This year, Grow Hope has embarked on a new chapter in our story. With the launch of Towards Tomorrow, our 2023-2027 strategic plan, we have a clear roadmap for the years to come. Our clarified vision, mission and values serve as the launchpad for a new set of goals and priorities that highlight where our Foundation's focus is.
Please click here to read more and join us on the journey. We couldn't be prouder of the progress Grow Hope has made over the last eight years, and couldn't be more excited about the opportunities for greater impact in the future.
NAIDOC Week: 'For Our Elders'
NAIDOC Week this year honoured the important role Elders have played for generations, and continue to play, in our communities and families. They are cultural knowledge holders, trailblazers, nurturers, advocates, teachers, survivors, leaders, and our loved ones.
This NAIDOC Week, Grow Hope was delighted to support the Exhibition of Contemporary Indigenous Art at 26 Advantage. The exhibition celebrates the rich expression of one of the world's oldest, continuous living cultures through the captivating language of visual art. The NAIDOC Week show is open at the gallery, located in Melbourne, until the end of Monday, July 10.
This exhibition features artwork (including the above) from Lowell Hunter, a Nyul Nyul man living on Waddawurrung Country, Domica Hill, of Palawa/Pakana Country, and other emerging and established Indigenous artists.
An inspiring evening at the Grow Hope Dinner
In June, over 100 members of the Grow Hope community came together to recognise National Reconciliation Week and to celebrate the Foundation's programs and impact. It was an amazing evening, with inspirational speakers including Sarai Roe (Founder & CEO of Wanyara), Michael Naawi and Rod McLean (Directors, Grow Hope), moving entertainment, excellent food, and a strong feeling of collective purpose.
Thank you to everyone who joined us in Sandringham for the Foundation's first in-person community gathering since 2019. The funds raised from the night will make a significant contribution to the sustainability and enhancement of our Hope House and Classrooms of Culture Fund programs.
To see more photos from the Grow Hope Dinner, head to our Instagram profile.
A message from the CEO
It's certainly been a very eventful few months! Our recent Grow Hope Dinner was a sensational success. Speakers such as Sarai Roe and Michael Naawi shared inspiring stories about the significance of their culture to their own personal journeys and their passion and commitment towards reconciliation. Our utmost gratitude goes to all those who attended and supported the evening.
Yesterday marked the conclusion of this year's NAIDOC Week, with the theme 'For Our Elders'. Read more about our Exhibition of Contemporary Indigenous Art below. The celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, however, cannot be confined to a couple of weeks each year. Through our programs, Grow Hope continues to promote truth-telling, justice, and equity for First Nations Australians. We are strongly committed to the Voice being enshrined in the Constitution with the power to advise Parliament on laws that affect Indigenous peoples.
Many thanks to everyone whose support enables Grow Hope to create generational change, and particularly to our volunteers, staff and Directors for their tireless hard work in advancing our vision of a future where all Australians walk and grow together.
Tommy Purcell
CEO
Thanks for having us, Shepparton!
It was on a stunning day in January that, together with Wanyara, we completed our Growing Cultural Connections project in Shepparton. Through a series of fun activities, the Yorta Yorta children who participated learnt about the importance of exercise, how to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, and what bush tucker is. They even got to make smoothies and banana boats!
One of the highlights of the program was a visit from Aunty Laurel Robinson. Now a Yorta Yorta Elder, Aunty Laurel was one of the original members of the Sapphires, the popular 1960s Aboriginal all-female band. She recounted memories from her time with the Sapphires, including their trip to Vietnam, and gave plenty of valuable advice that is sure to stay with the children who participated as they move forward in life.
This program was made possible through the amazing support of VicHealth and we know it has had a significant impact on connecting Yorta Yorta young leaders with their culture and community.
Introducing the Classrooms of Culture Fund
Learning about Indigenous culture and heritage is essential for every young Australian. When our students' eyes are opened to the 65,000-year-old history and ancestral connections of Australia's traditional owners, their ability to respect people with different backgrounds is expanded, their understanding of Australian history is strengthened, and our country's potential to advance reconciliation is enlarged significantly.
Grow Hope is committed to expanding access to cultural education for schools requiring support. We know and understand that not every school in Victoria has the resources to connect their students with cultural learning experiences, which is why our Foundation can help with funding.
In partnership with Wanyara, our Classrooms of Culture Fund exists to support schools, youth centres, and other educational institutions who require funding support to host a Wanyara incursion. No student should miss out on the opportunity to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. You can contribute to the Fund by supporting the Grow Hope Dinner on June 3. Learn more here.
An invitation from the Board
It is with great excitement that we invite you to this year's Grow Hope Dinner. Join us for an evening of culture and community as we look back on the generational change Grow Hope has contributed to by empowering young Indigenous Australians and look ahead to the opportunities for greater impact and investment in the future.
This year's Dinner will take place on Saturday, June 3 at Sandy by the Bay, a scenic venue based on the grounds of the Sandringham Football Club and overlooking Port Phillip Bay. Enjoy an amazing three-course meal and drinks, with a raffle, auction, live entertainment, and inspiring speakers.
Half of the funds raised will help facilitate life skills programs and vocational training at Hope House for Indigenous secondary students from remote communities in the Northern Territory. Learn more about Hope House here.
The other half will support our Classrooms of Culture Fund, which seeks to expand access to First Nations cultural education for schools and youth in Victoria. Read more about this exciting new program below.
Click here to purchase your ticket to the Dinner. We hope to see you on the evening of June 3 as we come together to create generational change! Note that there is a special discount for booking as a table (10 tickets).
Ray Purcell
Chair of the Board of Directors
Listen and learn TOGETHER. It's time to say YES.
In 2023, a referendum will ask Australians if there should be constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This vote will give all Australians the chance to come together and consider a change to our constitution that will honour and celebrate the rights, history, and ongoing relationship of Indigenous Australians with this land.
But voting 'yes' isn't enough. We need to unite to ensure it's a resounding YES from every corner of the country. Together, Yes invites you and the people in your life to engage in respectful and honest dialogue about the Voice to Parliament. It's a movement built on the tried and tested 'kitchen table conversations' process developed by the Victorian Women's Trust.
Conversation Hosts and Co-Hosts are the pivotal part of the Together, Yes campaign. All you have to do is bring a small group together in your home or somewhere else. The Victorian Women's Trust will do the rest by providing high-quality, curated session materials which build empathy and connection to the historical and contemporary issues underpinning the case for a Voice.
The more people who step into the role of Conversation Host before May, the greater the civic participation across our community, and the larger the social movement. Head to togetheryes.com.au/get-involved to learn more and get involved between May and June.
International Women's Day
On International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements of women all around the world. And whilst there are many amazing women globally to be celebrated, there are also many women here in Australia achieving great things and whose stories should be heard. On this day, here at Grow Hope, we choose to celebrate some of the Indigenous women in our country - both past and present - that have achieved amazing things in their field. And whilst there are so many women that deserve to be included, we have chosen the following four inspirational Indigenous women to profile.
Shirley Colleen Smith AM MBE, 1924-1998 (Wiradjuri woman)
Shirley Colleen Smith was a Wiradjuri woman, a social worker and humanitarian. She was dedicated to justice and welfare of Indigenous Australians and helped to found several services that still play an important role in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing in NSW. These include the Aboriginal Legal Service, Aboriginal Medical Service, Aboriginal Housing Company, the Tent Embassy and the Aboriginal Children’s Service.
These services inspired similar ones to be set up around Australia providing support for many Indigenous Australians. For her work she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire and the Order of Australia, recognised as an Australian National Living Treasure, and named Aboriginal of the Year in 1990.
Shirley was better known as ‘Mum Shirl’. She got this name after visiting her brother in prison where she would spend time talking with him and the other inmates. She continued to do this for a number of years. When the prison guards asked her how she knew the prisoners she would answer ‘I’m their mum!’.
Faith Thomas AM, 1933- (Adnyamathanha woman)
Faith Thomas was a talented sportswoman and was the first Aboriginal woman to play international cricket for Australia. In fact, she was the first Indigenous woman to represent Australia internationally in any sport. Faith was also a talented hockey player and was a member of the Aboriginal Sports Foundation.
Whilst she was playing cricket, Faith was also studying to be a nurse. She was amongst the first group of Aboriginal college graduates in Australia and the first Aboriginal woman to graduate as a nurse from the Royal Adelaide Hospital in SA. She used her skills to help others, driving all over the country providing nursing care to Indigenous Australians. She later became the first Indigenous woman to run a hospital.
She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for her service to cricket and her role in breaking down racial stereotypes.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley AC MBE, 1951- (Wiradjuri woman)
Evonne Goolagong Cawley is a former world No. 1 tennis player. Her career had humble beginnings at the local tennis court in Barellan, NSW, but would lead to Evonne being one of the best players in the world during the 1970s and early 1980s.
Evonne won seven Grand Slam singles titles in her time, starting with the French Open at the age of just 19. She was Australian of the Year in 1971 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1988.
Since 2005, Evonne has used tennis to promote better health and education outcomes for Indigenous girls and boys through the Goolagong National Development Camp. She has also established the Evonne Goolagong Foundation and served on the boards of the Indigenous Land Corporation and the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence.
Nova Peris OAM, 1971- (Muran woman)
Nova Peris is another inspirational Aboriginal woman and sportswoman. In 1996, she played with the Australian Hockeyroos at the Atlanta Olympics and became the first Aboriginal woman to win an Olympic gold medal. She then changed sports to Track and Field and competed at the 1996 Commonwealth Games, winning gold medals in the 200m and 4x100m. This made her the only Australian to win international gold medals in two different sports. She later competed in Track and Field at the Sydney Olympics, making it to the semi-finals in her individual event and placing fifth in the relay.
In 1997 she was named the Northern Territory Young Australian of the Year and also received the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sport.
Nova later moved into politics after Julia Gillard invited her to seek election to parliament. In 2013, Nova became the first Indigenous woman to be elected to Federal Parliament as a senator for the Northern Territory. She continues to be an active campaigner of Indigenous rights and reconciliation.
Shirley Colleen Smith, Faith Thomas, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, and Nova Peris are four inspirational Indigenous Australian women who have achieved great things in their lives and careers while fighting for the rights of First Nations communities. There are many more amazing women achieving great things in our communities every day. So let us honour all of them and keep walking and growing together.
Victoria Alguera-Lara
Director
Honouring Remembrance Day at Hope House
Towards the end of last year, Hope House in Palmerston, NT, hosted the Clontarf Top Attenders Camp, which saw boys from Gunbalanya who had achieved 80% school attendance over the term rewarded with a trip to Darwin. While staying at Hope House, the students learnt drumming, took part in a mental health and mindfulness session, and cooked their own meals. They also visited the Darwin Military Museum at East Point, where they watched a movie about the 1942 bombing of Darwin.
On Remembrance Day on November 11, we paid tribute to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice whilst serving in Australia's armed forces. We especially honoured the First Nations servicemen and women whose contributions to Australia's defence too often go unrecognised.
According to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies more than 1,000 Indigenous Australians served in the First World War, 4,000 in the Second World War, and at least 300 in the Vietnam War. Sadly, when these Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander personnel came home, they returned to discrimination and prejudice. Read more here.
Aussie school students want First Nations education
Unfortunately, very little First Nations education is taught in Australian schools. But throughout 2022, our amazing partners at Wanyara were hard at work sharing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history with students. Wanyara had a busy year with over 10,000 participants across 150 incursions!
In addition to their Paint, Play, Yarn, and Dance sessions in schools, Wanyara also facilitated corporate workshops, youth camps, holiday programs, and a Young Leaders program. We were very proud, together with VicHealth, to support the Cultural Connections program in Shepparton last September, through which Yorta Yorta children were equipped and empowered with an understanding of community wellbeing, health and nutrition. The next part of the program is running these school holidays!
95% of Wanyara's incursions in 2022 said they would book again in the future. So it looks to be an even busier year ahead! To learn more about Wanyara and the different incursion options, click here.
A note from Tommy: 2023 is going to be a ripper year
It is with great excitement that we launch into 2023. I look forward to the exciting opportunities we have together to help bring about reconciliation with Australia's First Nations peoples.
My commitment as CEO to all of our partners, donors and other supporters is to make sure we continue to deliver on and grow our programs that are enabling younger generations through education to be able to understand and connect with Indigenous culture. We are strongly committed and passionate about providing programs that equip this next generation of First Nations young people to thrive in life and remain strongly connected to Country and culture.
Highlights from 2022 included our growing partnership with Wanyara, the recommencement of our Northern Territory Immersions following the period of extended lockdowns, the continued relationship with Gunbalanya Community School and the realisation of this through providing students with life skills and vocational opportunities to help them follow their dreams and aspirations at Hope House, and the Cultural Connections program funded by VicHealth.
Already this year, we have set up the following to grow the Foundation and its impact on enabling all Australians to walk and grow with our First Nations people:
The development of a new strategic plan, Towards Tomorrow, to give us clear direction over the next five years
The appointment of capable, energetic, and incredibly passionate new volunteers from around Australia
Establishing a working relationship with ASV Wadeson Chartered Accountants to put Grow Hope in a good position for growth in the coming years
Your continued support of Grow Hope is essential in bringing about generational change so that young Indigenous Australians can lead lives full of choice, connection and opportunity. Let's embrace, treasure, and grow with this. The time is now. 2023 is going to be a ripper year. Enjoy the journey and consider making a donation anytime at www.growhope.org.au/support.
Tommy Purcell
CEO
Read our full January 2023 newsletter here.
October update from the CEO
As we emerge from the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic, Grow Hope’s programs are back in full swing. Our partnership with Wanyara continues to flourish with the teaching and sharing of Indigenous culture in schools and our local community. In the recent September school holidays, I was privileged to spend some time in Shepparton with over thirty young First Nations people, learning about growing cultural connections through Indigenous food.
The program was sponsored by VicHealth and showed those participating how to lead healthy and balanced lives. Our successful immersions program to the Northern Territory recommenced in July and it was heartening to see the impact it had on the hearts and minds of all participants. Further immersions are planned for 2023. Hope House in Darwin continues to thrive under the leadership of Joe Brown, one of our Directors, and Meg Friel, who manages the House.
Thank you to everyone in the Grow Hope community who supported our fundraising efforts for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day in August. We couldn’t make such a significant impact without the amazing generosity of all our supporters. Our programs are making a difference and enabling young people to reimagine how we can all move forward into the future together.
Tom Purcell
CEO
Read our full October 2022 newsletter here.
Indigenous Business Month
October is Indigenous Business Month! This initiative was started in 2015 by alumni of Melbourne Business School's MURRA Indigenous Business Masterclass Program, who see business as a vehicle towards self-determination, a way of providing positive role models for Indigenous Australians and improving quality of life in Indigenous communities.
Indigenous Business Month calls upon First Nations business owners and their non-Indigenous allies to look at our actions today and think about how they will impact our tomorrow. In Australia, we have a thriving Indigenous business sector that has created opportunity and change in many communities across the nation. Join us by acting now to create a greater impact for tomorrow.
'Our school is lucky to have a place like Hope House to support us'
That was the heart-warming feedback Grow Hope received from Sharni, a fifteen-year-old from Gunbalanya who recently stayed at Hope House together with some of her peers in Years 10-12. The girls travelled to Hope House in Palmerston from their school in Gunbalanya in order to spend a week doing schoolwork away from home.
During their stay, students were responsible for cooking their own healthy meals and followed a roster for who prepared each meal of the day. However, it quickly became the case that everybody joined in to contribute to every meal. The students organised the ingredients, cooked the food, served it, and cleaned the kitchen afterwards. Important life skills in cooking and working as a team were sharpened.
While at Hope House, students worked hard to complete their first English assessment task, which was to write a narrative. They have been studying The Burnt Stick, a book by Anthony Hill, and used this as scaffolding for their own writing. It's a testament to the safe and welcoming environment our team have created at Hope House that the students were able to focus effectively and complete a large amount of schoolwork in a short period of time.
Growing cultural connections in Shepparton
Each year, Wanyara brings together Yorta Yorta children during their school holidays to facilitate an inspiring program in Shepparton that provides a foundation of pride in identity, culture, community and country. Cultural Connections, as it is called, took place this year over the September holidays.
Thirty youth participants were empowered to reflect on the standpoints from which they view their world, develop a sense of belonging, and build their own personal understandings of how they relate and contribute as an Aboriginal person within their communities and our nation.
Through the Victorian Government's Future Healthy initiative, Grow Hope was successful in securing funding from VicHealth to invest in the Cultural Connections program. With these funds, participating children were able to learn about Indigenous food and traditional cooking. The program was designed to provide children with the ability to make well-informed decisions around nutrition and health in the modern world while encouraging the use of cultural wellbeing practices used by First Nations peoples for thousands of years.
News from recent events
Immersed in culture
Earlier this month, members of the St Kevin's Old Boys Football Club travelled to the Top End for a magnificent immersion trip in the Northern Territory. The players, together with their coaches, travelled around Darwin, through Kakadu National Park, and into Arnhem Land. The experience greatly enriched the cultural appreciation of all who went and it was fantastic to be back on immersion after multiple years where COVID limited opportunities for travel. We are enormously grateful to the Saints for their ongoing support and look forward to scheduling further immersions for supporters in 2023!
Wanyara heads to Coburg
Our valued partner, Wanyara, delivers informative and engaging cultural workshops in hundreds of schools every year. Occasionally, a community's circumstances mean that their school struggles to access the remarkable cultural education offered by Wanyara. In June, Grow Hope provided funding for 240 students at Coburg High School to take part in an action-packed program of activities run by Wanyara, including playing traditional Aboriginal games, hearing yarns from Indigenous presenters, learning traditional languages, and painting Indigenous artwork.
Celebrating National Reconciliation Week
National Reconciliation Week (May 27 - June 3) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements. During this year's Reconciliation Week, Sandringham hosted a series of events in which the local community came together to have fun, share culture, and celebrate Indigenous heritage. Through a smoking ceremony, meet and greet with Ben Long (St Kilda Football Club), art mural painting, dance workshops, and games run by Wanyara, it was an energising and educational Week for Sandringham. Grow Hope was honoured to support these events in conjunction with the Sandringham Traders' Association and the Sandy Street Art Project.
An opportunity to make a difference on August 4
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day is celebrated around Australia annually on August 4. It is a time during which all Australians join with Indigenous families and communities to show our support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The day is also a chance to learn about the crucial impact that culture, family, and community play in the life of every First Nations child.
The vision of the Grow Hope Foundation is the creation of opportunities for Indigenous young people as we aspire for them to find their place in a future where all Australians walk and grow together. Our educational programs create generational change by connecting Aboriginal children in Victoria and the Northern Territory with experiences that empower them to lead lives full of choice, connection and opportunity.
This Children's Day, we're raising funds to support our programs and deepen our impact in the community. On Thursday, August 4, we invite you to consider making a donation at www.mycause.com.au/page/288674/childrens-day-fundraising-appeal
All funds raised will help us realise our plans to expand the reach and use of Hope House in Darwin, enable schools in disadvantaged communities to access cultural education through Wanyara, and deliver development projects that set young Indigenous Australians up for success in later life.
'Every child is born into a story. That story comes from their family's history and ancestral connections. That child must then shape that story into their own, through created experiences, whilst finding their place within family, community, and in society.' (SNAICC - National Voice for our Children)