Bridging Now to Next – The Power of First Nations-Led Education

 

Education is one of the most powerful predictors of a person’s future, shaping employment prospects, financial wellbeing and long-term opportunities. Now more than ever, culturally responsive educational pathways are gaining momentum, with organisations like Aurora Education Foundation driving real-world outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.

 

With support from initiatives like St.George Foundation’s Inspire Grants, Aurora is helping students thrive academically, professionally, and culturally and redefine what Indigenous education and employment success looks like.

 

At the heart of this work is a belief that young people flourish when education is culturally grounded. When young minds can see their identities, histories, and aspirations reflected in their learning journey—improving academic achievement and empowering young people to see themselves as future leaders, scholars, and professionals.

From Regional Roots to Global Ambitions: Dakota’s Journey with Aurora

Founded in 2006, Aurora Education Foundation is an Indigenous organisation dedicated to helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students realise their full education and employment potential. Connecting young people with meaningful educational and career opportunities enables them to write their own stories and focus on a future filled with promise and potential.

 

Dakota Feirer is a proud Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr man from regional New South Wales who first engaged with Aurora in Year 8 through the High School Program (HSP) which provides academic support, cultural enrichment, and pastoral support through mentoring and family engagement to support students to define and achieve their education goals on their own terms. What began as academic support soon became a transformative journey that would take him from a regional classroom to the lecture halls of New York University.

 

“I didn’t really think about university,” Dakota reflects.  

 

“I just didn’t think that sort of thing was for someone like me.”

 

But through the mentorship and cultural connection the HSP provided, Dakota began to see new possibilities.

 

“University became real for me because of Aurora,” he says. 

 

“I remember being in Year 10, standing in front of a lecture theatre, giving a presentation we’d prepared on one of the camps. That was a turning point. The high expectations placed on us in a safe and supportive environment made me think, ‘maybe I can do this.’”

 

After completing a Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Wollongong, Dakota’s academic journey took an international turn. During the 2019 Aurora Study Tour, he met Dr. Jane Anderson, a leading scholar in Indigenous data sovereignty. That encounter inspired him to pursue a Master of Arts in Museum Studies at NYU, with support of a Roberta Sykes Scholarship. 

 

“Aurora offered more than academic guidance. It offered tangible pathways where I could grow my educational opportunities, not just in Australia, but internationally,” Feirer remarks.

 

Dakota graduated from NYU in May. Now, drawing on the Aurora mentorship that shaped his own journey, he hopes to support the next generation of students in the same way.

 

 "I wouldn’t have taken up leadership roles, strived for my honours and continued to strive for postgraduate studies [without the Aurora mentors]. Having that experience I hope makes me a better mentor. That’s all I want to be. That’s what I had and that’s what made my experience so precious and valuable - the quality mentorship. I hope I can be that same figure for these kids," he states.

 

With $600,000 in funding over three years from a St.George Foundation Inspire Grant, Aurora has successfully expanded the impact of its High School Program, helping First Nations students like Dakota access life-changing opportunities. Today, Dakota is not only realising his own dreams. He is also helping others see what is possible. His vision is to work at the intersection of Indigenous knowledge and institutional practice, advocating for education, repatriation, and self-determination in cultural heritage spaces. 

 

“Inextricably, our sovereignty involves both our past and future generations at every present moment,” he says. “I plan to continue to assert my cultural values and fulfil my obligations to my community by working in relationships between mob and institutions toward restorative outcomes.”

Investing in the Next Generation

Through the Inspire Grants program, St.George, BankSA, and Bank of Melbourne Foundations are proudly backing five Aboriginal-led organisations with an investment of $1.35 million.

 

Working to achieve systemic change, these five organisations are building on the rich culture, knowledge and values of First Nations communities to foster self-determination and support young people to realise their potential through the power of education.  

 

“We believe that education is one of the most powerful ways to create positive change and lasting impact,” says Nancie-Lee Robinson, Senior Manager, Grants and Social Impact.

 

“By listening to, learning from, and partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, our Foundations are contributing to an Australia in which all young people are provided with opportunities to thrive. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people deserve to grow up strong in culture, confident in who they are, and empowered to shape their own futures.”

Meet the organisations creating extraordinary change:

Aurora Education Foundation (NSW)

Aurora’s programs show that First Nations students thrive when students see themselves and their cultures reflected in their education experience. Connecting First Nations young people with education and career opportunities, Aurora is shifting the conversation to one of proud and talented students with limitless potential. Their holistic student-centred High School Program focuses on academic improvements through a cultural lens, strengthening outcomes defined by the students, their families and communities. High School Program students complete Year 12 and attain ATAR at higher rates compared to the national average for Indigenous students. 

Funding - $600,000 over 3 years

Ganbina (Victoria & Queensland)

Ganbina’s vision is for First Nations people to have cultural, economic and social equality within 2 generations. An Aboriginal-led, non-profit organisation, Ganbina delivers successful school-to-work transition for First Nations children and young people in regional communities in Victoria and Queensland, fostering self-determination and meaningful engagement in education, training, enterprise and employment. Working also with schools, teachers and families, Ganbina’s wrap-around approach supports students over the long term and builds local capability to sustain impact, leading to more First Nations children and young people staying in school, completing Year 12, and transitioning into careers of their choice.

Funding - $300,000 over 3 years

Ngutu College (South Australia)

At Ngutu, learning opportunities acknowledge and engage the individuality of all students in an experiential environment in which Aboriginal knowledges are seamlessly integrated with the formal curriculum. Principal and Kamilaroi man Andrew Plastow said, "All of our Aboriginal children come with incredible skill sets that just weren't being acknowledged in a very Western-dominated education system." Young Aboriginal educators at Ngutu are supported to complete formal teaching qualifications in a culturally safe and supportive environment, modelling aspirational educational achievement for Ngutu's children and young people. Ngutu College is a new, independent, not-for-profit K-12 college on Kaurna Country in Adelaide’s west.

Funding - $150,000 over 3 years

GO Foundation (Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra)

The Goodes O’Loughlin Foundation (GO) is an Aboriginal-led and governed organisation, providing an education scholarship program for First Nations children and young people in metropolitan Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra. The program provides cultural connection, career development, and financial support for students from years 5/6 in primary school, through high school and into university. Once a student becomes a scholar, they always remain part of the GO ecosystem. Aboriginal people deliver the program and work with education providers, families and carers to provide a high level of pastoral care and culturally appropriate support. GO students have a school attendance rate of 90% and school year completion rate of 80%, with 90% reporting improved knowledge and pride in their Indigenous heritage.

Funding - $300,000 over 3 years

Education Pathways Indigenous Corporation (EPIC) (Queensland)

EPIC is a registered Indigenous Corporation and education charity founded in late 2023. Aiming to empower First Nations high school students, EPIC integrates cultural knowledge with contemporary education strategies to enhance education outcomes, strengthen cultural identity, and expand pathways into further education, training, and employment. Operating in metropolitan South-East Queensland EPIC provides workshops in schools and universities, mentor hubs for dedicated support and post-school support for Year 12 graduates. They'll also be returning to coordinate and deliver the Garma Youth Forum at the 2025 Garma Festival and will soon begin to offer programs in Darwin and other Northern Territory communities. Strengthening partnerships between schools, communities, First Nations mentors and Elders, EPIC works closely with First Nations leaders to co-design culturally grounded programs.

Funding - $300,000 over 3 years