General Grants in Action: UWA Children's University Program

Published on Thursday, 12 December 2024 at 8:52:26 AM

The Shire is proud to have supported the University of Western Australia’s (UWA) Children’s University Program through the Community Funding Program, General Grants. This funding reduced membership costs for local students to just $5 per child, sponsored a family learning event within the Shire, and provided bus transport for students to attend an on-campus holiday program at UWA.

The Children's University Program engages young people in fun out-of-school learning opportunities that increase their chances for success in their education and rewards them for being proactive with their own learning. The program works with families, schools, and local organisations to nurture future aspirations, foster a love of learning, and build strong community connections. To be involved, participants must be between the ages of 5 and 14 years, with 15 to 18 years old students offered the chance to participate as volunteers and leaders. There are currently 514 Member Schools, 930 Learning Destinations and 70,217 Participants across the world.

Last week, Shire President Rob Coales was honoured to attend the UWA graduation ceremony where he witnessed 48 students from local primary schools, including Jarrahdale Primary School, Mundijong Primary School, Serpentine Primary School, and West Byford Primary School, celebrate their achievements. Each student completed at least 30 hours of extracurricular activities, with 11 students surpassing 65 hours, three exceeding 100 hours, and two achieving over 130 hours.

The event featured a heartfelt speech by Grace Hughes from Serpentine Primary School, who shared her inspiring experiences in the Children's University Program.

Since its introduction in 2023 with support from the Peel Development Commission, the program has engaged approximately 80 families and established the Shire’s Library Services as an official Learning Destination, joining a network of over 90 locations across WA.

The Children’s University Program nurtures a love of learning, fosters educational aspirations, and strengthens community connections, with the Shire proud to support its ongoing success. For more information, visit UWA Children’s University.

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