04 Jul 2016
Filling the indigenous talent pipeline
Kath Walters |
Down on the floodplain of the Goulburn River, in the regional town of Shepparton, a quiet revolution is taking place.
16 Jan 2018
INTERACTIVE: agents of change
In the late 1990s, Ganbina decided to pioneer a new, ground-breaking program to empower young Indigenous people to create a brighter future for themselves, their children and their children’s children.
This innovative new program proposed Ganbina would partner, one-on-one, with young Indigenous people from childhood through to adulthood, mentoring them to complete their secondary education, get vocational or tertiary training, learn important life skills, and plan long term, rewarding careers.
Less than a decade later, the results are extraordinary. Today, there is a new generation of 1000+ Ganbina ‘Agents of Change,’ a generation which is educated, skilled, confident and proud of its heritage. This is the generation which will lead Indigenous people to achieve true social and economic equality with all Australians.
But we are just half way through our journey and we still have much to do. Our goal is simple: we want to double corporate and philanthropic investment in Ganbina so we can empower more Indigenous children to step up to a brighter future.
"“We are half way through our journey and we still have much to do.”
Children like Lena-Jean Charles-Loffell who joined the program when she was 14 years old and recently became the first Ganbina participant to obtain a Master’s Degree – her “dream come true”. Lena-Jean said knowing Ganbina was behind her when she was figuring out what she wanted to do meant a lot.
Another participant, Sam Muir, completed his Bachelor of Professional Communications and is now working in a communications department, as well as interning in a media team.
This is social revolution on the grandest scale. Change has well and truly arrived – and it is Ganbina.
Ganbina’s goals 2018 - 2023
- Double financial partnerships with philanthropic organisations and businesses to further develop the Shepparton program, specifically:
- Increase participant numbers in the Goulburn Valley to 500+.
- Expand employment pathways to support participants who relocate to Melbourne.
- Develop more opportunities for partners to be involved with participants.
- Host forums with education partners to strengthen their understanding of Indigenous issues.
- Trial the Ganbina model in selected communities around Australia.
Since inception, we have carefully evaluated our program results every year to ensure we can measure our impact accurately and share results with partners and supporters on a regular basis.
Ganbina participants are not only well ahead of most Indigenous youth in terms of education and employment, they are also fast approaching parity with non-Indigenous young people.
Sixteeen year old participant Neeky Dooly says she doesn’t know what school would have been like without Ganbina. “It gave us heaps of support… and helped us be confident in who we are and what we can do”.
Explore our interactive infographic to discover how Ganbina is making a difference to the lives of Indigenous Australians.
Anthony Cavanagh is CEO, Ganbina.
Anthony Cavanagh is on ANZs Indigenous Advisory Council, developed to provide guidance and a more in-depth understanding of Indigenous affairs. ANZ supports Ganbina’s programs locally and offers Indigenous traineeship across their national branch network as part of their commitment under their Reconciliation Action Plan.
The views and opinions expressed in this communication are those of the author and may not necessarily state or reflect those of ANZ.
editor's picks
07 Jul 2016
Face or façade: Inspiring change through the power of the arts
Catriona Noble |
Art can be a powerful way to tell a story and share an important message with communities. As US artist Trevor Paglen says, art is “objects that live in real places, economies, spaces and architecture”.