Specialist Programs
​Shooting Stars is an education engagement program for Aboriginal girls and women across Western and South Australia.
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Who is Shooting Stars?
Shooting Stars is a school-based engagement program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls and young women. It's an initiative of Glass Jar Australia, driving the vision: Empowered Aboriginal girls and women. The program offers advocacy, support, opportunities and the tools and resources that open the door to self-determination, empowering each young woman to reach her full potential. Program staff, most of whom are Aboriginal women, walk alongside Shooting Stars participants throughout their schooling journeys, encouraging the development of confidence, cultural identity, positive relationships and positive wellbeing. No two communities are the same, so the Shooting Stars program is place-based, and community-led. Working in collaboration with our host schools, localised steering committees, community members and the participants themselves, we are able to tailor program delivery at each Shooting Stars site to ensure it is relevant, responsive and truly empowering.
Based in host schools, our program combines advocacy and support, engagement activities, rewards, and health and wellbeing sessions to strengthen participants' confidence, cultural identity, and positive attitudes, while promoting their health and wellbeing.
The program operates with a minimum target of 80% attendance at school for our Indigenous girls, with a goal to increasing this to over 90%. All individual participants' school attendance data is tracked on a weekly basis and summarised at the end of each term so that we can monitor and track the success and cut-through that the program is having. Our program coordinators analyse the data weekly to both highlight improvements and identify individuals who may require additional support.
In conjunction with the school, the Remote School Attendance Strategy providers and other key Aboriginal community corporations, tailored attendance plans are put in place to support each student. These plans include strategies that address issues such as transportation issues, lack of food and inappropriate uniforms. All plans and strategies are trauma informed to ensure we're providing the participant with the necessary foundations for success.
Clontarf Foundation
The Clontarf Foundation exists to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and by doing so equips them to participate more meaningfully in society.
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Who We Are and What We Do
The Clontarf Foundation uses a unique, innovative and highly successful approach to target one of the most at risk groups in contemporary Australian society – young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men.
Using the existing passion that these boys have for sport allows Clontarf to initially attract them to school, and then keep them coming. It is however, not a sporting programme – it’s about developing the values, skills and abilities that will assist the boys to transition into meaningful employment and achieve better life outcomes.
The Foundation partners with schools and communities to create ‘Clontarf academies’ which are embedded within the school grounds and education programme.
Full-time, locally based Clontarf staff mentor and counsel students on a range of behavioural and lifestyle issues while the school caters for their education needs. Any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male enrolled at the school/s is eligible to participate in the Clontarf academy.
Through the use of supportive relationships and environment, the boys develop improved self-esteem and confidence which enables them to participate in education, employment and society in a more positive way.
Academy activities are planned within the focus areas of education, leadership, employment, well-being, life skills and sport. In order to remain in the programme, participants must continue to work at school and embrace the objectives of the Foundation.
The Foundation’s approach has been very successful, not only in attracting young men to school and retaining them but also in having them embrace more disciplined, purposeful and healthy lifestyles.
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Follow the Dream: Partnerships for Success
​Follow the Dream: Partnerships for Success is a tertiary aspirations program for Aboriginal students.
​It targets Aboriginal students with high aspirations as they commence their secondary education.
Participating students are encouraged to complete Year 12 and achieve results that enable entrance into tertiary studies.
The program also supports high-achieving Aboriginal students in neighbouring schools.
Participating students benefit from after-school learning centres where tutors and mentors assist them in all facets of their education, and also from opportunities created by the involvement in the program of industry partners.
The program operates in partnership with The Graham (Polly) Farmer Foundation.
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