Indigenous Sunrise Project: School-to-university pathways

Maria Raciti; J Sellwood; Pauline Taylor

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations' (DEEWR) Bradley et al. (2008) Review of Australian Higher Education heralded a heightened focus upon social inclusion and the importance of increasing the access and outcomes of Indigenous people in Australia. This Indigenous Sunrise Project sought to consolidate the multiple pathway opportunities for students from school to university that were offered by the University of the Sunshine Coast and James Cook University. The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), being Australia's newest university, has an embryonic Indigenous Centre - the Buranga Centre - with underdeveloped pathways from school to university. A number of these emergent pathways such as the Headstart Program, School Talks and Liaison Visits and the Alternative Entry Program and Tertiary Preparation Pathway are the focus of this Indigenous Sunrise Project. Furthermore, the Indigenous Education Symposium and Indigenous Teacher Education Programs are included as their roles to support and supplement the USC pathways are apparent. Specifically, the Indigenous Education Symposium creates community awareness and the sharing of information about this project, the Buranga Centre and USC's engagement with the Indigenous community as well as their commitment to improving Indigenous participation in higher education. The Indigenous Teacher Education Programs aim to improve the Indigenous education capability of pre-service teachers so that more effective education can be provided to Indigenous school students. Hence, has a particular bearing on this project. Finally, integral of the University's efforts in the development of a proposed USC Indigenous Centre to advise, support and advocate for students before and during their higher education journey. The focus of James Cook University (JCU) centres upon their Indigenous Connections Program which seeks to build the aspirations of Indigenous students in higher education. The Indigenous Connections Program seeks to recruit school students into the teacher education programs. The JCU project is novel for the institution in that its holistic approach seeks to engage students in practical activities rather than via orthodox passive formats where students listen to 'content' from speakers. Overall, in the light of the Bradley Review (2008), the collective efforts of both institutions in building school to university pathways are particularly germane. These pathways and the associated mechanisms that underpin and supplement them are the focus of the Indigenous Sunrise Project team. Principally, the heart of our efforts is to palpably improve through practical measures the access, participation, retention and success of Indigenous Australians in higher education.

Indigenous Sunrise Project: School-to-university pathways

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