Supporting young First Nations women
The Harding Miller Education Foundation is committed to taking practical steps to strengthen relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians. While generations of Australians have fought hard for meaningful change, injustice for First Nations peoples is still widespread. We will sustain our effort to find ways to make future gains.
16% of the scholarship recipients who we support identify as young First Nations women. We work with them to identify the best ways to support them while they stay with their family, at their school and in their community. We support these young women to excel at school and reach their own potential. We empower them to create their own pathways to university and professional careers. We do this because we know that education has been linked to improved health outcomes, employment, income and other social benefits in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
The Foundation is working towards:
- Attracting and retaining more First Nations scholarship recipients
- Increasing the number of first nations volunteers as coaches and selection judges
- Creating and implementing a Reconciliation Action Plan
To find out more call us on 1300 103 896 or email us at [email protected].
This is Naioka's story
Naioka is a HMEF scholarship recipient who lives with her grandmother 75 kilometres outside of a small outback town in remote NSW. With no car, Naioka and her grandmother rely on others to take them into town for school supplies at the local newsagency (which is also the supermarket and petrol station).
Described by her school principal as “thriving on academic pursuits, having enormous potential and always having a book in her hand” Naioka was accepted into the online Aurora College that caters for Gifted and Talented students who live remotely.
As part of her HMEF scholarship, Naioka received a new laptop and high-speed mobile internet, which has enabled her to take advantage of the opportunities she has achieved for herself. It’s not only Naioka who feels the benefit, it is also her loving grandmother who can now watch her grandchild excel without the financial pressures that she was experiencing.
Below Naoika is receiving her scholarship at the Sydney Town Hall in May 2019.
