Help support Australia's most successful school-to-work transition program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth with the equivalent of a monthly cuppa. Aboriginal-run and led charity Ganbina operates Australia’s most successful Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school-to-work transition program Jobs4U2, which helps hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children & youth aged 5 to 25 unlock their full potential every year.
Currently, four in 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children start primary school with limited motor skills, poor social and communication skills, or limited basic literacy and numeracy skills (vs. two in 10 non-Aboriginal children). The gap continues to widen in secondary school and the workforce, with only 66% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Year 12 students completing Year 12 and only 43% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander 17-24-year-olds engaged in further education, training, or employment.
These inequalities result in long-term, multigenerational disadvantages within Indigenous communities, resulting in poorer health outcomes, higher incarceration rates, unemployment, and welfare dependency.
Ganbina breaks the cycle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage by taking a long-term, holistic, and generational change approach so Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth break the cycle and become Agents of Change in their communities. It is a genuine ‘Hand Up’, rather than a ‘Hand Out’ approach.
Ganbina achieves this by delivering a holistic education, training, and employment program that includes:
Jobs4U2 Education, Training & Employment – Supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth aged 6-25 to:
• Explore careers through fun activities while they’re at school
• Helps them to be their best in Education, Training, and Employment
• Access to local employment – casual, afterschool work, work experience, part-time and full-time employment, traineeships, and apprenticeships
Education Scholarships – Assists Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families with education costs in Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary.
Driver Program – Assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth to gain and maintain a Victorian driver's license, which is often essential for employment opportunities, particularly in a regional area.
Leadership Program – Develops Youth Leadership through exposure to various leadership styles and experiences.
Accelerated Learning Program – Helps youth to realise their full educational and training potential. To assist or guide them to the point at which they can become an independent learner, achieve higher levels of education and be at the same learning level as their peers.
To date, more than 1500 young Ganbina participants have seized these opportunities since 2006. As a result, they are all well on their way to securing meaningful and financially independent futures.
In 2018 Ganbina was found to be one of only three out of 1082 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs to have a rigorous and strong evaluation methodology to monitor the impact of its programs (Centre for Independent Studies). Additionally, Ganbina delivers a high social return on investment.
Ganbina’s results speak for themselves, with 88% of Ganbina’s Year 12 students completing Year 12 (compared to 66% Indigenous average and 89% non-Indigenous average) and 72% of Ganbina 17-24 year olds engaged in further education, training or employment (vs 43% Indigenous average and 74% non-Indigenous average)
Every $1 invested in Ganbina creates $6.60 in social value because of the positive social and economic effect caused by keeping Aboriginal children and youth engaged in education, employment, and training. In total Ganbina’s programs create $43.4 million in social value for Australian society (Social Ventures Australia 2019).
A monthly donation equal to a cup of tea or coffee ($5) will help Ganbina continue to deliver its holistic education, training, and employment program to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and youth.