future For All program and all our community initiatives, please click here .
