ECU’s Children’s University Graduands take centre stage to celebrate life-long learning

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ECU’s Children’s University Graduands take centre stage to celebrate life-long learning

Friday, 15 December 2023

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On 28 & 29 November 2023, Edith Cowan University (ECU) hosted the annual Children’s University graduation ceremonies. ECU’s Joondalup campus was sparked with an exciting atmosphere as hundreds of WA students were welcomed into the Children’s University Western Australia Partnership Alumni community of more than 1600 students.

The celebrations recognised the extraordinary achievements and learning journeys of 227 children from 14 partner schools: Australind Primary School, Balga Primary School, Burns Beach Primary School, Camboon Primary School, East Wanneroo Primary School, Edgewater Primary School, Midland Home-schooling Group, Morley Primary School, North-metro Home-schooling Group, Peter Moyes Anglican Community School, Quinns Beach Primary School, Roseworth Primary School, St Stephens School, Swan View Primary School.

A total of 227 children from 14 schools walked across the ECU stage to receive their certificates as proud family and friends celebrated through applause. This year’s graduations at ECU celebrated a total of 59,598 hours of extra learning beyond their classroom completed by graduands with the support of their families.

That is equivalent to 2483.25 days which is 6.8 years.

A historical milestone for the program here in Western Australia was also celebrated at this year’s graduation event as several members achieved Postgraduate status whilst one member achieved the very first Doctorate Level Fellowship, recognising over 1000 hours of extra learning.

The Children’s University program is about schools, families and the community joining together to support children through high-quality and engaging extra-curricular learning experiences. Through the Children’s University, these graduands and their families have engaged in a variety of learning experiences beyond the borders of their classroom, providing rich opportunities to develop an innovative and creative mindset, no doubt, skills that will support them in opening up their worlds to see a range of future careers.

As a student from Quinns Beach Primary School said, “During last year’s ECU holiday program, I got to code robotic toys to solve different challenges, just like engineers and programmers. This incredible experience has inspired me to study engineering in university” (2023 graduand address).

We would like to give special thanks to our partner schools, CU families, Learning Destination partners, and the wonderful CUWAP partners at The University of Western Australia and the Children's University Australasia. We would also like to acknowledge the generous support from the Federal Government’s Higher Education Participation and Partnership Program which has provided funding for the sustainability of Children’s University here in Perth, as well as the University Department of Rural Health (South West) for supporting the expansion of the program into the South West region.

More information: https://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/education/childrens-university-wa

The Children's University works with children, their families, and communities to promote and support aspirations for lifelong learning. Image credit: Stephen Heath Photography.

Children’s University Western Australia Partnership transforming young lives through family-led learning.

Since October 2020, the Children’s University WA Partnership has:

Partnered with 40 primary schools from across Perth, Peel, South West and Albany regions.
Supported the learning pathways of over 2900 members.
Engaged with over 2,200 children and family members through on-campus University School Holiday Programs.
Celebrated over 124 100 hours of extra learning completed by CU members beyond the classroom.

School of Education