Over three hundred female high school students nationally have had the opportunity to be mentored by senior women in business since late last year as part of the Australian Business and Community Network’s (ABCN) Focus program.
The Focus program, piloted by Minter Ellison Lawyers and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, seeks to equip female students with the skills to become effective leaders.
The program is a unique opportunity for young women to be mentored by executive women at work. For some of the students the experience opens their eyes to their own potential and the possibilities available to them. After taking part 100% of the participating students say they have a better understanding of their leadership potential.
Jeanette Le, who is now school captain at Miller Technology High School, has participated in Focus, and two of the other programs that the ABCN runs, Goals and Aspirations. She says the mentoring she received from these programs helped her emerge from her shyness, understand the importance of self-belief, and to grow important skills in leadership, team work and public speaking.
Connecting with a number of senior businesswomen has also helped her to understand that women can be successful in their careers and at the same time enjoy their families and the other things in their lives.
“The Focus program has boosted my confidence and self-esteem like nothing ever has before,” a participating student from Bonnyrigg High School said. “I’ve learnt many valuable lessons and important things about myself that I never knew. I feel as though I can achieve my dreams. Focus has inspired and motivated me.”
ABCN, which is now in its ninth year, is a coalition of 35 member companies from banks to professional service providers who wish to improve the outcomes for students from high needs schools.
The ABCN offers mentoring programs which are focused on building critical skills, developing leaders and raising aspirations in students facing disadvantage by engaging them with national business leaders and companies.
In July this year ABCN launched a new Scholarship Foundation, which will provide scholarships to high potential, high needs students. This year there are twelve scholarships on offer and the winners will receive mentoring support and $7000 over Year 11, Year 12 and their first year of tertiary education.
Of the students who have received ABCN national scholarships in the past 92% have improved their academic and engagement results and have elevated their goals for tertiary study. One of the previous scholarship winners and her family came to Australia from Afghanistan in 2005. Her parents, who had not attended school were unable to assist with school work and assessments. This young woman had a passion for learning and is taking on every opportunity available to learn more and strengthen her education. She hoped to attend university and study nursing but having graduated from school in 2012 and surpassing her academic goals she gained entry to a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree. Throughout her degree she will continue to receive financial and mentoring support from the Scholarship Foundation.
“Australia changed my life completely, I am one of the lucky people who have been given the opportunity to make something out of life….I don’t call them dreams anymore, but place them as goals,” she says.