This article was published by The Coonamble Times on 12/2/2025 and is shared here with their permission.
The Literacy for Life Foundation is welcoming the community to join their next, and hopefully not last, launch event on Thursday 13 February ahead of their fourth intake of local adults in the Yes I Can literacy campaign.
Twice a year the campaign gives Aboriginal adults the unique opportunity to learn literacy skills that many others take for granted.
After graduating, earlier participants have found they have an easier time gaining employment, managing their finances, and planning their day-to-day life, for example by learning how to navigate myGov.
But these changes don’t come without commitment.
The 21-week course starts on 17 February and is open to anyone aged 15 and over. It runs four days each week.
The secret to success is having well-trained local staff who know and adapt to the community’s needs as they lead the campaign.
The newest addition to the Literacy for Life support staff, Mark Jones, is a former graduate of the course himself.
“He came in and passed with flying colours,” Campaign Project Manager Gail Turnbull said.
“He’s passionate about education and improving literacy levels for our Aboriginal youth .”
Other participants have gone on to celebrate achievements such as getting a promotion and passing their driver’s license test.
The last ‘Yes I Can’ intake in 2024 had 18 graduates but Ms Turnbull said the program is open to as many people that want to come and see if it is the right fit for them.
The Literacy for Life Foundation supports Indigenous communities around Australia to run their Campaigns and receives funding from government, private and corporate donations.
“We want to keep it going for the community and not lose the progress we made,” Ms Turnbull said.
The Indigenous-led foundation makes sure to cover all their bases by learning about Aboriginal culture, helping the participants gain digital literacy skills, and providing nutritional information.
Ms Turnbull believes that only a community-wide approach can achieve the much-needed turnaround in the low literacy levels of many Aboriginal adults, which will then flow on to benefit young people and the local community.
Literacy for Life also wants to involve the community more in the program by establishing a governance committee that focuses on the eight pillars of the Foundation’s work – Health, Culture, Law and Justice, Housing, Education, Employment, Community (includes services) and Making a Change.
Community members who work in one of these sectors are invited to join the committee to give the participants a clear picture of how the skills they use could translate to many other opportunities.
“I encourage everyone to get behind the Coonamble Aboriginal Adult Literacy Campaign.
“It’s the community’s Campaign and all the learning is led by local people.
“That’s why it works.” said Jack Beetson, Director, Literacy for Life Foundation.
“Literacy is everyone’s business,” Ms Turnbull said.
The launch will be held from 11am to 12noon tomorrow (Thursday 13 February) with the next round of the campaign due to begin on Monday 17 February.