On Tuesday July 19, a group of fourteen volunteers from the SULS community travelled to Fairfield High School as part of the Greater Sydney Schools Trip, organised by the SULS Social Inclusion Committee.

This initiative operated in cooperation with the Compass program, a partnership between the University, the NSW Department of Education and Training, and selected schools in Sydney. Those organisations are working together to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to think about tertiary education as a viable post-school option. Fairfield High School was identified as a target school by Compass because of its lower secondary school completion rate and conversion into tertiary education despite some outstanding academic achievements at the school. The Compass program targets students in primary and secondary schools, and strives to engage with the students throughout their school lives, in the hope that this will encourage them into tertiary education.

The trip was part of a long term project between Compass and Fairfield that aims to provide support to students at Fairfield with aspirations for tertiary education. The part played by volunteers on this occasion was to supplement prior on-campus events, both university-wide and with faculties such as Engineering. The afternoon visit with Year 9 students from Fairfield High was successful in answering the questions of Fairfield students about university life, and we received a warm welcome from both students and teachers. The session took a conversational form, with ample opportunity for the students to interact and ask questions. Topics covered included information on incentives to pursue university, admissions and alternative routes to tertiary education, university life, and various support services available to students. The feedback from the school and students was very positive, and we look forward to continuing our contact with the students and the school and pursuing similar initiatives in the near future.