Bunga Burrabugu – To Make Tomorrow

Indigenous people are significantly underrepresented in higher education in Australia. In 2010 the Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People (Berhendt Review) recommended that well-targeted university outreach programs could fill a number of gaps to address barriers to higher education. In response universities around the country have extended or developed programs to encourage and support pre-tertiary Indigenous students to consider higher education an option. This paper will look at the design, implementation and evaluation elements of the approach taken at the University of Sydney, through its Compass Program, to support the preparation of Indigenous young people for higher education. It will provide a rationale for the program and background into the design approach, which has a strong focus of sustained engagement across years 7 – 12 with Indigenous young people, their families, teachers and communities.