What is an alumni program?
“Alumni” simply means former students of your school. Alumni programs, where schools keep up a connection with alumni and invite them back to the school to connect with current students, have many benefits for the school, students and community.
The benefits
- Stronger connection between school and community
- Inspire current students with real-life examples of post-school education and career paths
- Advice for students from someone they can identify with
- For alumni, a sense of pride and ongoing connection to their school
- For school staff, the satisfaction of re-connecting with former students and celebrating their successes
Support from Ourschool
Ourschool is a not-for-profit alumni program for state secondary schools, the first of its kind in Australia. It’s a subscription-based service that enables public high schools to grow supportive alumni networks. They work with school staff and alumni to inspire and support students through meaningful alumni engagement. They provide program materials, processes and infrastructure to start and grow the school’s alumni program.
There is lots of information on the Ourschool website, including an article from June 2021 titled “Parents, the unexpected fans of alumni programs“, abut the alumni program at Western Heights College in Geelong.