Aboriginal girls and young women in Whyalla will be hitting the netball courts as part of a $1.3m pilot program using activities such as sport, personal goal setting and health and wellbeing sessions to drive greater engagement and attendance at school.
The Shooting Stars program is targeted at Aboriginal girls and young women in year 3 to 10 and takes a whole of community approach to achieving greater connection to school and strong educational outcomes.
Strongly aligned to the National Agreement on Closing the Gap and the Department for Education's Aboriginal Education Strategy, the program's model follows the young person's journey through school and gets them thinking positively about their future.
Starting in Whyalla Stuart R-7 School, Nicholson Avenue Primary School, and Hinks Avenue Primary School, the program will progress to Whyalla Secondary College in 2023 and remaining primary schools in 2024. The program has the potential to reach 150 young Aboriginal children and students.
Minister for Education John Gardner said the program will boost confidence, strengthen positive attitudes and help Aboriginal girls and young women shoot for the stars.
"Engaging with successful programs like Shooting Stars will empower our young Aboriginal students to achieve great things in their educational journey," said Minister Gardner.
"I look forward to seeing it operate with a South Australian lens, bringing together young Aboriginal women and girls in Whyalla to inspire and encourage each other to be their very best."
"Community collaboration and engagement is vital to the success of the program," said Shooting Stars Executive Officer Fran Haintz.
"Our vision is to empower Aboriginal girls and women through both our participants and staff. Our program provides employment pathways for local Aboriginal women in their communities whilst giving our participants strong Aboriginal role models to look up to."
Member for Stuart, Dan Van Holst Pellekaan, said the program is a fantastic opportunity for students.
"Shooting Stars is all about instilling confidence in Aboriginal girls and showing them that they can achieve great things with dedication and hard work," said Mr van Holst Pellekaan.
"I look forward to seeing this program progress and watching the positive impact it has on the Whyalla community."
The local Barngarla Aboriginal Nation has been working alongside Glass Jar Australia to promote the Shooting Stars program to the local community. The local community will be vital partners in the delivery and success of the program once it is up and running.
Shooting Stars may also act as a pathway into existing engagement and training programs for Aboriginal students in senior high school, such as the South Australian Aboriginal Secondary Training Academy and the Workabout Centre.
