
Meet Natalie Foster, Aurora’s National High School Program Manager
Meet Natalie Foster, Aurora’s National High School Program Manager
The High School Program is an intensive student-centered support program focused on academic improvements through a cultural lens. It is the only program of its kind that supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their families to access educational, wellbeing and cultural opportunities so they realise their academic potential and achieve their aspirations.
We support students over a seven-year period – from the end of Year 7 when students are recruited to the first year out of high school. We connect students, families and schools to Elders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mentors through regular and intensive engagement activities.
The purpose of the program is to support students to become who they have every right to be. Uncle Noel Nannup, Elder in the High School Program
Our model steps away from the perspective that Program staff are the experts on student needs. It encourages students and families to take the lead in determining their needs, take control over identifying resources and service providers to address those needs, and view the community and school as a resource to success.
We deliver the program through Cultural Immersion and the development of Academic and Wellbeing Support Plans.
Our program supports students from Year 7. A student’s suitability to join the High School program is determined in consultation with the schools and families using the following selection criteria:
We have strong working relationships with Elders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, who we engage to support the design and delivery of our Program and share knowledge with students. The Elders we work with have deep connections to the communities in which we operate and have experience working with students, families and the wider community in the areas of education and youth and community services.
Elders spend time with students passing on their knowledge and learnings, from Dreaming stories, to weaving and building a Mia Mia. We deliver lessons and activities that bring together culture and education.
All mentors engaged in the Program are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Our community of mentors closely reflects the diverse lived and educational experiences of students. Our mentors are all trained in a range of key skills to ensure a trauma-informed and impactful session with students. This includes mental health first aid training, as well as facilitation and public speaking skills. Mentors engage students by sharing their own experiences of school and education and the successes and challenges along the way.
We ensure that our team reflects the communities in which we operate and the lived experiences and educational journeys of students and their families. The teams who have regular face-to-face contact with students and their families are all Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, with strong connections to the communities in which they live and operate.