Indigenous Youth Sports Program : widening participation for higher education

Educational equity for Indigenous students in Australia remains a continuing concern. There has been a gradual improvement in participation, access, and outcome of education across various sectors of the Australian education system but there is a marked and continued discrepancy between non-Indigenous and Indigenous participation in secondary school completion, and in the commencement of higher education (HE). In this report the success of the Indigenous Youth Sports Program (IYSP) at Central Queensland University (CQU)is evaluated. Students who participated in the IYSP completed a survey both pre and post IYSP that was targeted at their age level. There is a call for a change of culture within institutions and ongoing emphasis on the value of higher education institutions (HEIs) to develop relationships with schools, while acknowledging that the changing context for schools (development of academies in particular) meansthat flexibility is necessary. Where academic departments do engage with local schools and communities in a sustained and detailed way, the results are encouraging, especially when sport is used as the medium to engage young people. The IYSP successfully increased student knowledge of HE opportunities that exist for these students, and resulted in increased awareness of the various choices theyhave for pursuing HE.