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The Shalom Gamarada Indigenous Residential Scholarship Program continues to make strides to close the gap by increasing the number of Indigenous professionals. This year we are celebrating the graduation of our 70th graduate, a number which includes 28 Doctors.
Our partnership with AIEF remains a hallmark of our program. We look forward to Taylah graduating at the end of Term 1, 2024. The four other AIEF Tertiary Scholarship Students – Jake, Miranda, Charlotte and Kymora – continue to make academic progress through their respective degrees and we are proud to support them on this journey.
This year was particularly challenging for our students given the political climate in the lead up to the referendum. We consulted with our students and co-drafted a statement in support of the Voice with the Indigenous Working Group Coordinator, which was circulated to all our stakeholders. The results of the referendum were devastating to her and so many of us, who felt it would have gone such a long way to move reconciliation forward in this country. We continue to support our students in the wake of the results. As said by one of our students, “For many of us, we’re the first in our immediate families to go to university. I can honestly say that without Gamarada, I wouldn’t have been able to participate in the Voice Campaign, and I know many recipients echo how crucial Gamarada has been in their lives. Thank you.”
This year we partnered with Tranby Aboriginal Educational Co-operative to co-host events. We held our induction event on their campus, which is architecturally designed with culture at its heart. The students all thoroughly enjoyed this experience and felt a sense of community and familiarity in the space. Tranby also hosted a ‘cook and yarn’ at Shalom College with Aunty Beryl as part of their Mentoring of Mob initiative.
On an organisational level, we published our first Annual Report this year. The opening message was provided by Professor Attila Brungs, Vice Chancellor and President of UNSW. He said, “Shalom Gamarada has allowed its scholars opportunities that otherwise may have been out of reach. These supports are critical because while access to higher education unlocks enormous promise, success at university is where this promise makes way for social mobility, equity and prosperity to flourish.”
We are also embarking on a strategic planning process and have engaged Shirley Chowdhary, former CEO of the GO Foundation, to facilitate this. Our inspired strategic planning day was held on 3 November and will form the basis of a 5-year strategic plan for the program.
We look forward to continuing our association with AIEF in 2024.
Your investment will help more Indigenous students access world-class education and careers.
Being educated means we can tell the world our story, in our own way. We can use education to take responsibility for our problems and find our own solutions. We should ensure our children grasp their right to be educated and AIEF offers a key to our future.
Australian Indigenous Education Foundation
Suite 2A, Level 2
2-12 Foveaux Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
T (02) 8373 8000
F (02) 8373 8001
info@aief.com.au
www.aief.com.au
ABN 13 127 908 187