Gençlik Eğitim Projesi – The Youth Education Project
Description of the Project
The Youth Education Project provides free HSC support courses for the high school students living in Auburn LGA.
The Youth Education Project intends to cater the education needs of the high school students who have limited financial means of getting private coaching lessons and need to improve their education & performance at school.
The classes are free of charge and are held at the Regents Park Community Hub every Saturday morning between 9:00am till 12:00pm.
The volunteer teaching team consists of dedicated and professional people whose ultimate aim is to support our students in order to advance and excel at school and HSC exam.
The teaching team consists of four volunteer teachers and a project coordinator whom commits their time and effort and are namely;
English: Dr. Ayşe Talay-Ongan, Psychologist; retired academic
Advance Maths: Dr. Adnan Fırat, Chemical Engineer
General Maths: Dr. Behçet Sarıbatır, Electrical Engineer
Science: Seda Arslan, Uni student
The project is administered and coordinated by Cigdem Firat.
Importance of the Volunteer Work
This project identifies and addresses the education needs of high school students. The volunteer teaching team has been dedicating their time every Saturday for the last 19 months.
The lessons focus on previous HSC exam papers and questions coming directly from the students and the student’s weak points that are identified by the teacher.
The volunteer team members strongly believe the importance of quality education. They are professional’s in their area of expertise and work full time and yet they are determined to find the time to prepare for the lessons. Some teachers do not even live in the area and have to travel at least one hour each way to deliver lessons.
The parent involvement also is encouraged by giving them regular feedbacks about the student’s progress and asking them if they have any issues or concerns regarding their child’s education.
The Aims of the Project
The main aims of the project are to improve and advance the students’ academic performance at the HSC exams, to provide guidance in making decisions for further study, and to increase parent involvement in education.
As well as providing academic support to the students, the project also aims to mentor young people in preparing for university, tertiary education and employment.
Another objective of the project is to provide a friendly environment where students can easily approach their tutors and can ask questions about their subjects and home works that they did not understand at the school or need more explanation. The project also provides a good opportunity for the students to meet and establish relationships with their peers.
Furthermore, the project aims to demonstrate to the youth living in Auburn LGA that the Local Community acknowledges, cares and fosters for their education and mentoring needs.
Outcomes of the Project
From June 2011 to December 2011, 20 students have attended the lessons most of whom were year 12 students. They have regularly attended the classes and have provided very positive feedbacks to the teachers and the coordinator. In many occasions, the students expressed that after graduating from university they wish to come back and voluntarily work as teachers.
From January 2012 until today, 25 new students have enrolled and have been attending the lessons every Saturday with great enthusiasm.
The success of the Youth Education Project has proved that the tutoring needs of the high school students must be acknowledged and addressed in the Auburn LGA.