Education is key to increasing health and employment standards amongst young Indigenous Australians, according to a new study released today by the GO Foundation.
Established in 2009 by Sydney Swans Legends Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin, the GO Foundation uses education as a mechanism to create a brighter future for Indigenous Australians.
The ‘Promotion of Further Education to Indigenous Communities’ report has been released ahead of GO’s #GOFurther scholarship appeal.
Released in conjunction with KPMG Arrilla, the report seeks to understand the connection between the completion of tertiary study by Indigenous students and subsequent improvement in outcomes.
The Report looks at barriers encountered by Indigenous students in pursuing further education, the benefits derived by Indigenous students who complete further education, and the drivers which underpin Indigenous students enrolling in further education.
GO Foundation’s research leverages a number of data sources on Indigenous students and their educational outcomes, as well as direct consultation with a number of leading academics.
It revealed that the real and perceived cost of attending university is often raised as a major barrier for young Indigenous Australians from low socio-economic backgrounds and those who reside in rural and regional areas.
Additionally, while Indigenous Australians are receiving offers from universities at similar levels to non-Indigenous Australians, university completion rates for Indigenous students are much lower at 46.7 per cent, compared to 73.6 per cent for non-Indigenous students where students do not have access to services such as CareerTrackers and other organisations that have better outcomes.
In order to combat this and other barriers, the ‘Promotion of Further Education to Indigenous Communities’ report suggests that promoting early engagement in education may better prepare students for further education, as may having positive role models in the community.
As well-established role models, GO Co-Founders Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin are calling for Indigenous students to #GOFurther in their education to change their life outcomes.
“We want to talk directly to Indigenous students and their families, their teachers and those people helping them make the decisions. Year 12 is not enough. GO Further. Go into further education. Pick the pathway that is right for you, that matches your skills. University, VET, Entrepreneurial training. It doesn’t matter, just GO Further. It will change your future,” said O’Loughlin.
The GO Foundation is working to create a collaborative Ecosystem with the support of corporate and educational partners to create an Australia where equal opportunity and access exist for all, and where all Australians have a voice.
The Ecosystem puts culture at the centre of its model, believing that to walk in two cultures successfully Indigenous students have to know who they are and know more about their heritage.
The GO Foundation does this by collaborating with partners who have highly successful models such as CareerTrackers and AIME.
Partnering with Twitter Australia
In an expansion of an ongoing partnership, Twitter Australia is helping spread the GO Foundation’s message that education can change Indigenous students’ and their communities’ futures.
“Twitter is a place to engage, challenge, and promote ideas. In the last year. Twitter has seen a rapid growth of Indigenous communities engaging on Twitter,” said Kara Hinesley, Twitter Australia’s Head of Public Policy and Government.
“These conversations challenge homogenous and stereotypical views of Indigenous identity in contemporary Australia, and given Indigenous voices a platform to tell their own story in their own words. We're proud to extend our partnership with the GO Foundation to help amplify these conservations on Twitter even further.”
“The GO Foundation is very proud of the relationship we have forged with Twitter. Together with Twitter we are working to create a space where Indigenous Australians have a voice and can be heard,” said GO Co-Founder Adam Goodes.
As a public platform, Twitter is increasing awareness of the GO Foundation and helping GO achieve their mission of providing a voice for all Australians.
“Twitter provides a great way to connect with the pulse of the broader community and to engage on topics such as Reconciliation, Recognition and Education. Working with Twitter, GO can help create the groundswell we need to make Australia a place of equal opportunity and access,” said Michael.
GO Foundation CEO, Shirley Chowdhary said, “Twitter is a crucial platform for influencers and policy makers in Australia and globally. This makes our relationship with Twitter a really unique one. Our partnership is testament to our joint commitment that together we can make a difference and share an important message.”
National Donation Week - #GOFurther
As part of their mission to increase opportunities for Indigenous students across Australia, the GO Foundation is launching their #GOFurther donation drive to raise funds for public school scholarships. A series of videos featuring prominent Indigenous Australians, including Adam Goodes, Brooke Boney (Triple J), and Jake Thomson (AIME) sharing their personal journeys will be released as a Twitter-first across the platform to encourage Australians to give the gift of education this Christmas.
GO Public School scholarships are crucial to helping change the path for Indigenous students doing it tough across Australia and empowering students to change their own lives and future outcomes.
The scholarships provide Indigenous students with much needed learning support and the educational tools to help them succeed such as tutoring, internet access and books.
To donate to GO Foundation’s #GOFurther appeal, head to gofoundation.org.au and help inspire a better future for Indigenous students across Australia.
