The Gathering

Members of the next generation of Indigenous leaders came together for The Gathering in Brisbane 9-12 September to celebrate their achievements as part of the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program.

The Australian Government’s IYLP initiative is helping to close the gap on Indigenous educational disadvantage through scholarships for Indigenous students, mostly from remote and regional areas, to attend high performing secondary schools (day and boarding, government and non-government) and universities.

Funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), FYA has delivered IYLP over 2006-2009 with Cape York Institute and Yalari Ltd joining FYA in 2008.

The IYLP is supporting Indigenous students achieve Year 12 attainment and/or completion of a university degree.

Since 2006, 72 secondary students have graduated year 12 as part of the IYLP, another 289 secondary and 49 tertiary students are currently receiving scholarships. To date, the IYLP is enjoying a 90% retention rate, a strong endorsement for the program and its objectives.

The Gathering convened at Rydges Hotel in Brisbane, bringing together over 200 young Indigenous students from across remote, regional, and metropolitan Australia. These students were engaged by a diverse range of expert facilitators, who inspired, mentored and extended students through open discussion, leadership exercises and cultural activities.

IYLP

Cultural Warning

Indigenous Youth Leadership Program

The Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP) offers scholarships and leadership opportunities to young Indigenous Australians from remote or regional communities. The IYLP gives Indigenous young people the opportunity to study at high performing secondary schools or universities and benefit from practical leadership experiences, personal development and mentoring. This program is administered by FYA on behalf of the Federal Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

The objectives of the IYLP are to:

• Assist young Indigenous people generally from remote areas, to develop and fulfil roles as Indigenous leaders in their communities;
• Provide young Indigenous people with the opportunity to attend Australian schools and universities, that offer a wide range of educational choices and experiences;
• Support young Indigenous people before and during attendance at such schools and universities; and
• Provide practical leadership experience.

The Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP) is helping to close the gap in Indigenous educational disadvantage through providing access to choice of education for numbers of Indigenous students, particularly those from remote areas.

Secondary school scholarships worth up to $16,250 per annum per student in 2010 are available, in addition to any ABSTUDY entitlements, towards the costs for: school fees and tuition; boarding and accommodation costs (not already funded through other programs); and practical leadership experiences. Tertiary scholarships provide a contribution of $6,000 per annum towards the costs of attending university and an additional up to $1,250 supports each student’s leadership development.

“It wasn’t until I started going back over my life that I truly realised exactly how far I have come and how much further I can go… I am determined to finish Year 11 and 12. I will be the first person in my family to receive my High School Certificate and maybe even the first to attend University.”

Cyril, IYLP 2008 Participant.

IYLP 2010-2012

The Australian Government has engaged eight Partnership Brokers to deliver at least 300 (240 secondary and 60 tertiary) IYLP scholarships of up to three years duration, each year over 2010-2012. The eight organisations that will partner with schools, businesses and Indigenous communities to deliver these scholarships are listed on the  DEEWR website.

All enquiries about existing or new scholarships should be referred to the Partnership Broker for your region.

The Gathering

Each year, as part of the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP), approximately 250 students and teachers have come together to network and access leadership development opportunities and experiences. This activity has occurred at an event called The Gathering. To learn more about the Gathering and to view photos and videos from the 2009 event click here.

For more details on IYLP visit DEEWR.

Partners

Major supporters

Coles
Coles has been the major supporter of the Back to School campaign in 2008 and 2009. Their commitment has enabled us to take the campaign to a national level and reach thousands of schools across Australia.

Westpac Foundation
The Westpac Foundation has made a significant investment in ruMAD? Their support has made an expansion of the program a reality for FYA, and has enabled the team to enhance the social enterprise component of the program.

The R.E. Ross Trust
The R.E. Ross Trust has, since 2007, provided significant support for our thought leadership and research projects that are focused on increasing the equity and quality of public education.

NAB
NAB is the lead partner in Schools First. Their investment in education is the largest in Australian corporate history and FYA will continue as a supporting partner in this program over the next three years.

Department of Education And Early Childhood Development (Victoria)
Funding from various divisions of the Department has supported our research agenda, from supporting disadvantaged communities to enhancing teacher practice.

Portland House Foundation
Portland House Foundation has provided funding to enable the provision of Opportunity Scholarships to talented young Australians from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (Federal)
Through the Australian Government’s Indigenous Australians Opportunity and Responsibility commitment, FYA and the Federal Department have worked in collaboration to implement the Indigenous Youth Leadership Program.

Grants

FYA has invested more than $30 million into the youth sector over the past twenty years. In 2008 alone FYA supported more than 100 individuals and organisations at a total investment of $4 million.

This investment will continue into the future through a variety of grant rounds and initiatives that are focused on supporting talented individuals and youth-led organisations.

In 2008 FYA’s grants were delivered through the following categories:

• Partnership Grants
• Organisational Sustainability Grants
• Indigenous Small Grants
• Launch Pad
• Youth-Led Futures
• Buzz Grants
• Youth Changemakers
• Your Eyes Only
• The Spark Fund

Indigenous

Cultural Warning

FYA has supported young Indigenous Australians through a range of targeted initiatives, grants and scholarships over many years. In the past decade alone, we have facilitated the invesment of $15 million in these initiatives.  Going forward, this support will increase as we drive a courageous agenda for change based on best evidence and in collaboration with national and international expertise.

Our strategic plan outlines a number of objectives that will be acted on:

• During 2009 we will determine the balance of Indigenous specific grant making and incorporate this approach into all efforts across FYA.
• Attract highly regarded Indigenous leaders to our staff and Board by December 2009.
• Develop partnerships that will leverage the collective knowledge, influence and expertise to benefit young Indigenous Australians.
• Support, develop and implement location-based initiatives that address areas of most need.
• Continue to engage Indigenous young people as participants in our Cityscape, Worlds of Work, ruMAD? and Opportunity Scholarship programs.