National Nine News shared the work of Aboriginal organisation, The Literacy for Life Foundation, as an example of the practical results that can be achieved when Aboriginal people have a say on issues that affect them.
The Literacy for Life Foundation implements community-controlled initiatives to lift adult literacy levels.
Completion rates are 30 times better than other courses.
To break that down, The Foundation’s completion rate is approximately 60 percent, while existing government programs are only achieving a 2 percent completion rate.
That means that for every 100 people that start a course with Literacy for Life Foundation, an average of 60 are supported to complete, and therefore gain the full benefit of participation.
On the other hand, only 2 people out of the 100 that start are currently completing government programs designed to assist First Nations learners with low literacy.
The example illustrates the enormous benefit of listening to Aboriginal communities to design approaches that make a practical difference.
Watch the National Nine News story clip on The Foundation’s Yarrabah Campaign below:
Further information: The Foundation’s Yarrabah Campaign is currently funded until the end of 2023 by the National Indigenous Australians Agency. The organisation is urgently seeking support from governments and the wider community to ensure it can continue its work and also to begin operations in new locations, so more people have the opportunity to learn to read and write.