Over 1700 high school students have been harnessing their leadership strengths and developing their skills in authentic communication as part of UNSW’s Widening Participation Strategy.
UNSW’s Kensington campus has been buzzing with Year 10 and 11 students as part of UNSW’s Educational Outreach Program.
The Program, led by Access, Equity and Inclusion in the Division of Equity Diversity & Inclusion (EDI), is designed to improve educational outcomes for students who are underrepresented in higher education and is critical to realising the Gateway Equity Target (GET). The immersive, on-campus learning experiences develop students’ sense of self-efficacy, encourage values-led decision making and build their leadership and authentic communication skills for impact.
UNSW has long acknowledged that entrenched socio-economic inequality and educational disadvantage unfairly impacts access to university and career opportunities for the many young people who attend our Gateway partner schools. The Gateway Equity Target was created to address this and aims to ensure that 25 per cent of commencing domestic undergraduate students are from a low-socioeconomic background and/or socio-educationally disadvantaged school (Gateway partner school) by 2027.
Year 11 Gateway Leaders Program
The Year 11 Gateway Leaders Program was a first for UNSW, with emerging leaders nominated by their schools. The full-day program consists of a communication workshop with internationally acclaimed performer, speaker and AGSM communication expert Jo O’Reilly, a University Ambassador-led workshop on authentic leadership and a networking session with other Year 11 students. During the networking session, students have the option to present their personal leadership story.
Katy Head, Deputy Director of Access, Equity and Inclusion within EDI said, “The program works with extraordinary young people from across Greater Western Sydney to confidently lead with authenticity to make their mark on society.”
One student said of their experience: “This program made me step out of my comfort zone and do things I wouldn’t have done before, like talking to a large group of strangers without feeling awkward and uncomfortable.”
Over 500 Year 11 students from 49 Gateway partner schools across Sydney took part, building their skills and experience as young leaders.
They will also have the opportunity to participate in the two-day on-campus Year 11 Gateway Program in July. Participants in this program will further explore UNSW’s faculties and facilities and participate in capacity-building workshops and experiences to set themselves up for success in their HSC and beyond.
Year 10 Gateway Program
The Year 10 Gateway Program, running since 2022, is a collaboration with The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), with support from UNSW’s Alumni team and University Ambassadors.
Across the day, students engage in creative values affirmation activities with University Ambassadors to develop their personal elevator pitch. They draw upon the InsideOut digital application developed by Access, Equity and Inclusion to encourage expansive exploratory thinking about degree options.
Students practise dramatic techniques for persuasive communication with NIDA tutors and then have the option to apply these during a networking session with over 70 volunteer UNSW Alumni mentors from various faculties and industries.
A Year 10 participant shared that after completing the program, “I understood what life is like at university and how many different pathways there are to take. It inspired me to choose something to study that I am passionate about and to explore different opportunities.”
“Today gave me more confidence in what I want to do and gave me so much more insight into what my future may look like.”
Running until 8 April, the program will see over 1200 students from 30 Gateway partner schools take part and get their first taste of what studying at UNSW is like.
Transforming our undergraduate community
On-campus experiences are an important way to provide students with an early sense of belonging at UNSW and to help them develop a foundational understanding of what life at university is like. These programs also help to build UNSW’s reputation amongst our partner schools and students, leading more students from underrepresented backgrounds to consider UNSW as an option for future study.
Learn more
- Complete the newly developed Understanding Student Equity at UNSW online modules
- Learn about the Gateway Equity target on the EDI website.
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