Last week when kids went back to school it would be a fair assumption that they all had nice new school shoes, lunch box, school bag, and most were happy to go off and see their friends again.
But The Smith Family says that 638,000 school children come from disadvantaged backgrounds where new school shoes, lunch box and school bag are seen as luxuries.
And too many times these kids are seen as the ‘poor kid’ who might not have friends to play with at school.
The Smith Family, along with production company The Solid State, have produced Alice and the Giant Emptiness – the first in the ‘One in Ten’ short film series. All stories are drawn from case studies provided by The Smith Family.
It’s an evocative film because even if you aren’t the ‘one in ten’, chances are you knew someone who was.
WHO ARE THE ONE IN TEN?
Today, One in Ten Australian children are living in jobless families, where even life’s basics are hard to come by.
THE STORY
Alice’s story is typical of many of these children who are often isolated, bullied and begin to fall behind at school. The longer these issues persist the further their self belief plummets, taking with it their chances for a better future.
THE IMPACT
Disadvantaged students are on average 2-3 years behind in reading and maths by the time they are 15 years old. ?The reading gap between the most disadvantaged students and their better off peers is equivalent to almost three years of schooling. ?Year 12 completion rates are significantly lower (58%) for students from disadvantaged backgrounds than for students from high SES backgrounds (77%). Young people from advantaged backgrounds are three times more likely to attend university than students from vulnerable backgrounds.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Go to the Tales of the One in Ten website – www.talesoftheoneinten.com.au to learn more about this series. Follow the links to donate to The Smith Family or perhaps to buy the song “Find the Light” featured in the film.
Share the short film, Alice and the Giant Emptiness, around all your social media networks.
And if you are a parent, talk to your kids about helping those who need our help. Perhaps there is someone at school who is a little bit like Alice. Let’s teach our kids to share what they have. Maybe lend some coloured pencils in class or something.
