Are you studying social work? Education? Nursing, medicine, or a degree in allied health? For students in these degrees and many others, professional placements are a required part of their course, meaning they have to complete up to 1000 hours of unpaid work.

These requirements are driving many students into housing stress, and putting particularly vulnerable students at risk of outright homelessness and poverty. Students Against Placement Poverty is a campaign we’re following closely, made up of students from universities across Sydney who are seeking urgent reform to address the growing crisis caused by unpaid placement requirements.

This  is an issue impacting students everywhere, and we know there are efforts in various states to try and make change. We would like to do our bit by encouraging all of our members and supporters to follow the SAPP campaign pages, and to join the upcoming National Zoom Forum on July 12 if you are interested in hearing more about how to get involved!

“This event will bring together organisers from across the country to discuss how we can work together, learning from each others’ campaigns, sharing stories of success and understanding where we can improve.”

You can hear more about the campaign’s recent progress, the issue, and what kind of solutions are being put forward by listening back to this interview on ABC Radio, or the recent interview on Triple J Hack. 

If you have any questions regarding the SAPP campaign, please get in touch with our Membership & Engagement Coordinator James Sherriff via james@shelternsw.org.au.