Supporting Indigenous young girls to succeed.

11/03/2022

In 2021, Downer signed a Partnership with the Stars Foundation, an organisation which helps young Indigenous girls to thrive. Through this partnership and other initiatives, Downer is building relationships that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to reach their potential.

Founder and CEO Andrea Goddard established the Stars Foundation in 2015 because of the gender inequity in funding for mentoring programs supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls. 

“After spending more than a decade in a national role with a mentoring program for First Nations boys, I wanted to do something that would provide the same type of support to First Nations girls,” says Andrea.

“There had been a lot of investment in education support for boys, but no matching investment in girls. I knew I wanted to be part of addressing this gender inequity, and that’s how Stars was born.” 

Since 2015, the Stars Foundation has facilitated a holistic mentoring program to support Indigenous girls and young women to attend and remain engaged at school, complete Year 12 and move into full-time work or further study.

To learn more about the Partnership, the Diversity & Inclusion team had the pleasure of meeting Kylie Duggan, Program Coordinator and Mentor for Indigenous young women at Casuarina Secondary College in Darwin. Kylie has been a big part of the Stars Family since 2015.  

 Kylie says “The Program has been so successful because of its holistic approach. 

The Program Pillars — healthy lifestyles; wellbeing; education, training and employment; and community, culture and leadership are the building blocks for a bright future. We work with young women to understand their future aspirations, so we can help them to achieve their goals.”

Improving education, health and employment outcomes for Indigenous young women is a key aim of Stars Foundation, and the program has consistently achieved outstanding outcomes.

For example, in each year since it began in 2015, Stars has achieved an average attendance rate of above 80 per cent. This is an excellent outcome, given that 59% of Indigenous girls in secondary school do not attend school regularly, and this figure is much higher in remote areas. 

The Year 12 completion rate of Stars students has consistently been above 90%, an outstanding achievement given that the national Year 12 completion rate for Indigenous students is as low as 65%.

The Program has shaped the pathways of young females with more than 85% of graduates progressing to employment, further study and even professional sport playing AFL in the Women’s League.

For Kylie, seeing the girls graduate from Year 12 is a proud moment. “This is a milestone not only for the girls, but also their families, because some of them are the first to graduate from high school in their family.” Kylie added “I’m passionate about working with these young girls and making a difference in their lives. My interactions with them are rewarding and enriching because I learn so much.” 

Outside of her work,  Kylie is a sports enthusiast and a busy mother of two children. 

Kylie recognises the importance of wellbeing and a healthy lifestyle for Program participants and her own children. “Playing team sport is so important, because the children develop values and skills that help them on the field and in the classroom. Learning these skills is vital for their personal and professional development in life.”

Kylie has played basketball semi-professionally and currently plays AFL in the local women’s team. Despite playing a male-dominated sport, Kylie feels supported in her team and club. She acknowledges gender biases still exist on and off the field but is motivated to be a role model for the Stars Foundation and her children. 

Downer is committed to working with the Stars Foundation to support their life-changing work for Indigenous young women and their communities. 

To learn more about the Stars Foundation click here: https://starsfoundation.org.au