Suzanne Lazaroo
19 November 2019: The University of Canberra campus will be buzzing over three days, as it plays host to over 500 high school students, with a host of engaging activities geared towards giving them a taste of university life.
It’s all part of the annual UC 4 Yourself initiative from Widening Participation, the team working towards realising the University’s vision of greater student equity in higher education.
Highlighting the benefits of higher education, the initiative is especially focused on students from backgrounds which have been traditionally underrepresented in higher education, including those from rural and regional communities, financial disadvantage, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and from families with limited experience of higher education.
“With UC 4 Yourself, we want to inspire aspirations, increase access and spark opportunities for these students,” said Laurie Poretti, Manager of Widening Participation.
“The students will also learn about alternative pathway options and scholarship opportunities, as well as the many support services that the University has in place for them.”
The UC 4 Yourself initiative will see Year 9, 10, 11 and 12 students given tours of the campus, from classrooms to facilities to student accommodation.
The schools visiting this year are Batlow Technology School, Bega High School, Bombala High School, Braidwood High School, Cootamundra High School, Eden Marine High School, Gundagai High School, Jindabyne Central School, Karabar High School, Leeton High School, Moruya High School, Murrumbidgee Regional High School, Queanbeyan High School, Temora High School, Tumut High School, Wagga Wagga High School and Young High School.
Each of the University’s five faculties will be hosting special activities and workshops for the students.
“This year, students were able to register for the faculty workshops they were interested in, so that the experience is more streamlined and tailored for them,” said Student Transition and Retention Coordinator Mikaela Dockrill.
The Faculty of Science and Technology has two special sessions planned – one which will see students coding for drones, and another which will situate them in a simulated crime scene, using forensics, as well as the biomedical, medical and environmental sciences to find a murderer.
The Faculty of Business, Government and Law will stage a moot court experience for students with interests in the legal sphere, while the Faculty of Education will host workshops exploring creative arts and collaborative team-building.
The Faculty of Health will be running quite a few workshops, including those on nursing, exercise physiology, nutrition and dietetics as well as a forensic and criminal psychology workshop. The Faculty of Arts and Design will be holding workshops ranging from exploring the design theories underlying paper planes, to the strategic uses for creative lighting, and wide-ranging solutions to global ethical challenges into the future.
UC 4 Yourself days run from 19 November to 21 November 2019.
Photos by David Beach.
