AS SEEN ON THE GUARDIAN, WIN NEWS CAIRNS, NITV, AND CAIRNS POST!
Our story
The Cape York Girl Academy is the first of its kind in Australia – a dedicated school for Indigenous teenage girls and their babies.
The Girl Academy philosophy is simple and powerful…
"Our mission is to create effective and confident mothers, happy and confident children, and provide young Indigenous women with opportunities for growth and success in every aspect of their lives".
Our students are Indigenous girls who are mums or have become completely disengaged from their communities. The girls can go to school in an environment that is nurturing for them and their children. They build the knowledge, ideas and skills they need for life and work, with the space and time to look after themselves and their babies.
The Girl Academy is creating a new story for our Indigenous girls – one they can share with family and friends back home. A story of life, goals and expectations. A story that breaks from the generational cycle of welfare dependency that is too often the norm.
The school welcomed its first 15 students in Term 1, 2016, at our peaceful Wangetti Beach campus 40km north of Cairns. The girls live with their children onsite, and attend school during the day while their children are cared for nearby in an onsite nursery.
Picture: our beautiful campus at Wangetti Beach, 40km north of Cairns
Why it matters
Without a strong support network, young Indigenous girls can find themselves stuck in a negative intergenerational cycle. No education, no work, unhealthy relationships. Falling pregnant while young and having several babies in quick succession.
This cycle gets repeated, generation after generation, and it's a hard cycle to break out of.
The Cape York Girl Academy is here to break this cycle. By giving these young women a safe space to learn – with their children in the nursery nearby – we are empowering them to make positive changes in their own lives. We know that women are often powerful agents of change within their families and communities, and the Girl Academy can create a ripple effect that flows back to their families, communities and on to future generations.
Picture: our girls on campus
How you can help
Make a donation to help keep our girls in school by making sure their babies have all they need to eat, learn and play in a safe and nurturing nursery on campus.
The nursery is at the heart of our school's mission. And here's why:
Almost 9 in 10 teenage Indigenous mums do not finish school. Some of the biggest barriers are childcare, time, money, and encouragement. Having a nursery on-site removes these barriers by giving the girls time and space to learn, and providing a safe and nurturing environment for their kids close by.
Our on-site nursery is unique in two ways.
Firstly, it allows our girls to visit their babies every two hours, without the need to travel back and forth, every day. The girls can feed their babies, play with them, take part in their learning and development, and build strong, beautiful relationships without sacrificing their own education.
However, our nursery is unique in another way. Unlike most childcare centers in towns and cities across Australia, the nursery is a new concept where little government support and funding will be provided in its first year.
That's why we need your help. Without your support, the nursery cannot exist; and our girls will not be able to get the education they need and deserve.
Our targets
Target 1: 'All or nothing' target: $12,500*
What it provides: ONE TERM of education and child care for 10 girls and their babies in a safe and nurturing environment at Cape York Girl Academy
* If we don’t hit $12,500, we don’t receive any funds
Target 2: 'Half way' target: $25,000
What it provides: TWO TERMS of education and child care for 10 girls and their babies in a safe and nurturing environment at Cape York Girl Academy
Target 3: 'We're almost there' target: $37,500
What it provides: THREE TERMS of education and child care for 10 girls and their babies in a safe and nurturing environment at Cape York Girl Academy
Target 4: 'Stretch' target: $50,000
What it provides: ONE YEAR of education and child care for 10 girls and their babies in a safe and nurturing environment at Cape York Girl Academy
Once we reach our 'stretch' target, we will keep going! There is no limit on the funds required, and we will keep delivering more days, weeks and months of child care for our girls. Every donation above our $50,000 'stretch' target will be directed towards providing more time for our girls and their babies to get the education and childcare they deserve.
Our team
Jessa Rogers – Principal of Cape York Girl Academy
Jessa is a Koori woman from Canberra in ACT . She is the Inaugural Principal of Cape York Girl Academy in 2016.
Jessa is an award-winning researcher and teacher. She led an Indigenous girls’ boarding program in Brisbane for several years and has lectured in Indigenous education at universities in the ACT, New South Wales and Queensland. Jessa also spent two years in Canberra as ANU Indigenous Australian Reconciliation PhD Scholar, was awarded the ANU 2015 Minoru Hokari Scholarship for her research looking at the experiences of Aboriginal and Māori girls attending boarding schools using photoyarn, a method she is developing. Jessa was awarded the 2014 ANU Vice-Chancellor’s Staff Award (Reconciliation) and was National NAIDOC Youth of the Year in 2010. This year she started her first term on the National NAIDOC Committee under the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
She holds a Bachelor of Education (1st Class Hons) from QUT, and a Master of Education (Guidance and Counselling) from USQ.
Natalie Walker – Chair of the Cape York Girl Academy Board
Natalie is a Kuku Yalanji woman from Port Douglas in Far North Queensland, now living in Sydney for the past 12 years.
Natalie is an entrepreneur with over 15 years experience across government, not for profit, corporate and small to medium enterprise sectors. Natalie’s start-up achievements include Supply Nation and KPMG’s Indigenous Business Stream within its Government Advisory Services.
Natalie has degrees in psychology and law, and she is about to commence her Masters in Economics. Natalie is also a director of the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre, sits on National Australia Bank’s Indigenous Advisory Board and was the Deputy Chair of National Indigenous TV before it merged with SBS.
Fiona Jose – Board Member and General Manager of Cape York Partnership
Fiona is a Board Member at Cape York Girl Academy, and the General Manager of Cape York Partnership.
Fiona is a business manager whose experience spans education, employment, aviation, and Indigenous leadership development sectors. At Cape York Partnership she is responsible for policy and design, and the direction and implementation of key areas such as leadership development, employment, and Cape York on-ground operations. Fiona’s homelands are Cape York and Torres Strait.
Adam Peut –Business Manager at Cape York Girl Academy
Adam is the Business Manager of Cape York Girl Academy, and a key part of the team that designed our school over the past 2 years.Adam has significant experience in welfare reform, policy development and organisational design. He has worked at Cape York Partnerships for the past 7 years, supporting the Policy and Finance Teams at Good to Great Schools, Cape York Institute and Djarragun College.
Duncan Murray – Board Member and CEO of Cape York Partnerships
Duncan is the Chief Executive Officer of Cape York Partnerships, and a key figure in the establishment of Cape York Girl Academy over the past 2 years.
Duncan started his career as a lawyer and investment banker, but for the majority of it has been a CEO and COO level operator in the public and private company sectors, as well as the private equity and not-for-profit industries. He is responsible for the overall performance and operation of Cape York Partnership, including Cape York Girl Academy.
Media coverage
Cape York Girl Academy has captured the minds of public and the media since it launched in January 2016. It has enjoyed widespread, positive coverage in the print media, television and online.
February 15, 2016: National Indigenous Television
January 19, 2016: WIN News Cairns
Our track record in education
The Cape York Girl Academy is run by the Cape York Partnership (CYP), pioneered by CYP Founder Noel Pearson, CYP CEO Duncan Murray and the Cape York policy team. Noel has a strong track record in policy design and implementation in Indigenous education over the past 10 years. His Quarterly Essay, Radical Hope: Education and Equality in Australia, has since been published as a book. Find out more about CYP's education reform philosophy here
CYP runs several successful education ventures, including the Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy and a boarding school in Gordonvale called Djarragun College.
CYP is also leading the implementation of the Direct Instruction method of teaching in remote communities as part of the Federal Government's $22M Good to Great Schools education strategy.
The Cape York Girl Academy is the newest piece in the education puzzle to improve the lives of young Indigenous people in Cape York.
This campaign is being supported by IndigenousX in partnership with StartSomeGood.
