After a decade of successful delivery to local girls and young women, we are seeking to strengthen and deepen our program from within the community. We are looking to the next generation of girls and young women in Halls Creek who can be inspired and educated through g-oz, leading to educational, vocational and employment outcomes. Countless conversations with community leaders and Aboriginal and Islander Education Officers (AIEO) make clear the fact that multigenerational role-modelling is already highly valued by the community, particularly women. Women in the community understand ‘shame’ and they want to help girls to overcome their fears by leading by example. They also comment on the importance of sustained intercommunal relationships, particularly because relationships with teachers are short-lived. We plan to launch a formal and bespoke training and mentoring program for young women in Halls Creek with school-aged mentors and adult trainees being recruited from Halls Creek District High School and within the local community. They will participate in a training program run by facilitators from g-oz and the Australian School of Performing Arts in areas of performing arts education, leadership and management. Student mentors will be given the skills and encouragement to competently lead younger students while trainees will receive a stipend allowance, travel to Melbourne for intensive training and learn tangible vocational skills that can lead to employment.
This project works to positively change a pervasive culture of 'shame' that in the past has stopped girls and young women (particularly Aboriginal girls) from expressing themselves, feeling confident or worthy or from being equipped to set and achieve goals. Girls from Oz has worked with the community of Halls Creek to overcome some of the challenges that girls face, like suicide, teenage pregnancy, sexual violence and multi-generational unemployment, all of which exacerbate a sense of hopelessness.
While the outcomes have been powerful, we believe it will be further magnified when girls and young women in Halls Creek have mentors and role models from their own community, with similar backgrounds and life experiences. The objectives are that the Halls Creek female teenagers and young women who demonstrate an interest and engagement can receive high quality training to become facilitators of the g-oz program to the next generation. The mentoring program we will be initiating is a way to formalise the informal support and encouragement that already exists in the community.
With local young women and girls trained in the facilitation of these specialist skills, the g-oz program can provide continuity not currently available. The mentors grow in confidence and start to see themselves as leaders within their own community which in turn leads to pathways to employment and the menteees benefit from having relatable role models who demonstrate pathways to success.
In the short term, the quantitative measures will be the number of girls and young women we can engage in this program.
The project will be tracked pre, post, and during implementation. We will undertake pre and post surveying of the trainees, trainers, mentees and mentors at each training milestone (12-15 in total) to monitor progress and ensure outcomes are being met. This will also provide us with the opportunity to monitor progress, address any issues and if required, develop or amend the project to meet the needs of the trainees. At the end of the annual Travel Program we will undertake a filmed interview with both trainees and mentees. This is undertaken in an informal setting, structured with open ended questions so the trainees feel comfortable to genuinely reflect on their experiences and provide feedback.
Longer term, we will track indicators such as girls' attendance at school, high school completion rates, and pathways into further education (vocational or tertiary) and employment. The tangible outcome can be seen at the end of the year-long training program for the trainees and the mentees, but moreover, can be collected year on year to witness the journey of the girls into young women and leaders and how the program positively impacts girls as individuals as well as the community as a whole.
When we invest in women and girls, we are investing in the people who invest in everybody else.
Also known as Australian Women Donors Network (ABN: 28 141 197 471), Australians Investing in Women is a registered charity endorsed by the Australian Tax Office as a deductible gift recipient (DGR1) under a special listing, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.